In an era of Trump, Brexit and a growing right wing movement
the world has become more politically charged than ever. With the continuing
spread of globalisation the faces of Putin and Kim Jong-Un are plastered over
our newspapers every day and while we attempt to understand and follow their
politics, we are quite removed from them in our society.
That is why tonight after witnessing Pussy Riot’s Edinburgh
Fringe show I felt an overwhelming urge to run home and write this article. Pussy
Riot is a notorious feminist punk group from Russia, famous for their fight for
LGBT rights, feminism and their opposing views against Vladimir Putin. The
group gained global notoriety when five members of the group staged a
performance inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior on February 21, 2012.
The women said their protest was directed at the Orthodox Church leaders'
support for Putin during his election campaign. Three of the members including
Maria Alyokhina who performed tonight were imprisoned for 2 years as their
actions were considered sacrilegious.
Tonight audience members were treated to a musical
performance by 4 members of the group accompanied by multimedia images in the
background which acted as a narrative to ‘Riot Days’ a play written by Maria
Alyokhina which tracks her political journey from before her arrest till after she was set free. The group performed in Russian with English subtitles projected onto
the screen behind them. I think for everyone tonight it was an exhilarating experience
to be up close and personal with real revolutionaries who could provide us with
a link to a culture so alien to our own. With the Edinburgh Fringe being the
largest arts festival in the world I felt there was no place more appropriate
for the group to share their vision than on a stage that helped the audience enter
into and explore the unknown.
Nastya Awott rocked a Marla from Fight Club look with her spiked
hair and sunglasses, wowing us with her saxophone skills while Kiryl Masheka got the crowd going with his stellar
dance moves and rapping skills. For me it was Maria Alyokhina who stole the
show. After breaking a travel ban placed on her and smuggling herself out of
Russia to come and perform at the Fringe and also to speak about her book at
the Book Festival, she commanded the stage with such vigour, showing the world
just how powerful a woman can be.
Tonight I will always remember as a once in a lifetime
opportunity where I had the privilege to connect with the unknown and feel part
of a real revolution. I left the show feeling proud to be a woman and an
increasing urge to better myself and educate myself further about the world
around me.
