30 June — 2 July
IIMPORTANT CHANGE: Please note the changed programme for 2 July!
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A three-day multi-format festival organised by FAR Oxford in support of queer and female victims of militaristic regimes, in Ukraine and beyond
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Free entrance (pre-registration required for some events), optional donations
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Both venues are wheelchair-accessible
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All profits go to Sunflower Sisters for Ukraine and Martynka
PROGRAMME
Sunday 30 June
Family-friendly day at Common Ground
37-38 Little Clarendon Street, OX1 2HU
Adult programme:
Art market
all day (9 am — 4 pm)
Postcards, stickers, prints and more, by artists within the global FAR network and our friends, as well as a newly published book about FAR from Ariel, a Swedish publishing house
Book raffle
all day (9 am — 4 pm)
Spin the drum for a chance to win one of 6 books — or a souvenir velcro patch of the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ Military, a pin with Patron the dog or a free drink
Crochet workshop
10 am — 12 pm
Learn to crochet sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, and learn more about the work of Sunflower Sisters for Ukraine
1 pm — 3 pm
Collage workshop
Come collage with our resident artist Anna Hope, try out different techniques and materials like copies of vintage feminist newsletters, graffiti designs and retro ads
all day (9 am — 4 pm)
Letters to political prisoners
Write a letter to a female political prisoner in Russia, to be translated and sent by our volunteers. Station and postbox open all day, workshop with writer Sophia Holme at 2 pm
Children's programme (under 8):
10 am, 1 pm
Storytime
We are reading age-appropriate books that gently introduce the same big topics we will discuss with the adults: war and refuge (with books like Yellow Butterfly, The Journey and Noor and Bobby), protest (Speak Up!, Mummy Marches, If You Are Going To A March), and feminism (Rebel Girls, F Is For Feminism)
11 am, 2 pm
Learning about Ukraine
Reading about Ukraine and its culture with books like Our World: Ukraine and learning our first Ukrainian words with the help of a little mouse from The Fabulous Lost & Found
all day (9 am — 4 pm)
Collage workshops
A version of our collage workshop for the youngest activists, complete with child-friendly materials and tools
all day (9 am — 4 pm)
Colouring
Our colouring station is open all day, with crayons, watercolour pencils and plenty of colouring sheets designed by Ukrainian illustrators
Monday 1 July
Lightning talks by speakers from academia and activism on a variety of topics at the intersection of war studies/anti-war practice and feminism:
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Chloé Lewis (Changing Character of War Centre) on feminist peace advocacy in Congo and lobbying UN resolutions
Catherine Dillman (Global and Area Studies) on integration of women in peace negotiations in Myanmar through international policies
Natalie Watkins (journalist) on British media's treatment of female Ukrainian refugees and approaches to sexualised violence
Carina (Oxford Action 4 Palestine) on the role of women and non-binary people in leading the global student movement against genocide in Palestine and feminist principles of organising activist communities
Maayan Aner (Na'amod) on Israeli pinkwashing and queercoding or anti-zionist ​protestors
6:30 pm
7 pm
8 pm
8:30 pm
9:30 pm
Doors
Lightning talks
Wine break
Lightning talks
Q&A
Tuesday 2 July
Film screenings
All moved to Common Ground!
Anastasia
+ Q&A with Anastasia Shevchenko
7 pm​
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Russian civil rights activist Anastasia Shevchenko has faced strong repercussions for speaking out against her government. She endured house arrest for two years, and became the first person found guilty of “organizing activity of an undesirable organization” by a Russian court, for her work with the Open Russia movement. Amnesty International declared her a “prisoner of conscience.”
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While Anastasia was under arrest, her teenage daughter Alina was hospitalized and died alone, becoming an early example of the Russian regime’s willingness to use the separation of parents and children as a way to silence dissent. This intentional rupture of the parental bond is a denial of the elemental human right to care for our children.
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Oh, Sister!
8:30 pm
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Oh, Sister! shows the central role women play in facing the challenges of war, keeping life going, and fighting for peace, justice and equality. It features stories of the following women:
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Oleksandra Matviychuk – human rights lawyer, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022.
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Alla Melnychuk - Head of Mother and Newborn, a charitable organization helping to save lives of infants with severe health issues.
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Tata Kepler - a medical supplies volunteer, Head of Ptakhy Foundation providing tactical medical supplies on an industrial scale.
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Natalia Kudrych and Nadia Zhmykovska – train conductors for Ukrainian Railways.
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Lastivka - a medical platoon leader on the front lines.
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The film was commissioned by the Nobel Women's Initiative in partnership with United for Ukraine, following the journey of three female Nobel Peace Prize laureates - Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, Jody Williams of USA, and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia - to Krakow, Poland, and Lviv, Ukraine in June 2022.
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Rebel Queers: Queer Fighters of Ukraine
9 pm​
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Queer Fighters of Ukraine reveals the experiences of young, queer soldiers after over a year of full-scale war. Former LGBTQ+ activists and queer party DJs now in units near the frontlines share their perspectives on balancing queer identities with life in the military.
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Angelika Ustymenko is a non-binary artist and filmmaker, and the driving force behind the Rebel Queers collective. Before the full-scale invasion, they confronted patriarchy and homophobia by scrawling provocative slogans on the walls of Kyiv: ‘Queer Sex,’ ‘Make QueerPunk Again,’ and ‘Be Queer, Do Crime, Hail Satan.’ Determined to support their community and continue queer resistance, they felt compelled to document the experiences of queer soldiers fighting to defend Ukraine. After the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Angelika joined forces with Huck Docs to begin a new phase of the documentary project.
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