Naomi Klein: The Mother of Anti-War Forces Amy Campbell: The Next WOMEN’S NEWS & FEMINIST VIEWS • Fall 2004 • Vol. 18 No.2 • Canada $5.95/US $5.95 Joni Mitchell? INDIGOINDIGO GIRLSGIRLS CREATINGCREATING ONEONE PERFECTPERFECT WORLDWORLD NOBELNOBEL WINNERWINNER PRIZESPRIZES WOMENWOMEN Publications Mail Agreement #40008866 Made in Canada RAGE!RAGE! RAGE!RAGE! GRANNIESGRANNIES STRIKESTRIKE AA CHORDCHORD table of contents FALL 2004 / VOLUME 18 NO. 2 Commando company graduates in India display their talent and empowerment, taking their rightful place as keepers of the peace, pg. 6. Photo: Deepa Kandaswamy MUSICALLY CHALLENGING: WOMEN’S NEWS 26 GRANNIES STRIKE A CHORD World’s First All-woman Commando Raging Grannies have sprung up all over the world to 6-13 Unit by Deepa Kandaswamy; Sharia protest everything from nuclear arms to tuition hikes. by Rachelle Delaney Law Opposed by Muslim Women by Rachel Thompson; Nightwood Celebrates 25 Years by Jennifer O’Connor; TRAP DOOR TO THE SUBLIME Women Fishes These Days by Monica Kidd; Vienna Interview with Hiromi Goto. by Sook C. Kong Housing Built for Women by Emilie K. Adin 28 FEMINIST VIEWS ARTS & CULTURE FILMMAKER PROFILE: A NOBEL CAUSE 32 NELOFER PAZIRA 16 Shirin Ebadi was Iran’s first female judge. by Michelle French After being ousted from that job by the mullahs, she went on to seek justice for Iran’s women and the FALL FICTION world’s disenfranchised. The 2003 Nobel Peace 33 Geeks, Misfits and Outlaws ed. Zoe Whittall; Prize-winner talks to Herizons in this exclusive Cherry by Chandra Mayor; Yellow by Janni Visman; interview. by Jacqueline Massey The Singing Fire by Lillian Nattel; The Opium Lady by Joanne Soper-Cook. INDIGO GIRLS SHINE 22 North America’s favourite feminist music ISSUES AND IDEAS duo chat it up in Vancouver with our music reviewer, 37 The Trouble with Islam by Nicole Cohen; In My Cindy Filipenko. Tune into The Indigos’ sound Own Name: A Memoir by Maureen McTeer; Reading check on American politics, gay marriage and their Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi; Spree: A Cultural musical future. by Cindy Filipenko History of Shopping by Pamela Klaffke. Managing Editor: Penni Mitchell Fulfillment and Office Manager: Phil Koch Accountant: Sharon Pchajek Board of Directors: Ghislaine Alleyne, Phil Koch, Penni Mitchell, Kemlin Nembhard, Valerie Regehr Editorial Committee: Ghislaine Alleyne, Gio Guzzi, Penni Mitchell FEMINIST Advertising Sales: Penni Mitchell (204) 774-6225 41 CLASSICS Design: inkubator.ca Web Mistress: Herland by Elizabeth Perkins Gilman Rachel Thompson/BlueMuse Retail Inquiries: 905) 619-6565 Review by Stacey Kauder Disticor ( Proofreader: Phil Koch MUSIC Cover Photo: Frank Ockenfels 42 REVIEWS HERIZONS is published four times per year by HERIZONS Inc. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. One-year subscription 40 Days, Wailin’ Jennys; price: $24.26+$1.70 GST ($25.96) in Canada. Two-year Architecture: Live at the Opera subscriptions are $39.16+$2.76 GST ($41.92) in Canada. House, Amy Campbell; Grab Subscriptions to US addresses are $29.99 Canadian funds That Gun, The Organ; Big or $25.96 in US funds. 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The purpose of HERIZONS is to empower women; to inspire A Ripple in the Water hope and foster a state of wellness that enriches women’s lives; to build awareness of issues as they affect women; to BODY POLITIC promote the strength, wisdom and creativity of women; to BY JUDY REBICK broaden the boundaries of feminism to include building 5 coalitions and support among other marginalized people; to Where’s the Day Care? foster peace and ecological awareness; and to expand the influence of feminist principles in the world. HERIZONS COLE’S NOTES aims to reflect a feminist philosophy that is diverse, 15 BY SUSAN G. COLE understandable and relevant to women’s daily lives. Views expressed in HERIZONS are those of the writers and The Skinny on Skinny do not necessarily reflect HERIZONS’ editorial policy. No material may be reprinted without permission. Submissions OUT OF BOUNDS and queries will be returned if accompanied by a stamped, 31 BY LISA RUNDLE self-addressed envelope. Due to limited resources, HERIZONS does not accept poetry or fiction submissions. The Grandmother Clause HERIZONS is a member of the Manitoba GLOBAL WARNING Magazine Publishers Association. HERIZONS acknowledges the financial support of the 47 BY NAOMI KLEIN Government of Canada through the Publication Assistance The Mother of Anti-War Forces Program (PAP) of the Department of Canadian Heritage toward mailing costs. ON THE EDGE Publications Mail Agreement No. 40008866, PAP Registration No. 48 BY LYN COCKBURN 07944. Return Undeliverable Addresses to: PO Box 128, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3C 2G1, Email: [email protected] Defending Martha (Sort of) HERIZONS FALL 2004 1 first word BY PENNI MITCHELL A RIPPLE IN THE WATER Inspiration. When you publish a magazine whose tribal chief George W. Bush. “This is a really bad purpose is to inspire women, it shouldn’t be sur- administration and it’s causing horrible problems, prising when it does. But it is. not just in our country, but all over the world,” Emily With this issue, it started with A. Jansi, a member Saliers says. Saliers and her musical partner, Amy of the world’s first all-woman commando unit in Ray, inspire millions with their politically-charged India. Referring to her training, she said: “It was an lyrics from “Tether,” on All that We Let In: opportunity to learn things I’ve seen only in action “I kicked up the dirt and said to my neighbour, movies. Once I mastered it, the feeling was unbe- ‘We keep making it worse, we keep getting it wrong,’ lievable.” At first, I pictured a scene out of Charlie’s He tucked in his shirt, he stood a little bit straighter, Angels. But when I saw the photo, the one that He said, ‘We need a few less words dear, we need a few appears on the contents page of this issue—that was more guns.’” it. The unscripted, authentic power of the uni- What’s inspiring is that Ray’s heart remains open. The formed women left me gobsmacked. Suddenly, I song ends: wanted to go to India for my own training in “I sing to you, all you true believers, weapons, parasailing, bomb detection and hostage With the strength to see this and not be still, situations. What’s strange is that until that I am telling you now, find the hope that feeds you, moment, I had no idea I wanted to be part of an all- Don’t let ’em bleed you of your will.” woman commando unit. A dizzying thing happens when women say ‘No An article about the rise in rates of wife abuse more’—to wife abuse in the Middle East, to killing since the latest intifada is just about the last place journalists in Iran, and to war-mongering presi- you’d expect to find inspiration, but there it was dents: others are inspired by their fearlessness. again. Surrounded by violence, bombs and retalia- Naomi Klein describes it in her column on the grow- tory attacks, Israeli feminist Ada Aharoni balks at ing number of mothers of dead US and British serv- temporarily sheltering wife abuse victims—violence ice personnel who are defying their tribal leaders’ has to be stopped at the source. “I don’t see why thirst for war. abused women should hide in shelters and be pun- For Cheryl Beula, being surrounded by strong and ished twice,” she says. “Violent husbands should be capable women in the special police unit in India—a sent there.” unit whose purpose is to keep the peace—changed This same fearlessness emboldened Nobel Peace her view of the potential of all women. “It made me Prize-winner Shirin Ebadi—threats against her life realize that we are second to none.” have only steeled her radical plans for dismantling Feminist resistance is about nothing if not envi- patriarchy. “Patriarchal culture is not simply against sioning a perfect world in which women are second women,” she says. “It also doesn’t accept the princi- to none. The Raging Grannies have inspired thou- ples of democracy. This is a tribal culture that puts sands of women around the world to arm themselves one person on the pedestal to act and speak on with flowery bonnets and satirical sonnets for the behalf of all.” same dream. And each act committed without fear And not just in Iran. It’s a philosophy that’s inspires more change. As Amy Ray reminds us in the shared by the Indigo Girls, who encourage voter reg- song “Perfect World,” when we dare to not be still, istration at their concerts in an effort to oust US “We get to be a ripple in the water.” 2 FALL 2004 HERIZONS letters RUN FOR COVER with the review. The cover on display is for space with the rights of transgendered people We enjoyed the great Strong Women Stories (another Sumach title) who live and identify as women. These are review of Out of the Ivory and not Out of the Ivory Tower. not the same thing at all. Tower in the Summer With many thanks again for your support, I do not think that men who identify and 2004 edition of Herizons.