Ladyfest Winnipeg
type=digital_archives
"LADYFESTO
written by the LadyfestWinnipeg Collective, February 2006
see website for more festival details:
www.geocities.com/ladyfestwinnipeg/main.html
We recognize that woman is a constructed category. we put the word between quotation marks to symbolise its fluidity and indefinite meaning. biology does not determine gender, therefore inclusion of trans and gender-bending folks is part of our goal.
Ladyfest is
A Do It Yourself festival which fosters a consensus decision making environment and recognizes the diverse talents and knowledges of women.
Ladyfest exists because
women possess and produce information, knowledge, music, art and books, and women are empowered by sharing this with others.
The current sexist culture does not make sharing an accessible endeavour.
It is crucial to have space to experience and discuss one anothers work in a constructive and comfortable setting.
We do need to validate our emotions, including anger, which is often pitted against us and experienced in internalised sexism and envy.
Ladyfest aims to
Foster and support the knowledge and talents of women
Encourage participation in the face of personal insecurities or doubts.
Create non-hierarchical ways of interacting, produce culture and build friendships and alliances founded on communication and understanding, instead of competition and good/bad categorisations.
Raise a community that does not see race, physical ability, age, species, class, weight, sex, religion and sexual orientation as personal identifiers that negatively separates and segregates folks and their ideas." (http://www.myspace.com/ladyfestwinnipeg)