Events

[DISCUSSION] “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin. Banish Putin, Banish Putin! Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Become a feminist, we pray thee!” were the words that Russian punk activists Pussy Riot sang at a flash protest outside of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow in 2012, a month before Vladimir Putin was elected to his third term as president of Russia. Three members of the 11-member group were arrested for the performance that was meant to protest Putin’s ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, his unaccepting policies on homosexuality, and other anti-feminist ideals. The protest also exposed the country’s proclivity to violate the rights of freedom of expression of its citizens. The three members of the group arrested and charged with hooliganism— at the time 22-year-old Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24-year-old Maria Alyokhina, and 30-year-old Yekaterina Samutsevich—were each sentenced to two years in prison, which led to international outrage over the incident and subsequent protests all over the world. Celebrities including Madonna and Paul McCartney condemned the conviction and famous Russians such as former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov joined in protest. Pussy Riot had officially sparked a movement. By December 2013 the main core of the feminist punk group was free from prison, and upon their release launced a campaign organization called Zone of Rights.  

“Anybody can be Pussy Riot, you just need to put on a mask and stage an active protest of something in your particular country, wherever that may be, that you consider unjust,” Alekhina and Tolokonnikova said in a statement released last year. 

The campaign aims to ”aid those who may be deprived of liberty in camps and prisons, but are not willing to be stripped of their dignity.” In advancement of the cause, Maria Alyokhina and Ksenia Zhivago will come to Asbury Hall on Thursday, February 18 to hold a conversation on human rights, the black lives matter movement, LGBT rights, prison reform, and art and politics in Russia, presented by Hallwalls and Funtime. The conversation will be moderated by performance artist Karen Finley and followed by a Q&A session.