The Vagina Monologues is a yearly event done by campus club Voices Against Violence that showcases different monologues, slam poetry pieces or stories about people who have dealt with gender-based issues, ranging from violence against women to intersectionality. The importance of this event is to continue the conversation and make it larger for more students on campus to get involved and be a part of the change.
The Charlatan caught up with club president and director of this year’s Vagina Monologues Shanice Pereira about her experience with the club and the importance of education around these topics.
The Charlatan (TC): How do you think Voices Against Violence impacts campus culture?
Shanice Pereira (SP) : Our main goal is to make a positive impact. The Vagina Monologues happens every year and it’s all about what it’s like to be a woman. The struggles that women go through and what they experience, with the exception of some locational differences and other cultural factors. It’s all about addressing these issues and starting conversation around it. We also discuss what the state of the feminist movement and we update it every year in order to give it a modern take and keep the topics relevant. We also have to make sure to keep up with everything that’s happening—going over the advances that have happened but also talking about the missteps and issues. We want to make the conversation open so that the community at Carleton feels connected about this topic and we can discuss it on a larger scale.
TC: Was there a particular moment that the organization felt “this is really making a difference?”
SP: Well, for me, this is my third year being a part of the organization and my first year as president, but for me, the best moments are knowing when the impact is being made and you can see the change happening right in front of you. For example, we were having a bake sale one time and there was an elder, male staff member who donated $20 to the organization. We offered a baked item to him, but he just said that “I just wanted to give to the cause.” People understand the importance of this and what we are doing and how their contribution impacts it all. All of the funds that we raise go towards the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, because they don’t get a lot of funding as it is, but we do what we can to help.
TC: How do you suggest that conversations about gender-based violence should be addressed?
SP: The main issue is that there’s often a level of arrogance and not enough understanding opinions. We don’t want to come off like we know better or that our opinion is more relevant, but it’s important to explain things that people do not know or aren’t too familiar with. It’s so important to remove the stigma around the conversation, so that everyone feels welcome and that their opinions can be accepted. It’s all about identification and creating a safe space to have open conversation. We want everyone to feel safe and welcome to express their opinion.
TC: Education is one of the key elements to having those conversations: what do you think is the best way to get educated on these issues?
SP: Definitely being tapped in to what’s happening in the world. If you’re gonna look at what’s happening right now, it’s about following the developments of the #MeToo movements and the larger movements that follow. With everything that happens, there needs to be a fight for change. If we don’t push for social change, then there will be no institutional changes. Whatever ways you think we can inspire changes to happen—through reaching out to politicians, protests or any other methods. Not just institutional change but systemic change as well. Hitting a little closer to home, that’s how we were able to change Carleton’s Sexual Violence Policy.
TC: What is the next step for Voices Against Violence, in terms of The Vagina Monologues?
SP: With university clubs, it’s hard to change things over the course of a few years because there’s always new students coming in and going out. For me, it was important to inspire the cast so that way students next year can pass that on to the cast next year. We want to add more monologues and poetry pieces. There will be changes in the way that it’s written, but the perspectives are still valid. Obviously, we wanna reach as many people as possible through more awareness so that way we can get a larger audience. Hopefully at some point, we could get some sponsorships to raise more money for local charities to support women.
TC: Is there anything you wanna add about the show that we could let our readers know?
SP: For the most part, I guess we want audiences to know that it’s a show for everybody. We want to capture the struggles that women face but also, some of these pieces may be comedic, which brings light to the issues in a completely different way but still addresses the issues we are discussing. One of the monologues is about Indigenous women, which is something that we in Canada need to discuss more often. We definitely recommend it for everybody, one of my favourite things is hearing what men have to say because they may not relate to the female struggle, but it still impacts us in the long run. Hearing opinions that are different from your own is so inspiring and it’s interesting to hear what people from all walks of life have to say.
The Vagina Monologues will be performed at Carleton on March 3 and 4 in the Bell Theatre.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
