In honour of Pride week, we give the opportunity to artist and queer feminist Masha Ravlyk to speak about Pride. Masha came to Finland as a refugee from Ukraine in 2022 together with her collaborator Ton Melnyk, and they are part of the OAF’s visual arts programme this year. Masha is also currently doing language training at Pertti’s Choice, learning Finnish. The photo shows Ton and Masha during Pride in Kiev in 2017. Below you can read Masha’s statement:
“We live at the time when Pride march, Pride week, Pride month happen in many countries, but not all around the world. People with a variety of gender identities, sexualities, physical and mental abilities live also in countries where they don’t have the same rights as cis-heteronormative people, where they are systematically discriminated, in countries where many problems with labor rights, in countries with complicated ecological situation, in countries where people suffer from war.
Me, like a queer person, want to celebrate my life and identity not during 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, but all 365 days, many years. However, when I join the Pride Movement, visit some public events, I want to speak about problems that concern me and highlight the inequalities of discriminated groups.
Like a person from Ukraine, I need not only wishes for Peace and Hope, I need support from local communities to continue my life in a new place, I need support for promotion equality in Ukraine, I want to see justice and support for Palestinians, I want to solidarize with people, who are suffering from poverty, war and authoritarian powers.
Like a typical migrant I feel tiredness because of other languages, difficulties with work, and basic life routines. I feel sadness because my closest friends now live in different countries and it’s hard to meet each other. Together with Ton Melnyk we started a project Tapestry Queer Family – we want to archive the existence of our friendly community that we have /had (protest to using past time) in Kyiv. I am so grateful to all these people for their strong support and our common underground activist resistance.
-Masha Ravlyk”
OAF wishes everyone an amazing Pride week!
Read more: Tonya (Ton) Melnyk and Masha Ravlyk, Pride homepage
