A K LEO T H E
V O I C E
Ser v i ng t he st udents of t he Un iversit y of Hawa i ‘ i at M ā noa si nce 1922
Tale of a tracker
One man’s experience as a shadow Features 3
Crutial credit The score to aim for Opinions 6
W E DN E S DAY, NOV. 10 to T H U R S DAY, NOV. 11, 2 010
w w w. k a leo.org
Volu me 105 Issue 45
‘Girl Fest’ empowers more than just women A LICIA PARTRIDGE Senior Staff Writer
Last year in Hawai‘i, 5,095 domestic abuse protective orders were fi led through the circuit courts. A local non-profit organization is trying to raise awareness about domestic violence against women through their 7th annual “Girl Fest Hawai‘i” multimedia art festival and conference throughout Honolulu on Nov. 10-14. K athr y n X ian organized the f irst Girl Fest Hawa i‘i fest ival in 20 02. She wanted to address domest ic v iolence through educat ion, prevent ion and ar t . “Hawa i‘i has a major problem w ith domest ic v iolence be cause of many reasons,” X ian sa id. “ W hen we st ar ted, we wanted to be more conducive to the ar ts. We wanted to be more prevent at ive and we had to think proact ively.” This volunteer-run festival incorporates film, music, art, spoken word and dance complemented by a mini-conference involving panels, lectures, outreach workshops for children and adults. The conference addresses themes such as body image, identity, empowerment, social change and methods on how to prevent violence in relationships. “We see it as a way to empower people for a change,” Xian said. “It gives incentive to do something. We have accomplished all of this with a very little budget.” This year’s festivities will include poetry readings by Amber Tamblyn and Mindy Nettifee, dance workshops at the Diverse Art Center, an improvisation comedy workshop, a benefit concert by local bands, an appearance by comedian Charlyne Yi and much more. The festival will end with a community-wide barbecue. The events are all-ages unless stated
PHOTO COURTESY OF TOMMY SHIH
Mindy Nettifee (left) and Amber Tamblyn will be reciting poetry at this year’s “Girl Fest Hawai‘i” festival. Nettifee has toured throughout the world as a poet and currently directs the Write Now Poetry Society, and Tamblyn is an accomplished poet and actress who currently has a recurring role on the television show “House.” otherwise and are either free or cost little. The University of Hawai‘i Mānoa will host the “HI Issued: Contemporary Explorations of Hawaiian Women’s Issues” conference today, Nov. 10, at the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies from 3 p.m. till 6 p.m. This conference is open to all ages and is free of charge. Women writers and activists will discuss domestic violence, homelessness, prisons, and Hawaiian sovereignty. The event will feature Kat Brady, Meda Chesney-Lind, Susan Hippensteele, Trisha Kehaulani Watson, and ‘Ilima Long, moderated by Mehanaoka‘ Hind. Light refreshments will be provided by MANA and the Wom-
en’s Studies Department, and a number of community organizations will be running educational tables throughout the event. The premiere of the independent fi lm, “Salt of This Sea” will be presented at the Art Auditorium at UHM, 2535 McCarthy Mall on Thursday Nov. 11. This fi lm is a drama about an American-born Palestinian woman who travels back to Palestine and is forced to confront the Palestine-Israel confl ict. The cover is $5 and is an allages event. Director Michael Moore, known for documentaries such as Bowling For Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko, and Capitalism: A Love Story, said in a review, “Salt of this Sea is absolutely one of the
best fi lms I’ve seen in years.” For the fi rst time in Girl Fest history, four female KTUH disc jockeys along with poets T. Miller, Mindy Nettifee, Michelle Myers and Issil Yi Park will perform on Thursday Nov. 11 at “Spit n’ Spin” party. This party and “Poetry Pow” will take place at the Fresh Café, 831 Queen Street, from 7p.m. till 2.am. Admission is $7 for the general public and $5 for ages 18 and under. A non-traditional form of entertainment will take place on Saturday Nov. 13. Oahu’s Pacifi c Roller Derby team will play a derby bout at Kamilo‘iki Park in Hawai‘i Kai against the neighboring island teams. “We skate in Girl Fest to pro-
vide the community with positive and powerful female role models as skaters in an organization that is run solely by the skaters,” said PRD skater Sylvia Flores aka ‘Tadbit Nasty.’ “We participate in this event to show the community that we are strong, determined women athletes who step out of the ‘traditional’ roles by playing a high contact sport. We especially want to show women out there that there’s an opportunity to join us and join a strong sisterhood of supportive and like-minded women.” Eighty-fi ve percent of domestic violence victims are women, the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Crime Data Brief found in 2003 and not much has changed. The event also reaches out to male abuse victims. “We are trying to get more men involved since one in eight men are abused each year,” Xian said. “ We are trying to organize a men’s group and a men’s talk for the future. It’s hard for women to talk about but even harder for men.” Recent Hawai‘i Court statistics show that from the 2008 fiscal year to the 2009 fi scal year, domestic abuse/protective order fi lings has increased by 12 percent. “ We are not the heroes of the generation,” X ian said. “ We are only chipping away at the problem in hopes that f uture generations will think of the problems dif ferently.” To find more information about the events go to: www. girlfesthawaii.org or contact info@girlfesthawaii.org. Planning for next year’s event will begin in December.
S E E N E X T PAG E F O R A GIRL FEST EVENTS C A L E N DA R