Sometimes doing feminist activism can feel isolating--like you are standing in the middle of Times Square, dwarfed by towering skyscrapers draped in objectifying build boards, trying to shout above the hustle and bustle, "Yo! The dehumanization and exploitation of women is not coooooool!"
Women Who Light The Dark is a resounding, restorative chorus of women shouting right back: "Word! This is what we're doing about it!" Photojournalist Paola Gianturco is able to silence the hustle and bustle of this misogynistic, corporatized world with the exquisite beauty of her photographs and the gentle wisdom of her prose. She visits grassroots organizations in 15 countries across the world, seeking to capture a snapshot of what girls and women are doing to heal one another, create community, and end injustice.
The result is a breathtaking book and a total inspiration booster. When Betty, a Zimbabwean 34-year-old asks her elders if she can have a place to build a girl's empowerment village, the men respond, "You are a princess. The mountain is yours." In Quichua, Ecuador, birth is called "bringing a baby into the light." Patricia Bih, a traditional healer in Cameroun, plops a chicken on a man's head as the last stage of a healing ceremony. When it escapes out the door, squawking, she bursts into laughter.
It's not all rainbows and sunshine, of course. The book is also filled with crushing realities. Chan Sophea, a Cambodian guide, takes Gianturco to the killing fields and relentlessly recounts the violent times of Pol Pot and the genocide there. When Gianturco looks weary, Sophea says, "I am telling you every detail because if it ever happens again, I want foreigners to help us. Last time, no one came." Women Who Light the Dark also reminds us of the work left to do.
I can't recommend this book highly enough, especially because all the proceeds go to the Global Fund for Women. ALL of the proceeds. Talk about a worthwhile holiday gift.
Next Time: A holiday book guide and the week after, Katha Pollitt's Learning to Drive.
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awesome! i'm going to have to take a look!
I'm going to grab this for my mum and grandmum for Christmas.
Also Courtney,
is the best description I can imagine for how I have been feeling lately. And it made me laugh.
I am buying one for myself for Christmas (and for my sister of course)! I was going to wait and ask for it for Christmas, but this is something I need for my own soul. Thanks for the post.
I. Want. This. Book!
Too bad I already gave all the people who asked for it my holiday list.
Maybe I'll get it for my mom and then read it. :o)
Compiling material for the Sports Handbooks began in March, 1954, and the proposed texts in English and French were submitted to the International Federations. Information in the handbooks included the fundamental principles, statistics, regulations and protocol, and general rules applicable to the celebration of the Olympic Games, together with the special regulations for the conduct of each sport. Books were published in French, English and Spanish, in separate books for each sport and also combined in one volume covering all sports.
The publication of these books two years before the Games was necessary because of the distance of most of the countries concerned from Melbourne. Some of the books were not received until six months after they were posted, owing to irregular shipping services.
Difficulties were encountered because some of the International Sporting Federations were in process of revising rules. On occasion it was possible to quote only obsolete regulations, with the intention to circulate effective alterations later. One of the many problems of the Technical Department was the difficulty and expense involved in last minute changes when some International Federations and the International Olympic Committee itself altered technical rules as the date of the Games approached. It is suggested that the rules applicable in future should not be altered, to be effective, for a period of two years prior to the date of commencement of the Games; rules amended subsequently should not apply. This would assist the task of all Organizing Committees both in technical matters and financial costs.
As has been the case in previous Games, it was necessary to send out sheets of amendments. This was particularly the case with the modern pentathlon rules. The International Union for Modern Pentathlon at its Congress in October, 1954, adopted the points system for the Olympic contest for the first time, and it was not until June, 1955, that the revised rules were finalized for publication. The text of the gymnastics rules together with the compulsory exercises and diagrams was not received until July, 1955, and had to be published in a separate booklet. The detailed modern pentathlon amendments and the gymnastics rules were sent to national governing bodies affiliated with the respective International Federations.
It was found that by the time the Games commenced, many of the handbooks were completely out of date. The Organizing Committee undertook to promote the same sports as were included in the London Games 1948 and to stage the same events. There were very few alterations. It is suggested that every International Sporting Federation should promptly furnish the Organizing Committees in future with copies of:
a) technical rules of its sport applicable to the Olympic Games;
b) names and addresses of President and Secretary;
It is essential that draft texts should be submitted to the Federations concerned, for definite approval, before handbooks are printed. It is incumbent on all National Olympic Committees to distribute the handbooks to all the sports associations affiliated with their respective International Sporting Federations. Some instances occurred in which this was not done, and applications were made direct to the Organizing Committee for information.
It is recommended that the Organizing Committee should not have to publish any technical sporting rules and that the booklets should be confined to general information relating to the sport in question—closing date of entries, office bearers, events, prizes and programmes.