NEWS CENTER - Women who take part in cultural and artistic activities at BEKSAV and Jin Art will take to the streets with their melodies on March 8 against all kinds of violence.

 

As March 8, International Women's Day, approaches, women are preparing to voice their objections to the male-dominated system in every field. Women strive to exist and produce in the field of culture and arts against both the male-dominated understanding and the aggressive policies of the government.

 

Science Education Aesthetics Culture and Art Research Foundation (BEKSAV) Co-Chair Canan Kaplan stated that they will carry their fight against the masculine understanding in art to March 8. Stating that they are in a period where women's labour is invisible in art and their quality is tried to be devalued, Kaplan said: "We are trying to highlight women's production and quality more and make them more visible."

Emphasizing the struggle of women against the AKP government's efforts to remove women from the public sphere, Kaplan said: "The effort to prove to the world that women exist in art is a very valuable effort. Women are standing and producing something within the scope of this effort."

 

THE GOVERNMENT'S 'ONE TYPE' UNDERSTANDING OF ART

 

Stating that the "standardization" policy, which the government has turned into an ideology, continues its existence with obstacles in the field of art, Kaplan said: "They are trying to take away the pain of the hegemony they could not establish in the field of culture by putting pressure on institutions that produce alternative culture and art in this way. They try to stereotype, intimidate, and silence those they cannot standardize. They do this by not giving opportunities to alternative art, not providing halls, and canceling their concerts. We are faced with a wide variety of prohibitions."

 

Stating that women welcomed March 8 in a period of multifaceted attacks, Kaplan said: "The women's movement has reached a threshold. It will either jump this threshold and regain the gains that were tried to be taken away from it, or it will simply remain in a defensive position."

 

THEY ARE PREPARING FOR MARCH 8

 

Stating that as BEKSAV, they are preparing for March 8 with women's melodies of Sarya Music Group, of which she is the soloist, Kaplan said that they will draw attention to femicide and women's resistance with the melodies. Kaplan said: “One of our songs is about femicides, the other is about the 'Jin, Jîyan, Azadî' resistance. We dedicated our song ‘We want to live’ to Ozgecan Aslan, who was murdered. Last week we sent 8 March cards to prisoner women. We have one foot on the street and one foot in the studio. We want to promise women both inside and outside that we will grow the rebellion together on March 8."

 

'ORGANIZING AGAINST DECAY'

 

Stating that they welcomed March 8 at a time when social decay, hopelessness and individualization deepened, Kaplan emphasized that the only solution against hopelessness is organization. Kaplan concluded her speech as follows: “I think that organization is the address of the principle of collectivism and collective mind against this decay, this individualization. I call on everyone to organize. I think this is the only way to resist despair. I call on everyone to be on the streets against resistance and social isolation, to be with those on the streets and to support them."

 

THEY ESTABLISHED TAMBOURINE GROUP IN JIN ART

 

Women studying at Jin Art, which continues its activities in Izmir, formed a master group on the occasion of March 8, International Women's Day. The group includes 25 women. Members of the group consist of different professional groups such as shopkeeper, academics, teachers, students and domestic workers. The group, which includes women of all ages, comes together 3 days a week and prepares for March 8th.

 

WOMEN WILL SAY 'WE ARE HERE'

 

Group member Belkize Bitkin (40) stated that March 8 has great meaning and importance for all women. Describing March 8 as "women's resistance and rebellion", Bitkin stated that they came together in the tambourine group for this reason and said: "Women are wanted to be excluded in every aspect of life. Against this, we, Kurd women, will take part in this March 8 with our voice, language, chant, local dress and colour." 

 

Bitkin stated that March 8 was achieved as a result of a great resistance and struggle. Pointing out that women will come together against male-state violence this year as well, Bitkin said: "Women, who are trying to be isolated from society by the male-dominated system, want to say 'we are here, we are the society' in the March 8 areas. Thousands of people flocked to the areas all over the world on March 8. Women actually share the same feelings. We call on all resisting women in Izmir to organize peace, freedom and resistance on March 8."

 

'ART IS A SHOUT'

 

Fatima Iraz (32), who works as a shopkeeper in Buca district and takes violin lessons at Jin Art, stated that she also attended the tambourine course for March 8. Iraz said: "It motivates me a lot to carry out a collective work with women under the same roof. Because art is a shout and we shout out what we experience. The women participating in the course work in different professional fields. But our interest in art brought us together. We will be in the streets with our music this March 8.”

 

'TIME TO DESTROY THE DARKNESS'

 

Ceylan Tunç (33), who works as an assistant in a private hospital, said that she received training in the tambourine course as well as flute lessons. Tunç said: "March 8 is important to me. Because that day is the day for women to claim their lives and break the darkness that is deemed appropriate for them. Wherever women who want to change life and weave the future with hope come together, it turns into the March 8 area."