Scorpion Mag i05 - Movement

issue 05

Scorpion

Mag

MOVEMENT

contents 1. photography by @lucyait 2. letter from the editor @lucyait 4. issue 05 playlist 5. poem by silas denver melvin / @sweatermuppet 6. photography by maya barter / @mayabarter 7. art by @alicegray 8. art by shama / @imperfect_art_journal 10. poem by @oriorwriter_ / IR Belletti 11. art by ny / @_hiitsny_ 12. interview with selin ozunaldim by @lucyait 17. art by ny / @_hiitsny_ 19. poem by @sidneysgallerywall 20. poem by ayesha owais 21. photography by @lynn._.portraits 23. poem by anon 24. poem by @lucyait 25. photography by @lynn._.portraits 27. poem by liz degregorio 28. poem by nikolle dixon 30. poem by @hollyberry_x

1

by lucy aitchison / @lucyait

scorpions,

@lucyait

somehow, it's been 5 months since the first issue of scorpion mag was published. something i've wanted to do since the conception of scorpion is talk about issues that are important to me, so this issue was a chance for contributors to do the same - in the form of art. leading on from last month's theme, 'movement' pushes us to think about how we can get to the future we wish for. how can we achieve all these dreams we have for the future of our world?

In this issue we're lucky enough to have interviewed selin ozunaldim, a turkish activist, on youth activism. read the interview for some of her insights into the importance of activism and advice on how you can start. the way contributors have intertwined movements of all kinds into their arts is truly inspiring and I hope you find it equally so.

sending love, scorpion mag <3 2

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I05 PLAYLIST

4

5

by silas denver melvin / @sweatermuppet

by maya barter / @mayabarter

6

by alice gray

7

by shama / @imperfect_art_journal

8

ART WILL SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE by @oriorwriter_ / IR Belletti

9

Our culture is keeping on singing during the end of the world.

The economy was terrible, the environment was dying, but the Mona Lisa sat comfortably in the Louvre, the Pyramids still stood tall, and that's what we needed. to watch the sun explode into our eyes and, while getting swept away, still think that that would have made a perfect painting. we are crazy, yes, but we were never afraid because Art lives forever

10

11

by @_hiitsny_ / ny

by @_hiitsny_ / ny

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RISING OF A YOUNG ACTIVIST S E L I N

O Z U N A L D I M

Selin is a 17-year-old activist in Istanbul, Turkey. She is the youngest equality youngest

representative movement Board

of

called

Member

UNWomen’s

HeForShe of

Young

in

global

Turkey.

BPW

gender

Selin

Maiden’s

is

the

Tower

Turkey, writing and operating projects to achieve real gender equality. Scorpion interviewed Selin about the importance of youth getting involved in political movements.

Q:

Why do you think it's important that young people

like yourself get involved in political movements?

A:

In Turkey, the older generation tends to say that we as

youth

and

because

kids

we

should

are

stay

‘’too

out

young’’.

of

political

Even

movements

though

I

receive

backlash, I believe that no one is ‘’too young’’ to have an opinion or an idea. I think it is just the easy way out for most

of

the

parents.

Instead

of

explaining

to

their

children what is going on around their country, around the world from a perspective, they are just cutting it out by saying they are not qualified enough to understand the topic. I do not agree with that, not at all. I am not only

talking

activists,

13

this

about is

older generation

what

political we

movements,

struggle

with

the

as

young

most.

The

discriminates against us due to our birth year but our age does not define our success, our knowledge, and what we are capable of. I cannot remember how many times my colleagues said ‘’Good for you sweetie!’’ to me during a meeting, while we were sitting at the same table. I believe even little examples like this show how much we need youth voices and your input.

Q:

Do

you

have

any

words

of

encouragement

for

those who know they want political change but are unsure of where to start?

A:

Do not be afraid of what other people might think of

you,

of

what

they

might

talk

about

you.

Make

people

uncomfortable so they have to step out of their comfort zones and open their eyes about what is going on. If you truly believe in the cause and passionate about this, the only thing that can stop you from achieving it is yourself.

I know how hard and nerve-wracking it can be to send that email or make that phone call but if you don’t, how will you ever know what the outcome could be? You have three options. They can either never respond, which is fine,

they

can

decline

your

offer,

which

is

again

fine

because it means that at least they know who you are and the work you do, and they can give you a positive response, the response that maybe change your whole life but you’ll never know if you don’t take action. So just go for it!

14

Q:

With everything going on in the world, it can be

hard to know which issues to focus on. How do you decide where to focus your activism?

A: I

think every aspect and type of activism is major and

important

but

Development

I

have

Goals

chosen 4

to

(access

focus to

on

Sustainable

education)

and

5

(gender equality). I believe there are many reasons why I focused

on

them,

have

I

especially

gender

on

seen the

equality

but

a

massive

East

Side

just

to

gender of

the

share

two

equality country.

of

gap Child

marriages, underage pregnancies are very much real in Turkey, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen

a

dangerous

increase

in

child

marriages

and

domestic violence. Right now, our government is trying to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention which is the only thing

that

keeps

women

safe

and

protected

from

all

types of violence. Turkish people are tired and disgusted of waking up to a black and white picture of a woman every single day who has been killed by her husband, father, ex, a victim of the brutal violence and femicides that are happening in Turkey. Maybe yes, these issues have never affected me as an individual but that is the biggest problem. People do not take action if it is not affecting them in person, and enjoy their privileges... but make them uncomfortable. Make them uncomfortable so they have to talk about it, that is what I am aiming to do.

15

Q:

What's one issue you feel is often overlooked, but

you wish more young activists would acknowledge?

A:

I think mental health is an issue that we never talk

about. It is very much brushed under the carpet. People are

not

being

importance

of

educated it.

about

There

are

mental so

health

many

and

myths

the and

misperceptions about mental health-related issues and I think

as

societies

we

should

take

immediate

action

towards it.

Q: Do

you have any final words of advice?

A:

not

If

you,

then

who?

If

not

now,

then

when?

(HeForShe's slogan).

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by @_hiitsny_ / ny

by @_hiitsny_ / ny

18

What to Say When You’re Uneducated on an Issue

I respect the way your lips don’t smack the glass when you drink Coke but I need a couple of days to stretch your argument thin as summer taffy to my bedroom walls. Just let me verify your hot-breathed bullet points until I feel ready enough to whisper an assemblage of poetry lines that feel like facts in my chest but wouldn’t hold up in court because all I know is that I never know enough and all you know is that you never need to know more if you make that face at me.

by @sidneysgallerywall

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by ayesha owais

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by @lynn._.portraits

21

by @lynn._.portraits

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this is the movement you have taken my place. you sleep in my bed, and night after night we have stared at the same ceiling. we have felt the very same pleasure and pain, prayed to the same god, fallen to our knees before the same angels. tell me, did you ever think of who came before you? did you ever question why the walls felt like they had history? you have taken my place and someday soon, someone will take yours and you will sit and write poems about it, about how we are all temporary beings In a replaceable world. there will be another you; you will kick and scream and try to stop it and try to stop it and try to stop but soon you will realise that this is the movement. we live the same life, you and i only seperated by a heartbeat and time .

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EVERY MAN IS THE SON OF A DAUGHTER

by @lucyait / inspired by 'slow up' by jacob banks

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by @lynn._.portraits

25

by @lynn._.portraits

26

27

by Liz DeGregorio

by nikolle dixon / @nikolledenise

28

KEEP GOING. 29

we surge forwards together like the thundering cacophony of the ocean- strong and resilient and unstoppable. we, the youth, are a force to be reckoned with; no barriers can hold back the unbridled passion and righteousness we are overflowing with. our boots hit concrete as we march through the city, like the crash of tides against the shore, impossible to ignore. we line the roads as living blockades and force our voices to be heard over the roar of ignorance we are met with in retaliation. it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change anything i hear adults mutter from the comforts of their homes, as injustice seeps into their lives like a twisted sepia filter. little do they know that we are already in the streets, we are already in the news, we are already making changes.

by @hollyberry_x

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scorpion mag september 2020

issue 05