Programme 2021

Events take place online !

2nd November

2 pm – 3.30 pm. Discussion “The ingredients of solidarity”. Agnė Bagdžiūnaitė and Jurgis Valiukevičius from Lithuania in conversation with Airi Triisberg (EN**)

Social movements in the Baltic region are usually seen as fragmented and weak. Political organizing mostly takes place in small groups whose capacities are limited to short-term campaigns. The recent developments in Lithuania, however, are an attempt to take a different trajectory. In the past few years, an active leftist, feminist and queer counter-public has been organising a common project – May 1st labour union (G1PS). This organisation grew out of the grassroots initiatives Emma Social Center and independent media platform Life is Too Expensive (Gyvenimas per brangus). This summer G1PS was the legal body for organising Kaunas Pride.

What can be learned from the experiences of movement building in Lithuania? What kind of challenges appear while aiming to connect queer and feminist practices with workers rights? Can the recipe of union building be copied elsewhere in the Baltic region? How not burn our fingers when using the cookbooks of oppositional knowledge?

The discussion language is English.

Register here 

3rd November

10.30 am – 12.00 pm. Workshop “I am a feminist, but not that kind of feminist” with Sasha Gartman and Aleftina Shaulskaya (RU***)

“Does it feel awkward at times to say “I am a feminist”? Does it feel unsafe to use the “F-word**”? Words like “feminism” or “feminist” have very different meanings not only to outsiders but to insiders as well. We offer you a safe space to explore what feminism means for each of us, what it gives us, and how we practice it. Come to let yourself just be, to share your views, and to listen to how different people address these topics.

Aleftina Shaulskaya is a feminist, immigrant, gestalt therapist. Aleftina believes in dialogue, she helps people to find their own meanings, making their life more comfortable. Aleftina likes contemporary art and design.

Sasha Gartman does what she believes in, and helps others to believe in themselves. She enjoys exploring and elaborating complex topics, looking for beauty everywhere, and getting new experiences. Sasha knows very well what it means to be different.

The workshop language is Russian.

Register here 

2 pm – 3.30 pm. Talk “How to do feminist activism through gender budgeting?” with ​Femínísk fjármál – the Feminist Budgeting Group – from Iceland (EN**)

In this session, we will discuss the potentials of gender budgeting to progress gender+ equality. We reflect on our experiences and the outcomes of our activism in the Feminist budgeting association and discuss the possibilities of influencing governments policy and decision-making by using the strategy.

Femínísk fjármál or feminist budgeting is an Icelandic women’s budgeting group. We advocate for gender perspectives to be included in government budgeting and policy processes. Finnborg Salome Steinþórsdóttir and Steinunn Bragadóttir.

The talk language is English.

Register here 

6 pm – 8 pm. Tallinn Feminist Reading Group online session “Feminism and ableism” with moderator Kaimai Kuldkepp (EN**)

In this Tallinn Feminist Reading Group special meeting at the Forum, we will be talking about ableism from a feminist perspective. We will read a short essay “Disability, Neurodiversity, and Feminism” by Hannah Simpson. The text is an introduction to the topic and meant as a conversation starter, but the meeting is for sharing our personal experiences, referencing other material we’ve read, or, well, just listening to each other and forming connections with other cool feminist thinkers.

Tallinn Feminist Reading Group is an introductory, introvert-friendly reading group. In order to attend discussions, you don’t need to have any introduction to feminist theory whatsoever. Each meeting is dedicated to a topic and reading material is provided, but reading the text is not a condition for joining.

The discussion language is English.

Register here 

4th November

10.30 am – 12.00 pm. Presentation and discussion “Gender transitions as collective feminist practices” with Sara Arumetsa (ET*)

In this talk, Sara Arumetsa proposes that gender transitions are not only individual pursuits but also ambiguous collective practices that can be grounded in feminist ethics.

The talk language is Estonian.

Register here 

2 pm – 3.30 pm. Webinar “Images That Change the World” with the Gender Photographer from Sweden (EN**)

Tomas Gunnarsson, also known as The Gender Photographer, is a journalist, photographer and gender expert who lectures about gender-aware and norm-critical image analysis. With examples from the media, advertisements and his own photo projects he illuminates how images can cement narrow gender roles and excluding norms – or challenge outdated gender stereotypes and mirror everyone in society.

Read more: The Gender Photographer, Images that change the world: a guide to equal communication, Tomas’ guide book and photo exhibition that has been shown in Russia, Mexico and China.

The lecture language is English.

Register here 

3.45 pm – 4.30 pm. Workshop “Images That Change the World” with the Gender Photographer from Sweden (EN**)

Following the lecture (see above), Tomas will hold a workshop in gender-aware and norm-critical image analysis, where the participants will get to analyse a selection of images hand-picked from Estonian media.

The workshop language is English.

Register here 

6 pm – 8 pm. Craft Circus online workshop “What’s in your bag?” with facilitator Thalia Eccles (EN**)

Facilitated by an active community educator and crafter Thalia Eccles, we will be making recycled string bags as practical tools for carrying the things we need to be active in our world. Thalia has books, craft supplies, cake and handy bolt cutters, just in case. We will be using recycled cloth yarn (the kind your grandmother might have made rugs out of) to crotchet a string bag. You do NOT need to know how to crotchet or feel confident in your crochet skills! An instructional video will be available before the craft circle if you are eager, and any questions can be answered when we meet on zoom.

Thalia hopes you will come to this online gathering – perhaps you have a neighbour or partner who wants to craft with you. Cats and dogs are welcome too. Make the tea, open the wine, and come and join Thalia and others for a relaxed time of making and talking.

The workshop language is English. Tools and materials will be available for collection from Puänt bookstore in Telliskivi from the 21 st October.

Register here 

5th November

10.30 am – 12.00 pm. “k.ö.k’s food stories session” with k.ö.k in collaboration with Kvinnocenter i Tensta-Hjulsta from Sweden (EN**)

Join us for a special online session of k.ö.k’s food stories. k.ö.ks food stories is based around the simple act of cooking and eating together. At different times different members of k.ö.k invite the collective to share in making and eating a dish that has particular importance to them – a strong memory, the significance of how they learnt the skill of preparing the food, or perhaps its connection to the wider life and societal concerns. Through this practice, we learn from each other, deepen our relationships together, and nourish ourselves and the collective practice of k.ö.k.

k.ö.k is a collective in Stockholm, in Swedish kök means kitchen but it also is an acronym that stands for women desire collectivity (kvinnor önskar kollektivitet). k.ö.k is a community that is organised from the context and with members of a women’s center based in Tensta (Kvinnocenter i Tensta-Hjulsta) which is on the outskirts of Stockholm. k.ö.k is a very diverse community of women with a strong contingent of migrant women as the Kvinnocenter itself is founded upon organising migrant women. Within this group they explore and work together through feminist practices and methods, thinking particularly about questions of care and how they can work and learn from each other’s particular experiences and backgrounds and life knowledge.

k.ö.k builds upon socially embedded art practices that combine art, theatre, activism and performance, to reflect on the prevailing society and develop practices and methods that can be used directly by communities in their everyday life. At the same time, they reflect on how the cultural field and society at large can learn from existing communities in how they practice and organise. They stress and value the mutual exchange of knowledge taking place between groups, communities and practices. k.ö.k sees its central task to create forms, methods and platforms where this knowledge can be shared and developed.

k.ö.ks food stories will be open for a limited number so please book in advance. Once you have booked a place you will then receive a list of ingredients so you can join the cooking session from your own / a neighbour or a friend’s kitchen! Cooking is not obligatory though, you can join without that too!

The session language is (mostly) English.

Register here 

2 pm – 3.30 pm. Talk “Organizing for solidarity: The Feminist Movement in Iceland” with Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir from Iceland (EN**)

Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir from the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association introduces the feminist movement in Iceland and their feminist work practises.

The presentation and talk is in English.

Register here 

6 pm – 8 pm. Discussion “How to find common ground with other feminists?” with Aet Kuusik and Rebeka Põldsam (ET*)

Rebeka Põldsam and Aet Kuusik invite you to discuss feminist spaces. How to create a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is heard? This is the only physical meeting of TALFF 2021. The discussion is in Estonian. All participants over the age of 18 must present a valid certificate proving vaccination or recovery to participate.

Register here 
5th November at 8 pm. Afterparty in Tallinn Möku bar with burlesk artists Misty Mosquito and Dynamic Daria. Music by DJ Homokringel!

Ticketing is donation-based, starting from 7 euros, to support Feministeerium. Cash needed!

All participants over the age of 18 must present a valid certificate proving vaccination or recovery to gain access.

* ET – in Estonian

** EN – in English

*** RU – in Russian