This was the motto of the six-days of the self-organized World Women’s Conference of grassroots women in Kathmandu, Nepal. 1,300 participants from 48 countries took part, including 74 delegates from 40 countries and more than 200 volunteer helpers. In ten workshops, the participants discussed central issues of the women’s movement. Women’s organisations from 61 countries were actively involved in the preparation programme.
About the Kurdistan Women’s Liberation Movement: Having a history of 40 years in total, the women within the Kurdish National Liberation Struggle are organising themselves autonomously since the early 1990’s. This process that started first within the guerrilla ranks by establishing a women’s guerrilla army today has reached a level of equal participation and representation in all parts of the struggle. Inside the women are organised autonomously and are the ones that take all decisions on women. But the ideological and practical struggle for true liberation continues as it aims to liberate both women and men from the patriarchal and capitalist-modernist mind of state. The women’s struggle within the Kurdish liberation movement marks a revolution within a revolution. It is based on the idea that true revolutions must be female; that liberation theories and ideologies need to take the issue of women’s liberation in it’s centre. The one who started first analysis on women’s status within the society and the liberation of women was the founder and leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah O He was abducted through a NATO-operation in 1999 and since then kept in solitary confinement on a prison island in Turkey. Sakine Cansiz, nom de guerre ‘Sara’, was one of the first female revolutionaries in Kurdistan. Cansiz was founding member of the PKK. She was imprisoned in 1980 and brutally tortured. By leading the resistance in the prisons against the colonialist Turkish state she became a living legend. She was at the same time a living history of the Kurdish women’s liberation struggle. On January 9, 2013 Sakine Cansiz, together with her comrades Fidan Dogan and Leyla Saylemez, was assassinated by the Turkish intelligence service in Paris/France.
23.11.18: The All India Revolutionary Women’s Organisation (AIRWO) is proud to host the International Theoretical Seminar on the Liberation of Women from 2nd – 4th December, 2018, in Bengaluru. The Seminar, which will be held in Spoorthidhama, Anjananagar, Bengaluru, is an initiative of the World Women’s Conference, an international coordination of rank and file women working to build a global solidarity of struggling women. AIRWO has been a part of the World Women’s Conference since it began its journey in Venezuela in 2011. The decision to hold an international theoretical seminar was adopted by the Second World Women’s Conference held in Nepal in 2016.
The three-day international seminar will have participants from countries of Asia, West Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. There will also be around 200 participants from around 15 states of India. Women from across the world will speak and interact on the problems confronting women’s liberation, possible strategies to overcome the same and efforts to build a just and egalitarian society. The emphasis of the seminar will be on exchange and interaction rather than one-way deliberations.
Translation from German with online machine translation due to time constraints:
International Theoretical Seminar on the Liberation of Women
in the “Sakine Cansize Hall” / Spoorthidhama from 2. – 4.12.18 in Bangalore/ India
For the first time since the establishment of the movement for World Women’s Conferences of Basic Women 12 years ago, world women from four continents are organizing an international strategy debate on ways and objectives of women’s liberation. The spectrum of views and statements is broad:
where does the special oppression of women worldwide come from? What are their roots? What are the reasons for their particular exploitation? Are there countries where women have equal rights? What lessons can we learn from history? What significance does the struggle for the liberation of women have for the liberation of humanity from exploitation and oppression – and vice versa? etc. etc.
On the basis of analyses, facts and experience reports we will exchange ourselves. The whole spectrum of women’s movements will have their say.
One thing is clear: in the analyses of the women’s liberation ideology the movements differ. But that is not a problem. We see this fundamental debate as an enrichment for further cooperation in terms of content and practice.
In this sense, come, join in, send your speeches to us or give them to other women. The countdown is on! The theoretical seminar of basic women is a milestone at the zenith of the 2nd World Women’s Conference to the 3rd World Women’s Conference 2021.
The results will be incorporated into the timetable for the 3rd World Conference on Women. The character of a basic women’s seminar will also be organised by the subsequent visit to Indian women’s organisations on 5 December 18.
Of course such a seminar is a challenge for the content and practical preparation.
The organisation team in India works tirelessly on the preparations. Sharmistha Choudhury writes: “The closer the seminar gets, the more nervous I get. I hope that everything will be all right! Today I start the train from Calcutta to Bangalore. It is a journey of 36 hours. I will be in Bangalore for five days to check all the appointments on the spot. We have rented a translation equipment, can you support us with interpreters? We have set up an office. Hopefully the participants have booked their hotels? This is very important! We already have many registrations, from India we expect 200 – 250 participants, from Nepal 12 women will arrive, from Africa we expect about 6 women, from Europe about 40 – 50 women, from the Near and Middle East we have registrations. Greetings from India, Sharmistha.
p.s. the weather in Bangalore in December, about 27°C!”
The theoretical seminar on the liberation of women is a joint work of the militant women’s movement with those responsible in Africa, Asia, Southern Kurdistan and Europe. Many helping hands and heads support the preparations to the best of their ability and actively contribute to the success of the seminar:
* Visa applications are filled in from continent to continent via skype
* Travel groups meet and organize their participation (content and organization)
* One for all – in order to enable one representative to participate, women e.g. in Africa do not participate
* Brigadists take leave, donate travel expenses,
* without cash nothing going on! The seminar is a joint effort and is therefore financed jointly. Donations are very welcome.
The coordinators of the World Women’s Conferences of Basic Women and the organisation team in India will inform you about the current state of preparations!
Until today we have Registrations:
From the roof of the world from Nepal/Kathmandu
from Africa
from Latin America
from Europe,
The organisation team launches an advertising campaign in Asia
And for all women who would like to see more of India, the travel agency People to People offers the possibility of a subsequent trip.
You are in negotiations with a progressive Indian tour operator. The offer should be a group travel program, after the seminar. The duration: approx. 1 week, with the possibility of extending a few days, e.g. beach holiday.
Who has interest in it, should itself before the flight reservation with People to People journeys in connection set over email: reisen@people-to-people.de or by telephone under 0209 1776560.
People to People Reisen will also be happy to advise you on your flight bookings and book the flights for you.
As soon as the travel program is finished, we will publish it on our homepage. If you are interested, please contact us directly, the friends of People to People will be happy to inform you.
The preparations for the content are also in full swing. The seminar is a contribution of the international militant women’s movement to the theoretical discussion about ways and goals of the liberation of women. It is a seminar of grassroots women. It is addressed to all interested women, factory workers, farmers, housewives, nurses, educators etc. You do not need to have studied or speak many languages. Every woman can participate in these discussions and contribute her diverse experiences. The theoretical processing of the diverse practical experience and life experience will help us to get a clear view in these troubled times.
Dear women, we know that the journey to India is an expensive thing for the basic women. As a non-partisan, financially independent and democratic movement, we have no donors. Our sponsors are like us, workers, friends and supporters of the militant women’s movement. The African women have suggested that they bring handicrafts and sell them at the seminar. The proceeds will be used to refinance their trip. This is a great idea. Maybe you have other ideas how to finance your trip then write them to us, we will put them on the homepage.
