Patricia Ariza’s talk at the Global Women's
Rights Forum discussed many of the themes and ideas we have discussed in our
class. Besides the obvious connection to the Cynthia Cockburn readings about Colombia’s
armed and social conflict, Ariza also discussed the importance of women having
“legitimate” space, and the significance of cultural resistance through theatre.
The violence in Colombia has been going on for fifty years, resulting in the
internal displacement of millions of people, especially women. Through the use
of theatre, Patricia aims to start social dialogue through community-based
performance, empower the disadvantaged, restore social memory, and use
cultural resistance to battle inequality, poverty, and patriarchy.
By focusing on women’s issues in theatre
festivals, Patricia and the women and women’s groups she works with demonstrate
how artistic work can be important and relevant when used as a form of
political activism. Patricia also spoke about the idea of using a public space
and change it for the purposes of women. Groups of women
occupy traditionally masculine spaces, such as a public square, and
use them in a new ways. Women use their bodies as a means of protest. My
favorite part of the discussion was when Patricia showed us how they used a
runway for social performances (rather than the traditional fashion show, where
woman do not speak and are merely walking hangers). Overall it was a really
interesting talk and I enjoyed learning about the perspective of a woman from a
Latin American country.
- Jillian
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