Web
homepage: http://www.mujerescreando.com/
(mostly in Spanish, some articles in English)
Email:
creando@ceibo.entelnet.bo
Snail
mail: Mujeres Creando at:
Casilla 12806
La Paz, Bolivia
Spokespersons: Julieta Paredes, Maria Galindo and Monica Mendoza
Bolivia
First reference we could find was in 1992. Currently active.
I could find very little ‘real’ history on mujeres creando. The first reference I could find was in an interview with Julieta Paredes (http://flag.blackened.net/pipermail/infoshop-ca/2002-March/000006.html ), where she says that they began with graffiti in 1992. After that, the next ‘event’ I have found reference to is the 7th Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encounter held in 1996 in Cartagena, Chile, whe re Mujeres Creando interrupted the proceedings by “denouncing power hungry women”
(see http://www.laneta.apc.org/telemanita/bull12_art2.html there aren’t many details).
Then,
they catapult to the spotlight on July 2,
2001, as the orchestrators of a somewhat violent
occupation and hostage taking of a bank in
La Paz. They managed successful negotiations
for an end to the standoff.
In
2000, they released the self-titled film “Mujeres
Creando”, which has apparently won foreign
awards as a documentary film (all in foreign
languages, unfortunately). They currently
have the journal “ Mujer Publica”
(Public Woman) , a weekly radio show, and
a cultural café called “Carcajada”
(Laughter).
Most recently, they have written and produced a weekly television show called Mamá no me lo dijo. The show deals with sexual rights from a feminist perspective, and was well received. However, it was for the filming of this show that the producers and film crew were arrested on August 15, 2003, sparking outrage on indymedias around the world. The charges were for “obscene acts” and “obscene performances”, relating to male nudity. As of Jul y 9, 2003, they were still facing charges.
“"Mamá no me lo dijo"
goes on air every Sunday, from 10-11 pm (local
prime time), through Red P.A.T, an open TV
channel in Bolivia. The series includes a
total of 13 chapters, followed by a discussion
table on the studios, focused on the issues
raised by each particular chapter (homophobic
and/or racist prejudice, sexual violence,
among others).” (News Group Posting,
“Bolivia: Despite critical success,
producers of TV program on sexual rights still
face charges”, Fri, 11 Jul 2003
http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-headlines/markup/msg01135.html
“Mujeres
Creando is a "craziness" started
by three women (Julieta Paredes, Maria Galindo
and Monica Mendoza) from the arrogant, homophobic
and totalitarian Left of Bolivia during the
'80s, where heterosexuality was still the
model and feminism was understood to be divisive.
It's not really a new design in a society
such as ours. So we had already been developing
this kind of criticism.
The
other part of our criticism of the Left is
toward what has been a constructed social
practice; that is, it was unethical, dishonest
and it had a double morality.
Revolutionary in the streets, revolutionary
in their words, revolutionary in their talking,
yet, at home, they were the dictators of their
own families, with their own loved ones.”
On
diversity and the ‘infinity’ of
solidarity:
“From the viewpoint of Mujeres Creando,
one way to move toward our goal is the concept
of diversity (the other is creativity). Diversity
is fundamental for us, because if you look
at how other groups are made up, they're usually
of the same kind of people (barrio [neighborhood],
young people, workers, lesbians, etc.).Diversity
is a way to criticize these "enclosed
cubicles" in society. Mujeres Creando
is made up of lesbians and heterosexuals,
whites and indigenous women, young and old
women, divorced and married women, women from
the country and from the city, etc. The system
tries to keep us in the "enclosed cubicles"
and to divide us so that it can control us
more effectively.”
On
anarchism:
“In the process of constructing organization
- no bosses, no hierarchy - I speak for myself
and don't represent anybody... I've said it
and I'll say it again that we're not anarchists
by Bakunin or the CNT, but rather by our grandmothers,
and that's a beautiful school of anarchism.”
They are explicitly anarchist, as is evident
from their symbol of the female symbol inscribed
with the circle A.
Mujeres Creando utilizes direct action and encourages revolution. They are also active in creating alternative spaces, as is evident from their many media projects.
They are radical feminists, anarchists and obviously influenced by queer theory. See above self descriptions.
The bureaucracy, technocrats, the state, the military. “Favorite targets include neoliberals, smug macho leftists, and mainstream feminists (“gender technocrats”).” (Tom Kruse, “Mujeres Creando Paints Bolivia” June 1999
http://www.americas.org/News/Features/199906_Gay_Rights/bolivias_muj eres_creando.htm
Mujeres Creandes continues to utlize graffiti to spread their message (see examples below). As well, they have their own journal and radio station. They are active as documentary makers and have ventured into T.V.
Focus
on: political / social / economic / cultural
actions
Violent /nonviolent
Branded non-branded
See history above
Lots of coverage etc. from indymedia.
http://www.mujerescreando.com/
History
of ‘libertarianism’ in Bolivia
: http://www.coli.uni-sb.de/~pietsch/stop-war/PineSGI41010005190941440
3097-100000.html
Adams, Jason and Amory Starr. “Anti-Globalization:
The Global Fight for Local Autonomy”
New Political Science , 25: 1, 2003. http://www.chapman.edu/~starr/newpoliticalscience.pdf
(Really recent article on a variety of autonomist
movements)
English translation of Julieta Paredes interview:
http://flag.blackened.net/pipermail/infoshop-ca/2002-March/000006.ht
ml
(also http://www.greenanarchy.org/zine/GA09/julieta.php
)
Brief interview in the New Internationalist
: http://www.newint.org/issue347/waves.htm
Various Authors. Quiet-Rumors: An Anarcha-Feminist
Reader . AK Press/ Dark Star. “The last
section consists of inspiring material from
Mujeres Creando (Women Creating), anarcha-feminist
street activists in Bolivia whose graffiti,
propaganda, and creative, confrontational
actions are directly challenging traditional
gender roles as well as current neoliberal
trends.”