Interview with Gudrun Schyman, a founder of the political party Feministiskt initiativ, active in antinuclear and both national and international peace movement.
At this year`s BeFem festival, held on the weekend of December 2015, titled Through the Waves of Feminism, we had a chance to hear, get to know and talk to Gudrun Schyman (www.schyman.se), one of the founders of the political party Feministiskt initiativ (www.feministisktinitiativ.se).
Reconstruction Women`s Fund was interested to hear what women from public spheres thought of feminist phylanthropy, and why they considered it important to invest into women`s foundations and women`s movement.
RWF: Is it important to invest in women’s human rights?
GS: Absolutely, we have to do it, we have to do it immediately, because what we see now, around, around our countries, is that nationalism is growing and we have to be part that drives our countries in another way. I think the strongest opponent to nationalism you find in feminism.
RWF: Why do you think it’s important to invest in women’s, feminist foundations?
GS: Because there is a lot of people who really don’t know what it’s about and there is a lot of bad talking’s about feminism and lot of people who think that women are going to take the power and it’s women who hate men and all that. It’s a lot of bad rumors so we have to bring in the knowledge and we have to be powerful while we do that.
RWF: Lot of money goes to weapons and militarization of the society in general, while the budget for women is cut. What are your thoughts about that?
GS: The budget is decided in the parliament and that’s why I think it’s crucial to be in the parliament and to be a part of the budget discussion, because now we have had a long period of majority looking upon the budget as a goal in itself that should be used to traditional things like the military, and we have to cut that budget and I think that when you see the feminist movement, strong feminist and peace movement, you see that feminists are antimilitarists and that’s why we have to enter the rooms where the decision is made about the money.
RWF: Why do you think it’s important to be organized in a feminist party?
GS: Because we should use the democratic tools, we should have respect for the democratic tools and we should look upon them as ours. Issues concerning women’s rights have always been seen as something that is going to be done somewhere else by somebody else, it has not been seen as a part of politics and it is – it is discussion about human rights and we have to get that into the politics and the parliamentary works.
RWF: Thanks a lot.
Interview: Zoe Gudović
Photo: Nada Pleskonjić
