|
|
A
Dog's Life...
In a search for cleaner sidewalks an expat looks at pampered
Parisian pooches
|
understanding those
serious issues |
cool stuff to do |
music, art, food, etc. |
|
Want to know more
about Paris Tempo?
Read this message from the Paris
Tempo Team
|
|
|
|
|
Women Speak Out
Where men suffer, women suffer twice as much.
Economic marginalization and discrimination have created ghettos
of citizens who don't feel they are treated equally, and the female
citizens feel even less equal.
We are the women of these neigbhorhoods and we have decided to no
longer remain silent in the face of the injustices we are living.
We refuse to be condemned to quiet submission in the name of "tradition,"
"religion, or even in the face of violence.
|
Now
you can listen to ParisTempo's new musical selections
online right here...
 |
|
|
|
The neighborhood life, the families who live
here, the children and their future, can never evolve without us,
the women, who must find our place and our dignity. We are denounceing
the ever-present sexism, the verbal and physical violence, forbidden
sexuality, rape, forced marriage and the image of embodiment of
family honor; so that we don't fall into the logic of the ghetto
that emprisons us if there is no revolt.
At this moment when each of us looks for a response
to the violence that is too prevalent in our society, we would like
to say that the first step is our own liberation and respect for
our basic rights.
Public powers, media, and political parties see and speak of the
suburbs only in the masculine. We only appear from time to time,
nice, successful in school, or in the kitchen making meals during
the fête de quartier. There is a silence about our lives,
as we clean from morning to night, hide our love, or become mothers
when we are barely out of childhood.
|
|
|
So we have decided not to wait for it to
become worse, we have deccided to act, to change our lives for our
sakes and for the sakes of our families and neighborhoods. To speak
freely of things that we usually hide from others, even though it
is sometimes difficult for us to do so.
To say to those in our own community: how can you stop injustice,
racisim, etc, if you oppress us too? Millions of women in the suburbs
no longer want this false choice between submitting to the chaos
of the ghetto or selling our bodies to survive. We want neither
prostitution, nor submission, we only want the liberty to pursue
justice for all.
|
|
En Français?
Try reading this article
in french ...
|
|
|
We are women who live in the suburbs, of all
origins, religious or not, who are calling for our rights of liberty
and freedom. Oppressed socially by a society that locks us into
ghettos of misery and exclusion. Suffocated by the macho men of
our neighborhoods, who in the name of "tradition" refuse
us our most basic rights.
We have affirmed by our participation in the
first "Etats Généraux des femmes des Quartiers",
our will to fight for our rights, and our femininity. We refuse
to be constrained by false choices between giving in to tradition
or being forced to sell ourselves to survive.
- Enough with the moral lessons: our condition
is getting worse. The media and politicians have done little or
nothing to help us.
- Enough with the misery: we are tired of people speaking on our
behalf, of people distrusting our words.
-Enough with the justification of our opression
in the name of the right to be "different" or "respect"
for those who keep us down.
-Enough of the silence, in public debates on violence and discrimination.
The feminist movement has deserted our neighborhoods.
There is an emergency and we have decided to act. For us the fight
against racism, and exclusion and that for our liberty and emancipation
are one and the same. No one will liberate us from this dual oppression
if we don't do it ourselves.
We don't ask for help from the "guard dogs"
or "big brothers". We are speaking up and calling for
our sisters and mothers to join us all over France in our fight
to improve life in our neighborhoods!
Fédération Nationale des Maisons des Potes
190, Boulevard de Charonne – 75020 PARIS
Tél. 01.44.93.23.23 Fax. 01.44.93.23.24
fede@maisonsdespotes.net
http://www.macite.net/petition.html
|
|
|
