Sidewalk Stories

OPEN CALL!

Open Call, get in touch via [email protected]!

Exactly one month ago we hosted our first ’Sidewalk Stories – Women in Cairo’s Public Spaces’ workshop at MESAHA. As organizers we are extremely happy with the encouraging and inspiring outcome of four days which we got to spend with incredible 25 young women.

As you all know, we were only able to invite a very few number of women and had to turn many of you down. This is why we are very glad to reach out to you today, asking if you want to participate in our follow up project: ‘Sidewalk Stories Photoproject - Women Claim Their Public Space in Cairo’. This project developed from our two workshops in cooperation with Sarah Seliman, a Cairene visual artists who took part in the program. The idea behind it is to leave a visible mark of female presence in Cairo's public no matter of how much we suffer from harassment and have to think of personal strategies to confront the problem. With the help of the project we want to raise a greater audience's awareness how women of different communities experience harassment. But we also want to show that we won't give up our right to be visible and engage actively in the public life.

Therefore, we had previously asked all participants to bring one item to the workshop which they use, apply or wear when leaving their house in order to gain more self-confidence and/or safety. Sarah then started to take pictures of the participants and/or their item at their favorite public space in the city and let them tell their stories about the item. Now we would like to involve a bigger range of women and want to pass the idea on to you so you get the chance to tell your story as well.

The project will be displayed online on our blog as well as in form of an exhibition in Cairo and Marburg, Germany this fall. The short description of your item choice will be in English and Arabic - don't worry, we will help you with the translation if needed.

Sounds like something you want to take part in, too? Great! Get in touch with us by telling us a bit about yourself. Also we'd like to know what your item is, why you use it and where you would like to get your photo taken. We will then get in touch with you and set up a place for the shooting with Sarah which will approximately last 30 minutes to an hour. The timeframe for the shootings is June 9-16 and July 20-31 (Ramadan break).

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Sidewalk Stories Workshop II

Sidewalk Stories Workshop II

What of these two days are you taking into the public with you?

Red Dot: Where do you live in Cairo?

Blue Dot: What is your favorite place in the city?

1. Legal advice and lobbying:

Nazra for feminist studies: http://nazra.org/en (also offering hotline)

2. Documenting harassment

Shoft Ta7rosh: https://www.facebook.com/Shoft.Ta7rosh

Harassmap: http://harassmap.org/en/ (also offering hotline)

Bussy Project: https://www.facebook.com/TheBuSSyProject?fref=ts

3. Addressing the topic through art

Women On Walls: https://www.facebook.com/womenonwalls/timeline (Greek Campus, Wust al balad)

4. Movies / documentaries

Banat El-Nas / The Peoples Girls: https://www.facebook.com/benaatelnas

Cairo 678: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMc7YDCIORQ (trailer)

  فيلم المجني عليها   التحرش الجنسي  كامل by Safwan Nasser El Din: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSb2EVbc2RI

5. Comics

Qahira Superhero: http://qaherathesuperhero.com/post/60081962515

Shakmagia: http://www.cairoscene.com/ViewArticle.aspx?AId=54629-El-Shakmagia-Addresing-Feminism-Through-Comics

7. Protection at gatherings and demonstrations:

Op Anti-Sexual Harassment : https://www.facebook.com/opantish/info?tab=page_info

8. Raising Awareness

Basma / Imprint: http://interactions.eldis.org/profile/bassma-imprint

9. Self Defense

What is HASRASSMENT?

Different concepts of what is ‘public space’?