Smoqua - Festival of Queer and Feminist Culture in Rijeka: Pride and Prejudice

Lesbian Organisation Rijeka – LORI in collaboration with PaRiter, From the Citizens to Their City and Centre for Women’s Studies (University of Rijeka), are inviting you to the 2nd Festival of queer and feminist culture Smoqua in Rijeka from Thursday, 17th of May until Saturday, 19th of May 2018.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Smoqua is a combination of art and activism, representing a queer-feminist perspective locally and internationally through the work of artists and activists.

Smoqua - Festival of queer and feminist culture in Rijeka is international – it includes participants from Europe (+ USA) and programme partially in English. Same as last year, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history and significance of queer and feminism, this time under the theme of Pride and Prejudice. The festival is a platform and network for joint artistic-activist projects, for creating and strengthening of collaboration among diverse audience.

On the 17th of May LORI is marking the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) for the sixth year in a row in Rijeka - we chose this date for Smoqua as a symbolic point for raising visibility and awareness of the LGBTIQ topics in our society. Rijeka is still the only city in Croatia which supports IDAHOT by flying a rainbow flag above the entrance of the City of Rijeka Town Hall – so is there a better way to open an queer of queer and feminist culture? 🙂

1st Smoqua was held in October 2017 and more about it you can find here.

Smoqua is a part of flagship Kitchen, Rijeka 2020 - European Capital of Culture.

Pride and Prejudice

What are prejudices? By definition, prejudices are preconceived stances not based on reason or actual experience. All festival activities are therefore aimed at introducing visitors to LGBTIQ and feminist topics as well as to developing a critical attitude toward them. Through open conversation, interventions in the public spaces and art we open the door to dialogue with the audience, leave a trace in the city and create a transcultural platform where gender identity and sexual orientation, whatever they are, are accepted with pride.

PROGRAMME

Thursday, May 17th, 2018

9:00-18:00 Marking the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) by flying the rainbow flag at the entrance of City of Rijeka Town Hall (Korzo 16)

11:00-15:00 Info Booths on Korzo

LORI, PaRiter, Centre for Civil Initiatives Poreč and SOS Rijeka – centre for nonviolence and human rights provide the visitors the information on the organisations active in the field of promotion and protection of women’s rights and/or rights of LGBTIQ persons in Rijeka area and the information about the festival.

15:00-16:00 Queer Walk around Rijeka

You are interested in queer history of Rijeka but you do not know whom to ask? Join us for a walk! In an easy-going, humorous atmosphere you can learn about known “archive” of the LGBTIQ people and some spicy details (the walk starts from info boots on Korzo street).

16:00-17:00 Festival Opening

Short speeches from the organisers about festival programme.
Caffe bar Striga, Titov trg 14

17:30-19:00 Panel discussion: Overview of the State of Rights of LGBT Persons and Women in Europe

Moderator Marina Škrabalo talks to activists from Italy, Poland and Romania.
City Hall, Korzo 6

20:00-21:00 Body Dialectics – Live Art Performance, Kris Grey (USA)

Body Dialectics is a multimedia performance piece that explores themes of identity, transformation, and embodiment. Transgender artist connects their personal experiences to broader social justice issues related power and control; uses trans experience as a laboratory for revealing binary gender as a social phenomenon, rather than a biological imperative.
Filodrammatica, Korzo 28

21:30 Let’s Celebrate IDAHOT Together! happy hour: rainbow shots :)

Caffe bar Striga, Titov trg 14

Friday, May 18th, 2018

14:00-16:00 Feminist self-defence workshop: Mónica Cano Abadía (Spain)

Feminist self-defense goes beyond learning physical techniques. It reinforces the autonomy of women by enhancing physical, emotional and social security. It is also a way of life that requires mechanisms of prevention, critical analysis of gender-biased social practices, and the creation of networks of sorority. Monica holds black belt in Oriental Kick Boxing, she is LGBTIQ and Feminist activist, a Doctor in Philosophy, specialized in Western Feminist Theory.
Since the number of participants in the workshop is limited, the registration is required through e-mail: .
OKC Palach, Kružna 8

16:00 (In)visible Love Stories: Exhibition of Photographs, Martina Šalov (Croatia)

(In)visible love stories is the first project of this kind in Croatia, created as a reaction to the invisibility of photos of LGBT couples. The idea is very simple: through gentle, subtle, real emotions to show the beauty of love. The goal is to break prejudice through visibility and presence in society.
Martina Šalov is a photographer and a filmmaker with experience in holding numerous group and several solo exhibitions.
RI-INFO, Korzo 14

17:00-18:00 Talk with the Artists – Mavi Veloso and Kris Grey

Moderator: Zvonimir Dobrović (Queer Zagreb).
From the Citizens to Their City, Križanićeva 6a

18:00 Project TRANS, performans, Mavi Veloso (Brazil / Nizozemska)

Project TRANS is transdisciplinary research that combines video, performance, photography, fashion, queer and drag queen culture; work in process with a series of experiments based on the experience of transition, walks through streets appropriating and creating performative ambiences.
From the Citizens to Their City, Križanićeva 6a

18:30 Presenting GSG Magazine for Society and Art

The first GSG magazine is a sort of documentation of the 1st Smoqua – here you can read about the (non)existence of reproductive rights in Croatia, the interpretation of terms modern femminism and queer as well as an interview with artist Ana Hoffner on gender transgression in/and war. Photo editorial of Ana Opalić follows Queer Walk around Rijeka.
From the Citizens to Their City, Križanićeva 6a

19:00 Introducing Fierce Women & Card Tournament

VoxFeminae.net team presents the game "Fierce Women", which introduces players to women who have made an outstanding contribution to society in culture, politics, science, human rights, and art. Rijeka’s game ambassadors and fierce women: Brigita Miloš, Nikolina Deranja, and Danijela Almesberger open a short tournament in this card game and winners receive awards!
From the Citizens to Their City, Križanićeva 6a

20:00 Chill & Queer in Bordel La Grotta:: Good wine and music gathering.

Bordel La Grotta, Šime Ljubića 8a

Saturday, May 19th, 2018.

11:30 Activist Intervention in Public Space - LORI, PaRiter and Centre for Women’s Studies Rijeka

Korzo, from Radio Rijeka to City Clock Tower

12:00-15:00 Human Library

Human library is like any other library with one exception: books are actually persons – members of the social groups who frequently encounter prejudice. Maybe you have never talked to a homeless woman, Roma woman, feminist, trangender person, lesbian...
Korzo, on the opposite side of City Clock Tower – if raining, Filodrammatica, Korzo 28

13:00-15:00 Wall Art – Through Questioning Pride and Prejudice to Art

Authors Doris Pandžić, Dunja Matić and Petra Bezjak will write brief introductions about pride and prejudice through the prism of eroticism, identity and labour rights and participants are invited to complete stories or to express themselves visually. The works will then be applied to the wall, creating a mural of queer and feminist ideas. queer i feminističkih ideja.
St. Barbara Square – if raining, passage beneath City Clock Tower

15:00-17:00 Workshop – Queering Up!

Are you interested in an unusual intervention into stories heard so many times? Power duo Dimitrijević-Žmak will take care of it! The workshop is based on deconstructing and rewriting drama traces in mainstream movies and theatre plays and enabling a critical reflection on popular culture, its heteronormativity and exclusivity through ‘queer eyeglasses’. Olga Dimitrijević is a playwriter and drama writer from Serbia and Jasna Žmak is a Croatian writer, screenwriter and playwriter.
Klub mladih Rijeka, Erazma Barčića 9a

17:00 Ctitoria Clitoria, Performance by Ruth Borgfjord (Romania)

Through a ten minute performance, the artist destabilizes the concepts of gender and roles, holy and unholy. Ruth is a queer artist who builds her work on her own chronology combined with games of the imagination and research, linking activism with art.
Filodrammatica, Korzo 28

17:15 – 19:00 Who Is Allowed to Believe in God?

Discussion on the attitude of the Church towards the LGBT persons and women. Facilitator Marjana Harcet (Slovenia) talks to Mihael Sečen (Croatia) and Ruth Borgfjord (Romania).
Filodrammatica, Korzo 28

19:00-20:00 When I was a boy, I was a girl (2013., Serbia, 33 min): screening of the movie and the talk with the director.

Directed by: Ivana Todorović Scenarij: Olga Dimitrijević, Goca
Leading role: Goca

Goca is a trasgender person in Belgrade where Pride is prohibited. She is raising a daughter who is actually her niece. She decides to celebrate her 39th birthday by facing the audience with her life story.
Ivana Todorović (Serbia/USA) is a director of socially engaged documentary films. Her movies have been screened within more than 100 film festivals and have won numerous awards. Ivana is involved in youth education and holds the workshops of documentary film.
Foyer of Art-kino, Krešimirova 2

23:59-5:00 Queer UP! Party presents – Sonja Sajzor (Serbia)

Sonja is a party organiser, DJ, visual artist and an activist for rights of transgender persons. She introduced herself to the Belgrade audience 10 years ago with her artistic photographs on social networks, drag performances and poetry with elements of political critique, satire and stand-up comedy. She is recognised for the experimental combination of the alternative and 'darker' pop and hip hop which frequently contains elements of nostalgia for late 90s and early 2000s.
Club Crkva, Ružićeva 22

*Participation in all the activities within the festival is free, except for Queer UP! Party.

Organisers: LORI + PaRiter, From the Citizens to Their City, Centar za ženske studije pri Filozofskom fakultetu u Rijeci