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    Action in Silence
   I don't want militarisation in my life

   announcement
   Action in Silence committee and FAAB are proud to announce the inauguration 
   exhibition. 

   This exhibition focuses on the gender conscious antimilitarism movement in 
   the post-9.11 Japan. 

   The exhibition consists of document photographs, pamphlets, fliers, posters, 
   clothing and other items used for protest activities which are installed in 
   chronological order.  Video documentation, interviews and performances (see 
   the special events) will be also shown. 

   In the past, male oriented anti-war movement focused on national and 
   international politics and organising mass demonstrations in which everyone 
   shouted the same slogans.  Women's role in this movement seemed to be 
   largely 
   limited to that of the anonymous participants or that of the "peace loving 
   mother" . 

   But recently, there is different, more gender conscious anti-militarism 
   movement.  For example, Kyoto Joshi-demo started a demonstration organised 
   by 
   girls in which they express their concern about effects of militarism in 
   their daily lives.  Women in Black stand at street corners in silence. 
   Their 
   silence is stark contrast to the usual slogan shouting and issue debating. 
   Great Japan Anti-War Women in Black League is a parody of Great Japan 
   Women's 
   National Defence League during the Second World War.  It questions the 
   women's role in the war and violence and at the same time provoke the 
   memories of victimisation of women and children in Japan during the war. 
   These are done mainly by women, but they all welcome participation of either 
   sexes. 

   The war is over, but all is not well. 
   The reality seems that violence is the ultimate solution. 
   We hope through art and this exhibition we can continue to express our 
   unwillingness to submit ourselves to violence. 

   Action in Silence committee 
   FAAB 

   Thanks to:  Women in Black Tokyo(and elsewhere), Kyoto Joshi demo.

   Exhibition information:
   Date:   May 31 - June 7 
   Time: 12:00 - 19:00 
   Opening party:  May 31, 19:00- 
   Place:  Pa/F Space 
   Shinjuku-ku Baba-shitacho, 18, Phoenix building 3F 
   Across the street from "Ana Hachi-man" shrine, 
   opposite to Waseda U. literature dept. 
   2 min. from subway Tozai line "Waseda" station 

   Event schedule:
   June 1   "We don't want militarism in our lives"
   14:00-17:00 
    admission  800 yen 
   discussion with Motoyama Hisako(Women in Black Tokyo), Mizushima 
   Nozomi(Kyoto Joshi demo), Shimada Yoshiko(FAAB) 

   June 7  "Big Head" -video showing and talk with Denise Uyehara from LA.
   19:00 - 21:00 
   admission  1,000 yen 
   4th generation Japanese (Okinawan)-American artist, Denise Uyehara 
   will show a video of her new work about attack on Arab Americans during 
   Iraqi 
   war.  Discussion follows. 

   June 8  Performances
   17:00- 
   admission  2,000 yen 
   "Tears" by Ono Nonko 
   "Insane Body" by Ito Tari 
 
 
 
 

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   FAAB (Feminist Art Action Brigade) !

   We would like to announce the inauguration of FAAB, the newest feminist art
   organization in Tokyo.

    "Feminism? Isn't it dead?"
   Well, no.  In the past decade or two, we thought modernism is dead,  history 
   is dead, etc., but old habits die hard.  While we thought ideologies 
   weredead, Imperialism, colonialism, and militarism all made great comebacks. 
   The bad old patriarchal system  is more alive than ever.  They have become 
   unapologetically ruthless.  Faced with this harsh reality, we think 
   feminism 
   is still one of the few ideals we can hang on to in order not to be 
   completely disillusioned by the state of the world today. We know there are 
   many different versions of "feminism".  Our version of feminism is made 
   clear 
   in the statement below.  We would like to stress that our feminism is not to 
   expand the rights of the "biological female". 

    "All we need is Action!"
   FAAB is not a fraternity club.  We are a brigade of artists who use our 
   artistic expression as weapons.  We don't have one "commander", instead, 
   whoever plans a project is responsible for the completion of that project. 
   Our current projects are: 
   "ACTION IN SILENCE" exhibition in which documentation of world wide 
   anti-war, 
   anti-imperialism movement will be shown along with performances and 
   installation. 
   "MINI QUEER SHOW" a preparatory exhibition for a big international queer 
   show 
   in the future. 
   Whoever or whatever group which want to do something with us, participate in 
   our events, support FAAB, be on our Mailing list, please get in touch with 
   us. 
   e-mail (English OK)  yoshimada@aol.com 
   http://www.egroups.co.jp/group/FAAB-net/ 

   Ito, Tari 
   Lim, Desiree 
   Nishimura, Yumiko 
   Ono, Nonko 
   Shimada, Yoshiko 
   Takahashi, Fumiko 
   Yasuda, Kazuyo 
   (in alphabetical order) 

   FAAB Manifesto
   FAAB questions the prevailing social and artistic value system. 
   What is valuable art and who can be artists? 
   Rather than making a pyramid shaped value system, can we make a horizontal 
   system in which we all express ourselves equally and freely? 
   We think feminism is still one of the most useful and practical ideals to 
   make this happen. 
   What we call feminism here is not a movement for increasing women's equality 
   to men. 
   What we call feminism is for all, not only for the biological female. 
   We think that patriarchal system is pretty much responsible for the current 
   awful world of violence and greed, but we are not a negative, 
   "anti-male"movement at all.  Rather, we seek for A better, equal system for 
   all. 
   We will work with minority people, groups, individuals who are striving to 
   make a change in the prevailing mainstream social system. 
   Our action is not confined in the so-called "cultural" activities. 
   Culture is closely connected to society, nation, world politics.  We are not 
   afraid to be political as well as artistic, at the same time. 

   Membership 
   Each member can participate in the mailing list. 
   Projects are planned and decided by the project committee, which now 
   consists 
   of the above members. Those who want to be in this committee must present 
   his/her own project and act as the responsible person to realize the 
   project. 

   Correspondence:
        FAAB
        Fenicks build. 3F
        18 Babashitamachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan
   ??e-mail  yoshimada@aol.com

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   Women in Black Tokyo
   http://home.interlink.or.jp/~reflect/WIBTokyo/home.html 
   FAAB http://www.egroups.co.jp/group/FAAB-net/ 
   GAAP (Gender and Arts Project)
   http://home.interlink.or.jp/~reflect/GAAP/index.html 
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   Information obtained from:
   Fatima Lasay
   digiteen@ispbonanza.com.ph