Full programme and event details at www.ladyfestedinburgh.com
The aim of feminist revolution is for women to achieve our total humanity, which means destroying the masculine and feminine roles which make both men and women only half human. Creating a women's culture is the means through which we shall restore our humanity
Cathy Levine 'The Tyranny of Tyranny'
4TH - 31ST MAY 2008!!! A whole month of events put on by Ladyfest Edinburgh. ART MUSIC LITERATURE DANCE COMEDY DISCUSSIONS WORKSHOPS. Ladyfest is an idea. A community based, not-for-profit global celebration of women in the arts, culture and society. The 1st Ladyfest festival was held in Olympia in 2000 and since then loads of independently run festivals have been happening across the world. It has it's roots in riott grrrls and D.I.Y culture.Our aims: - to celebrate female creativity across all artforms - to create a space to rejuvinate discussions about feminism and its relevance in society today - to create an alternative space with events organised primarily by women - to give the opportunity for women to come forward and put on events/workshops and redress the balance of male dominated arts/music festivals - to work in partnership with already established groups in Edinburgh and to make Ladyfest accessible to all - to raise money for local charities including Zero Tolerance.
Through workshops and events we aim to challenge all forms of stereotyping. we want to stimulate discusions and learn new skills. we want to motivate women to stand up and use their voices politically, creativly and in their everyday home and work situations.
Ladyfest Edinburgh is an open forum where people are invited to come along to our weekly meetings to talk, get to know one another and feel free in the space to discuss and work on ideas and projects of both mutual and personal interest. By simply providing the space many women, some already active in the arts and some within small local groups, have been given the impetus to share their passions and opinions, to raise awareness as well as being active.
In the main the project started out to get other women together in a public space to talk about feminism, art, music, politics and culture in general. From here the idea is to nurture a network of people and groups who will continue to work together on different projects and campaigns and offer support to one another and to new people who want to get involved.
We are quite a structureless group with everything happening out of a sense of friendship and trust. We have an open and experimental ethic and we are keen to explore different ways of working collaboratively and democratically but still out-with the normal structural heirarchies. The future of the group will be built on our need to grasp this free space and continue making a visible women's culture. We want to encourage women to set aside time in our daily lives for personal development and to use our voices creatively, politically and in our everyday lives. We want to work as a community to challenge all forms of oppression and add to the wealth of female voices and creativity past and present
If you're interested in being involved with Ladyfest Edinburgh then contact us or come along to our next workshop, these are held every Thursday at the Waverly Bar on St Mary's Street from 7.45pm.
We need your voices.