The dispute for communication is fundamental in our struggle. Neoliberalism and the forces of the extreme right use misinformation, fake news and manipulation as a method. We are building feminist and popular communication practices. Every communication action we take is part of this construction. A communication without fences, made in various formats – posters, cards, texts, audios, videos – and which integrates streets, networks and country side.
For two years now, the coordinators of the region of the Americas have been publishing their newsletter quarterly, a means of communication that disseminates the wealth of actions, activities, experiences and political positions of militancy in the continent. The newsletter is important both to show the movement’s vitality and for the collective and continuous construction of a common agenda. In addition, it is a strong experience of regional collaborative work.
But how do they manage to publish a quarterly newsletter in four languages (Spanish, French, English and Portuguese). The work scheme begins with the proposal of the editorial team composed of Rocío Alorda (Chile) and Alejandra Laprea (Venezuela) for an annual editorial plan, based on the agreements on the agenda built by the national coordinators together. And the editorial plan adapts itself to the closest events to publication dates.
The newsletter features material from collaborations born in the National Coordinations: detailed articles, images, photographic reviews, notes in any journalistic genre. The material is received in the mother tongue of the national coordination. One of the most important achievements of the newsletter team is the consolidation of a translation team made up of companions from Brazil, the United States of America, Quebec and Venezuela. The design and assembly of the newsletter is done by four hands: in Venezuela the page is assembled and in Chile the distribution by mail is projected. Finally, the entire World March of Women of the Americas is committed to distributing it. In recent years, Rádio Mundo Real joined as an ally in its distribution.
The Bulletin Americas n° 7 is in this link. It features a panorama of the virtual actions of the WMW Americas and the 24h of Feminist Solidarity, on the 24th of April; an editorial by Mafalda Galdames (Chile), which analyzes the consequences of the covid-19 and its relationship with the crisis of capitalism and synthesizes the position of the WMW before this new reality; the articles And if we did? by Kim Paradis, work that challenges us to move from the theory proposed from feminist economics and ecofeminism to the practice of them; Who cares (for us)? By Tania Cáseres N. and Daniela Smith V , who address the impact of covid-19 on the care economy; and a review of the basic working document of the WMW for the 24H Feminist Solidarity, The virus of Capitalism , by Carmen Díaz from Mexico.
A collective work
In Brazil, since the 9th WMW International Meeting, in August 2013, in São Paulo, a group of female communicators was formed. “We are communicators of the World March of Women. We understand communication as a fundamental human right and an important principle for social transformation, the fight against machismo and anti-capitalist struggle. We act as a horizontal and plural network. We are not an example, but multipliers of communication processes. With creativity and irreverence, we build popular and feminist communication”, is written in the description of the group, which today includes 30 colleagues from all over the country. They held a virtual course on feminist communication earlier this year.
Sharing our needs and knowledge is also part of this construction. Thus, in July women from Brazil, Mozambique, Kenya and South Africa came together virtually to hold a workshop on the use of an online tool for poster production. In popular communication, alliances are also important. In association with Radio Mundo Real, a counter-hegemonic communication medium of Friends of the Earth International, WMW Brazil produces the Furia Feminista [Feminist Fury] program, which can be heard on the Internet, in Spanish and Portuguese.
This construction is permanent. Today, our challenge is to expand our feminist communication network WMW between regions. The March has websites, profiles and social media pages and carries out actions in dozens of countries around the world, in several languages. The communication of our movement is part of our collective action, our diversity, our reflections and our history. We invite our companions to get to know our means of communication, disseminate them and enrich our popular communication with their contributions!
We resist to live, we march to transform!
Liaison Bulletin – July 2020