Month in Review: September 2019
We started the month on a high note by presenting at IDRC’s South Asia Regional Meeting, where we talked about our projects, their impact, and our learning outcomes.
Our new release The Many That I Am: Writings from Nagaland, published in collaboration with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation under the Fragrance of Peace project (2018-19), hit shelves in the first week of the month. Written by Anungla Zoe Longkumer, it brings together a remarkable set of stories, poems, first-person narratives and visuals that reflect the many facets of women’s writing in Nagaland.
A discussion around sexual violence and resistance was organised in collaboration with the Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi, with Urvashi Butalia, Kathmandu based theatre artist and activist Ashmina Ranjit and Mallika Shakya. The discussion, besides being centred around the books A Difficult Transition:The Nepal Papers and Silence No Longer: Artivism of Ashmina, also touched upon the personal experience and activism of the panelists.
Various performances were held in Bengaluru and Imphal under the Stepping Stones and Body of Evidence projects. In Bengaluru, students of Azim Premji University and trans activist Shilok performed pieces that looked at sexual abuse and injustice at the Undergraduate Campus, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. In Imphal, the performances were held at Law College Imphal and D.M University. Led by National School of Drama graduate Yengkokpam Purnima Devi, a team of theatre artists touched upon the justice system, the idea of the ‘perfect victim’, the state, and impunity through their performances.
September also saw the launch of our new weekly series on social media called #WednesdaysForWomensHistories, where we share e-Essays with you every Wednesday, written by the 2018-2019 grantees of our Zubaan-Sasakawa Peace Foundation Grants for Young Researchers from the Northeast. All the essays in this series centre around the broader framework of women’s multiple histories and gender in the Northeast.
Last but definitely not the least, we hit a follower milestone of 900 followers this month. Thank you for all the support!