This is Why I'm Here!
Have you ever heard of Women for Change? If not, you totally need to check them out. They are a local NGO here in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. They are a group of human rights activists fighting for freedom, equality, and education in and around their (global) community. This lively organization came about around five years ago, and they hit the ground running.
Now, only five years old, they have separate factions to specify the needs they've seen. Young Women for Change, Mommies for change, Men for Change.
In 2011, they facilitated a performance of The Vagina Monologues. That really took me aback. For those of you who do not know, The Vagina Monologues is a script that was first written in 1996. The content is progressive to say the least. Many women submitted their stories about sexism, abuse, harassment, and other aspects of womanhood. The play is still thought of as a scandalous undertaking in western culture. To hear about the performance being put on here, I was ecstatic. People sometimes ask me why I want to be a theater major. Why I want to spend four+ years of my life attending an educational facility rather than entering the workforce in my field right away. Why spend thousands of dollars, taking out thousands of dollars in loans, living off or ramen, spinach, and coffee to work towards a retail job while pursuing my degree-fueled passion career on evenings and weekends.
This is why.
This type of performance, breaking social and traditional barriers through artistic, creative, poetic means. This is what keeps me going when I am still editing a video at 4am on the second all nighter in a row. These types of powerful art, in communities that really need to see the (lime-light) falling in love with a production the same way I do.
Hearing about all of the positive feedback they received throughout the production, hearing some of the stories they had to share about the challenges and trials they faced when trying to produce such a mountain of a show. And they did it. It may have taken a few performance spaces and unforeseen booking changes to allow for positive community reactions.
This show is a form of education about female rights, sexual health, emotional preservation, community well being, legal rights, the LGBTQI community and so much more.
I have seen versions of adaptations of the show, in more of a memoir style performance. Every time I go I am completely moved by the stories the performers have to share. Whether they are personal history or the story of a stranger told through poetry.
The performance of The Vagina Monologues was not the only public project Women for Change have been working on. They recently produced a comic book, showing some of the legal struggle women are facing in Mongolia and around the world. They also host classes and workshops, forums and their doors are open to educate and listen to their community. This organization is taking on the some heavy hitting issues and they are kicking
We still have a long way to go on the road to equal rights, around the world, but I find it incredibly inspirational to see such leaps forward on the fight for human rights.
Quick Links:
Facebook Page for Women for Change:
Blog about 2011 performance of The Vagina Monologues:
A talk from the playwright of The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler:
More Information on The Vagina Monologues:
The Women for Change comic book (in Mongolian):
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