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Women's
voices against war
recently made available in the Czech language on the Internet
Saza Lienau
The 11th of September 2001 has more than anything revealed how all the countries of our Earth are linked with each other "globally". The fear of terrorism has brought about amazing changes even in the currently peaceful Central Europe, which is working on the reconstruction of capitalism. The meagre national budgets were transformed, small defense ministers - including men - became popular national figures almost over night, the Prime Ministers proudly pledged in front of the cameras their full support in the struggle against terrorism. The permission to arm national armies, which until then had been almost insignificant armies, followed with astonishing speed. The voices for alternative war and terrorist solutions disappeared into absolute absurdity. The Press, that was almost the mouthpiece of the party, squashed each questioning, dubious or admonitory word.
What remained was the internet, the medium for exchange. Thus in the Czech-speaking area with a readership of no more than 1,5 Million, a website appeared which we called "Women's voices against war" and which strives to impart information in the Czech language on the reactions, observations and actions of women on the new world and power-dividing processes. Volunteer female translators (women, but also young men) searched with us for alternative women's voices on the www. Thus women could also read something in the Czech language http://www.profem.cz on the Scheherazade action (www.sheherazade.org) (see article in this journal), for the first time. Already in September we issued a petition together with signature lists to the Czech government, which called for prudence in this regard. The answer of the petition committee was macabre: we were thanked for our compassion for the victims and our support in the battle against terrorism.
Furthermore, we looked for women's organizations in Afghanistan, reported on RAWA (www.rawa.org) and Shuhada (www.shuhada.org), wrote to the Czech foreign minister asking him to support the interests of Afghan women: and his reply to this was yes, he added that women are needed in government in Afghanistan - this he uttered at a time when there were no women in the Czech government. Currently there are already Essays on the site by the female Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy in the Czech language; soon the alternative report on the NATO conference which will take place in November 2002 in Prague, will follow.
These votes against war have certainly been published several times, but the fact that women are able to read everything in the Czech language is something remarkable.
Saza Lienau is the
female editor of 'Women's voices against War' and co-founder of the Czech
Women's Organization proFem, a women's NGO, which deals with organizational
counseling and support and the subject of violence against women; for more
detail see http://www.profem.cz in the
Czech language.
Translated from German by
Heather
Batchelor.