Coloured attitudes – Gender stereotypes in public!
What is the project about?
3 graffiti-workshops with teenagers from Fribourg, Zürich and Bern will focus on Gender Stereotypes and gender roles in our society (Switzerland as well as Afghanistan).
Being one of the only serious female graffiti artists active in Kabul (a «male dominated» city in which women in general are prohibited from walking freely around) I am breaking out of the traditional gender stereotypes which are present everywhere in Afghanistan.
The workshops
During the 3 graffiti-workshops which I will be moderating, I will as a role model try to provoke and influence Swiss teenagers and encourage these young and hopeful girls and boys to remove the heavy chains of gender stereotypes.
«Be who you really are»! I AM!
Today’s teenagers need to see proof and experience with their own eyes that there are some persons who totally disregard the gender roles in public.
During the workshops the teenagers and I will try to answer the questions: How would a society look like with gender equality? What would we/the society win if there were no gender stereotypes? What are the advantages/disadvantages? At the end we will all together create some street art works to these topics.
The society’s norms can be quite rigid, but our individual norms are easier changeable. I see art as a brilliant tool to provoke these norms.
What motivates me
The joy of sharing is for me one of the most important ways to feel the joy of life. That is why I want to share my own experiences from Afghanistan. I wish to inspire people from the next generation helping them to focus a bit more on the gender roles which are prevalent in our societies.
What the aim is
The 3 workshops aim to create awareness about gender stereotypes and to encourage teenagers to break out of the old-fashioned gender roles which we see in advertisements and in the streets.
When & Where
- Friday, 7. June 2013, Fribourg
- Saturday, 8. June 2013, Rote Fabrik, Zürich
- Wednesday, 12. June 2013, kidswest, Bern.
Why I need your help
The graffiti-workshops are part of the Program called VOIX DES FEMMES (women’s voices). This Program, which focuses on gender roles in the public sphere, is run by the Swiss human rights organisation TERRE DES FEMMES Schweiz. I have been invited to Switzerland by this organisation to take part in the program because I am regarded as a role model. And yes – you do need courage when you wish to break out of the traditional gender stereotypes which are present everywhere in Afghanistan!
TERRE DES FEMMES Schweiz plans 10 arrangements during the VOIX DES FEMMES program, hereunder the 3 graffiti-workshops in which I will be active. Exhibitions with my street art paintings and podium discussions will also take place. A report covering the results of the entire VOIX DES FEMMES program will be published shortly after the program ends. That report will serve as a point of reference when measuring future improvements in Switzerland with regards to gender stereotypes in public.
The coordination and organisation of the graffiti-workshops is done by TERRE DES FEMMES Schweiz, who also has secured the permissions to spray on the walls.
BUT I NEED TO PROVIDE THE SPRAY MATERIAL (350 spray cans of different colours plus protection masks)! That is where I need your support!
What are gender stereotypes?
Gender Stereotypes are simplistic generalizations about gender attributes and roles. Stereotypes rarely communicate accurate information, and they are often unconsciously applied.
One example could be: «women stay at home while men go to work». Some people recognize the dangers of gender stereotyping; yet continue to make these types of generalizations.