LitFest-2021

highlighting global movements

Litfest 2021

Litfest

SOUVENIRS Editor in Chief Maya Fidziukiewicz Deputy Sara Sheibani Art Director Rachel Betters Marketing Director Ellie Marcus Webmaster Brooke Strain Illustrators Emma Leeper Tracy Fu WUD Publications Committee Director Evanka Annyapu

WUD Publications Committee Advisor Robin Schmoldt Wisconsin Union President Lily Miller

Contributors Asha Jain Lydia Nyachieo Simran Kaur Sandhu Ally Shepherd

In This Issue 4 India Farmer’s Protest 8 Take Back the Night 10 Hirak Renewed

The Publications Committee of the Wisconsin Union Directorate celebrates creativity on campus by providing hands-on experience in publishing, editing, writing, and art-making. Through the publishing of our 6 student-run journals and magazines, we provide a creative outlet for UW-Madison students interested in creating poetry and prose, reporting on travel, music, and fashion, or delving into research in science and public policy. We also offer lectures with established authors, an annual literary festival, and we co-host events such as UW Fashion Week and previously, The Gatsby Gala!

Dear Reader

We all want to make this world a better place, and so we express our concerns, vote, and have difficult conversations. Our words and our actions have the power to heal, but also the power to hurt. When we recognize injustice, we know it is important to find something we can DO about it, instead of finding someone to BLAME for it.

The following stories are here to bring awareness about injustices happening around the world, and to inspire readers to do something about them. When we travel, we should be conscious and aware of the country’s current atmosphere and climate to get a better understanding of the life that is experienced in this new place. This is the least we can do to positively influence our interactions with locals we encounter on our journeys.

Regardless of whether we travel to the following places, we become better citizens of the world by knowing and recognizing what happens outside of our home.

Without further ado, enjoy learning about your world from the comfort of your seat.

Bon voyage!

algeriahirak movement

Indian Farmers Protest

globaltake back the night

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INDIA

Farmer's Protest

By Simran Kaur Sandhu

With the help of UW Madison South Asian organizations, Sikh Student Association has been dedicating its efforts toward spreading awareness about the Indian Farmer Protest, which is the largest recorded protest in human history.

On September 27th, 2020, the Indian government passed three ordinances into legislation, all of which apply to farmers throughout India. The issue with these bills, essentially, is that if they are enforced, they will remove governmentmandated protections and bring privatization to the agricultural industry and legally legitimize exploitation of farmers by multinational corporations, which has been the downfall of food systems across the world. The farmers are protesting these laws because they threaten their livelihoods and their human rights.

The initial push of the protests against the farm bills began with Punjab and Haryana when farmers (kisaan) and laborers (majdoor) decided to take their local ongoing protests to the nation’s capital, Delhi, in late November. The peaceful march to Delhi was met with the support of the tens of thousands of farmers from surrounding states (Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, etc.), and, unfortunately, with police brutality (water cannons, tear gas, heavy barricading and baton charges). Since reaching the border in November, Indian farmers, many of whom are elderly men and women, have left the comfort of their homes and have spent the entire winter living on Delhi’s borders for over a hundred days, which has resulted in over 280 deaths since.

Indian farmers have historically struggled due to decisions made by the government, one being

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the Green Revolution in the 1960s and 70s.

Starting in Punjab, “the breadbasket of India,” the Green Revolution brought GMOs over through American intervention. For decades, the effects of planting monocultures like rice and wheat in Punjab built up and led to issues like soil erosion, poisoned groundwater, destruction of original ecosystems, and water-table degradation, all of which got amplified through climate change. The introduction of GMOs in other parts of India resulted in similar unraveling of the balance within the environment and these environmental issues consequently affected people as farmers (many of whom own small plots of land) began to chronically suffer from poor crop yield and severe debt, cancer, stillborn births and birth defects from the harmful agricultural chemicals (which became necessary to use because of GMOs), and skyrocketing suicide rates (as of 2019, there have been 10,281 total deaths of Indian farmers, many of which come from Punjab).

The plight of farmers is especially relevant to Sikh Student Association as many of the farmers in Punjab are Sikh. The connection between farming and Punjabi culture is highly prevalent, popularly recognized by the Punjabi folk dance, Bhangra.

Thus, Sikh Student Association not only creates the space for Sikhs but for Punjabi culture as these two identities go hand in hand. Furthermore, shedding light on the realities of the relationship between farmers and the government has made this issue a human rights issue, making it all the more reason for SSA to promote awareness and collaborate with the other South Asian organizations to fundraise and continue to spread awareness to UW Madison’s campus and promote allyship to all suffering from social injustices.

INDIA, JAIN

Capital City: Delhi Population: 1.366 billion Movement location: Throughout the country, congregating in Delhi

⊲ The agricultural revolution, known as The Green Revolution took place in India during the 1960s and 1970s introduced GMO crops. ⊲ Punjab is called “the breadbasket of India” ⊲ Suicide rates for farmers in India has been raising since The Green Revolution.

Author’s note: This article is summarizing how I came to interpret the protests based on my perspective as an American Punjabi Sikh and I don’t speak for my whole community at all. However, it is so important for people to understand that these protests are not a religious or ‘Punjabi’ issue. This is a nationwide issue. Many farmers and laborers protesting on Delhi’s borders against the Indian government are Punjabi and Sikh. Their identities drive them to fight for their rights and give people from all walks of life encouragement to do so as well. If people have questions, they can reach out at wiscossa@gmail.com

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DELHI, INDIA, JAIN

RISHIKESHi, INDIA, JAIN

JAPIUR, INDIA, JAIN

DELHI, INDIA, JAIN

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INTERNATIONAL

Take Back the Night

By Ally Shepherd

Take Back the Night is a worldwide movement to end sexual violence and violence against women[1] that emerged from the Women’s Liberation Movement. It began in 1973 when a group of women marched through the University of Florida demanding resources and safety for women.

Such protests spread across the country to San Francisco, where the first march with this official title was held in 1978. Then, other countries across the globe followed suit (where the movement is also called Reclaim the Night) with protests in Rome against a rise in rape cases in ‘76, and protests in West Germany and New Zealand in ’77.

Inspired by these protests, people across the UK marched when police requested women stay home after dark in response to 13 women being killed in Leeds, England by the so-called Yorkshire Ripper in 1977. Placards read: No curfew on women – curfew on men.

Off-shoots of these protests have since emerged such as Bike for the Night and organised runs to raise awareness around events such as Women’s History Month and Safe Spring Break Week in March, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Take Back the Night marches in recent years have also been supercharged by the MeToo movement as a number of celebrities (and, as we are all too aware, even the President of the United States) were accused of violence against women as more and more people spoke out against sexual harassment and assault.

Reclaim the Night protests have re-emerged in the UK this month after a woman went missing walking home at night and an off-duty police officer was arrested on suspicion of her murder.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, March 6th 2021 saw virtual vigils and online solidarity with Sarah Everard - and all the women who walk home with their keys in hand, or pretend to talk on the phone when they see they are not alone on the street.

In-person physically-distanced protests have also taken place in some parts of the country, with signs such as “Silence is Violence” and “Angry Women Will Change The World.”

My former university in the UK had a Night Bus to take people home for free after dark to ensure their safety. Similarly, when I first arrived at UWMadison, I remember having to complete a sexual violence prevention course.

That this is mandatory is not a bad thing, that it is necessary is disheartening. Initiatives that protect and educate are much needed whilst sexual assaults on higher education campuses remain commonplace, but too often they are aimed at women or the behaviour of the victim. In honour of this movement, I will leave you with a poster (right) of handy tips for preventing sexual violence (feel free to replace the word ‘women’ with ‘person’ and ‘her’ with any other pronoun as you read).

[1] I am using the term ‘violence against women’ rather than ‘genderbased violence’ as this is the language used by the movement.

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© Rodchenko & Stepanova Archive, DACS, RAO, 2011

10 Top Tips to End Rape 1 Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks.

2 When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone.

3 If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to rape her.

4 If you are in a lift and a woman gets in, don’t rape her.

5 Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars, or rape her.

6 USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

7 Don’t forget: it’s not sex with someone who’s asleep or unconscious – it’s RAPE! 8 Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone ‘by accident’ you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can call for help.

9 Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy.

If you have every intention of having sex later on with the woman you’re dating regardless of how she feels about it, tell her directly that there is every chance you will rape her. If you don’t communicate your intentions, she may take it as a sign that you do not plan to rape her and inadvertently feel safe.

10 Don’t rape.

Looking for information and ideas on how to campaign against rape?

Check out the following websites: www.thisisnotaninvitationtorapeme.co.uk www.notever.co.uk

⊲ Take Back the Night movement started in 1970s and continued ever since ⊲ Marches and protests have occurred in U.S, Australia, Bahamas & Bermuda, Canada, England, Fiji, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea

Learn more at www.takebackthenight.org LITFEST 2021

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ALGERIA

Hirak Renewed

The Algerian Anti-Government Protests Two Years’ Strong

By Lydia Nyachieo

What is Al Hirak?

Hirak - ‘meaning movement’ - is a leaderless, peaceful, pro-democracy movement in Algeria seeking to overhaul Algeria’s entire militaryregulated government ever since the movement ousted its former President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in 2019. Although the massive street demonstrations of the movement had to pause at the onset of COVID-19 back in March of 2020, thousands of Algerians are back on the streets protesting, signaling their unfaltering commitment to major political reforms.

Hirak’s 2-Year History Mistrust and discontent among Algerians toward the government had been brewing for years.; h However, the catalyst of the current Hirak movement occurred in mid-February of 2019, when then-president Bouteflika announced his bid for a fifth 5th consecutive term. At the time, Bouteflika had been in office for two 2 decades. Once hailed as one of Algeria’s great independence fighters, the now-84-year-old’s final years in office were marred with allegations of political repression and corruption.

Following Bouteflika’s announcement for his fifth presidential run, protests quickly spread all over the country as activists, journalists, students, and other everyday Algerians demanded Bouteflika’s resignation. After two months of massive protests and unsuccessful repression from the government, the movement prevailed and Bouteflika stepped down in April of 2019.

While Algerians widely rejoiced at Bouteflika’s resignation, the movement continued. While Bouteflika was ousted, the country’s militarydominated government and Bouteflika’s circle of powerful top officials remained. This included Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Bouteflika’s former prime minister (who was made president in December

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2019) - Tebboune was a man whom many people perceive as appointed by the military. It is this larger infrastructure of political exclusion, repression, and military dominance that Hirak continues to rally against to this day.

What’s Happening Currently While the physical protests took a year-long pause due to the pandemic, the movement continued online as people discussed, organized, and shared information around the issue. While the government has imprisoned activists and other protesters for disseminating anti-government speech online and for participating in small-scale protests during the pandemic, the movement stayed strong even throughout the shutdown.

Physical demonstrations restarted in full swing this past February.

The response from the government has been mixed. On one hand, President Tabboune claims to be addressing protesters’ concerns. This past February, just before the second anniversary of Hirak, he gave amnesty to around 60 imprisoned Hirak activists in a clear attempt to appease the protestors. In addition, he dissolved Algeria’s lower house of parliament in a move to reshuffle the government.

On the other hand, Tabboune is widely viewed with suspicion and many say he hasn’t done enough to address protesteors’ demands. Many Algerians believe that Tabboune continues to represent a corrupt, military-influenced government that they say must be overturned.

As Hirak continues to make a comeback against increasingly violent security forces, we’ll have to watch and see how both Tabboune’s government and the international community respond to the people’s cry for a free and democratic Algeria.

Capital City: Algiers Population: 43.05 million Movement location: Algiers and places around Algeria

⊲ Hirak means movement ⊲ In 2019, the military-regulated government’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was ousted ⊲ The current president, Tabboune, gave amnesty to around 60 imprisoned Hirak activists before the second anniversary of Hirak as an attempt to appease protestors

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VBAD

@SOUVENIRSMADISON SOUVENIRSMADISON.COM

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