SONGS FOR WOMEN LIVING WITH WAR: A LIVING MEMORIAL

This event is in conjunction with the 20th Annual Social Justice Colloquium

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Schedule of Events:
April 5, 2016, 6-8pm
Black Box Cabaret (BBC)
6014 General Jim Moore Blvd,
Marina, CA 93933

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• Unveiling of Installation: Songs for Women Living with War"Living Memorial.“

• Theresa Wong: musician/composer will lead  community vocal lamentation

• M. Evelina Galang: Literary presentation from Lola’s house: Women living with war & other works.

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ABOUT SONGS FOR WOMEN LIVING WITH WAR:

Songs for Women Living with War / Bahay ni Lola/ House of the Grandmothers is a “living” memorial/anti-war monument that remembers women and children and the violence they suffer. It is an anti-war memorial of transcendence, empowerment, and healing. It seeks to create a platform of understanding that these crimes against humanity do not begin and end on the battlefield. Sexual violence against women knows no time or place or nationality—it is a phenomenon endemic to our culture of war, patriarchy, and violence. Songs for Women Living with War will be an installation (house) of many stories, a place to contemplate the effects of war on women and children and how to transcend those effects. The “bahay” is an “open house” structure of 3 walls with the main 10-foot high wall spelling out Songs for Women Living with War.

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Songs for Women Living with War (SWLWW) is a collaboration between VPA, Global Studies, and HCOM, and will comprised of

a series of artist talks, performances, panels, and public art.

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Songs for Women Living with War / Bahay ni Lola/ House of the Grandmothers is a “living” memorial/anti war monument that remembers women and children, and the violence they suffer. In Spring 2016, the Songs for Women Living with War Forum will combine a public art installation, performance, presentations and discussions through a collaboration between the Visual and Public Art Department (VPA), Global Studies’ Social Justice Colloquium, and The Division of Humanities & Communication (HCOM) Writers from the Edge program.  

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The consequence of poverty, conflict and sexual violence, and how to organize against it will be informed by Lila Shahani, an Assistant Secretary of the Philippine Government on poverty and sex trafficking, and feminist activists, including Gwyn Kirk of Women for Genuine Security. Evelina Galang will present her work on the WWII Comfort women, the "Lolas” (grandmothers), which is the inspiration for the Songs for Women Living with War memorial.  Composer Theresa Wong will perform community vocal improvisations in the song form of “Lamentations”.

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Songs for Women Living with War is an anti war memorial of transcendence, empowerment and healing. It seeks to create a platform of understanding that these crimes against humanity do not begin and end on the battlefield.  Sexual violence against women knows no time or place or nationality – it is a phenomenon endemic to our culture of war, patriarchy, and violence.  This will be a house of many stories, a place to contemplate the effects of war on women and children, and how to transcend those effects.  

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Spring 2016 Songs for Women Living with War Programming:

 

• February 23, 2016: Panel on feminist activists (organized by Global Studies)

• March 10, 2016: Theresa Wong-Vocal Workshop, VPA build. 72

• March 15, 2016: Vicente Rafael, University of Washington, “Amid Three Empires: The Philippines Under Spain, the United States and Japan.” (organized by Global Studies)

• March 17, 2016: Visiting Artist—Activist, blogger and performer, Lila Shahani, Assistant Secretary, Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Cabinet Cluster, Republic of the Philippines, UC Livingroom, CSUMB

• April 5, 2016: Songs for Women Living with War Installation, featuring Evelina Galang and Theresa Wong, Black Box Cabaret (BBC), CSUMB