Mansoureh Shojaee writes: “Feminist school wanted to organize a program for Nasrin (because of the event of her Prize) in Farhangsaraye Banu (Cultural house of Banu). From 3 weeks ago that we asked, we had the answer now that We can not!
Now we decided to have in our site e special page for her and for this event. We put the speech of some of the speakers and tonight we have the special page of Nasrin.

In the speech of Noushi Ahmadi, has been cleared every thing, mine is less explenation but more a presentation. ”
The congratulations:
همه موکلان من

به مناسبت جایزه حقوق بشر نسرین ستوده

مبصر کلاس

همه موکلان من: این بار «کاملا جدی»

چیزی ندارم برای پیشکش به نسرین ستوده، جز کلماتی که «هم از قلبم سخن می گوید، هم از ایمانم»/ نوشین احمدی خراسانی

2 آذر 1387- از دیروز که همه یاران مدرسه ای مصمم شدیم، تا ویژه نامه مدرسه فمینیستی درباره نسرین ستوده را به تاریخ دوم آذرماه 1387 منتشر کنیم، و تمامی صفحات سایت مان را به نام و احترام او آذین بندیم، تصمیم گرفتم که از نقش وکلای زن همچون نسرین ستوده در تداوم حیات جنبش حقوقی زنان و به خصوص نقش این وکلای داوطلب در کمپین یک میلیون امضاء سخن بگویم… ادامه

I have nothing to give to Nasrin, only the words that flow from my heart and my faith.
Since the Feminist School, decided to organize a celebration to express joy for the award to Nasrin Sotoudeh, came back to my mind so many memories.
Thus, in recent weeks the friends of the Feminist School have thought of asking the responsibls the permission to make a ceremony in Farhang Saraya Banu (Banu house of culture) for Nasrin and we thought: What can we give a woman like her who has committed for many years to defend her assisted, going up and down the stairs of the courts and despite all the insults and injuries has never ceased to defend her assisted.?

Two weeks ago we have been asked for the list of speakers and we wrote among many names Shirin Ebadi, Simin Behbahani, Farideh Gheyrat.Gila Bani yaghoub Giti pour Fazel, these are the names of the speakers that we have indicated, but, despite the high price of 150,000 tuman that they asked for the rent of the hall, in the end we could not have the permission.
At this point we thought we would send all over the world, through various internet sites, voices and interventions of the speakers.
So we decided to prepare a special program for ‘Nasrin on 22 November in the site of Feminist school and in all the pages talking and talking about her and other lawyers like her.
This evening, while I was watching the pictures that were taken from Nasrin by our photographer Arash Ashurnyia, supporter of the women’s movement, for the award ceremony, and for the poster of the award, I began to think about the past years of which, up to now I could not talk to Nasrin. On those years she was not yet a lawyer and I was not still so dangerous for the government to be in need of legal assistance. But she helped me find my way to express my sorrow for the injustices towards women.
Today I would like to thank her not just because she was my lawyer all these years, but for the things I learned from her and for the confidence that gave me having the courage. Then, life and the difficulties made us not seeing each other often, but the beauty of a friendship that has been consolidated in those two years will remain forever.
Again I look for an opportunity to recall those days with her and, tell her the importance of her friendship in my social life and in the formation of my thoughts and express my deep respect for her.
In happy days like this in which the world recognizes and applaud her efforts attributing another prize, to her and the women’s movement in Iran I sing with joy. “Oh woman, you the presence of the life … the day of slavery has gone, every thing is possible …”
Today we can say: “The hands that we planted in the garden grow! The luxuriant tree of the women’s movement now in our country is growing, and so now we can love our country. And that plant can grow by taking everything that needs in the world, because when you have a plant not only your land belongs to you but the whole world. ” .
Makes us happy a prize from another part of the world, and makes us happy a small change in our laws by our jailers, the small steps to achieve equality between men and women.
When this plant will have solid roots there will be no more differences between men and women there will be any more prisoners and jailers, no more differences between nations, but above all there will be no longer strangers.
We put all these sentiments and small achievements of Justice at the foot of our tender plant, with the hope that the small, sweet daughter of Nasrin still more than her mother hates injustice and abuse and will defend life because it is just and human.

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1699

دردسر جنسیت

جنبش های مدنی ایران و تداوم راه های مسالمت آمیز مبارزه/ نسرین ستوده

2 آذر 1387-اگر بخواهم مهم‌ترين ويژگي‌هاي جنبش حقوق بشري در سال‌هاي اخير را برشمارم بايد از فراگير بودن، قانوني بودن و مسالمت آميز بودن اين جنبش ياد كنم كه نه تنها همه‌ي جنبش‌هاي اجتماعي را در بر مي‌گيرد بلكه بر استفاده از روش‌هاي قانوني و مسالمت آميز پاي مي‌فشرد… جامعه مدني ايران در طي سال‌هاي گذشته چنان عملگرايي از خود نشان داده كه توجه بين‌المللي را در اين خصوص به خود جلب كرده است…ادامه

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1693

زنان ایرانی گردآفریدان زمانه اند/ گیتی پورفاضل

2 آذر 1387-نسیمی که از باختر وزیدن گرفت و بوی آزادی زن را پراکند چونان رایحه ای دل انگیز شامه زنان را نواخت تا با تکیه بر زنانی که در این سرزمین در … گذشته راهگشا بوده اند پیگیر راهشان شود هر چند سخت و جاده ناهموار باشد. در این راستا کوشش زنان را در سه دهه اخیر نمی توان تحسین نکرد، که آفرین همه جهانیان را برانگیخته و جوایزی را نیز نصیب آنان کرده است….ادامه

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1697

کافه مونث

گواه همت بلندت/ سیمین بهبهانی

2 آذر 1387- نسرین خانم عزیز، به پاس و سپاس کوشش های شما برای دیگرگون کردن هنجار جوان کشی شما را به واقع ستوده می شمارم که خستگان را دوای دل و مرهم جان می فرستید…ادامه

Dear Nasrin,

I sincerely praise you for the path you have chosen to achieve justice for theneedy people. Children are innocents. We are the guilty one. No child is corrupt or sinful at birth.

Should that be the case what difference is between us and butcher that fatten the lamb to slaughter.

Dear Nasrin, in respect and gratitude of your effort to inhuman execution of youngsters and support the victims I present you with the poem that have written in such occasions and hope to be a form of appreciation for all of your humanitarian activities.

I congratulate you for winning such prestigious prize and remind you that people like yourself makes prizes worthy and without any doubt you’ve done that.

I wish you and all the Iranian women happiness, my honour is to be one of many thousands of you.

(A short part of  Simin Behbahani,s poem for Nasrin and Iranian Women)

Why the sun became dark?

From the darkness of your sarrow?

Why star’s staring?

What was really your guilt?

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1698

همه موكلان من/ منصوره شجاعی

2 آذر 1387- مدرسه فمینیستی به رسم هدیت به نسرین ستوده، برنده اولین جایزه بین المللی حقوق بشر ایتالیا و به ویژه یار و همکار همیشگی اش شیرین عبادی که او نیز جایزه مدارا ازآلمان را از آن خود ساخته بود، مصمم به برگزاری مراسم پاس داشت و شادباش این جایزه شد….ادامه

From,

Nasrin Sotoudeh, the courageous and the compassionate lawyer of the iranian  women’s movement  is the winner of the first Human Rights International  Prize 2008 in South Tirol.
The Feminist School wanted to organize on her honor a ceremony with her and her family, with activists of the  Womens movement and specially with her colleague and companion of many years of struggle, Shirin Ebadi, she also awarded this year in Germany with the Tolerance Prize.
As in many other occasions, we had no permission to organize the ceremony, so the Feminist School decided to put all the speeches  on its  pages and dedicate the  22.11.2008 to Nasrin Sotoudeh  .
In fact, this report was the  first speech to open the ceremony, which supposed to be in Farhang Saraya Banu (Banu House of Culture) in serenity and far from daily problems, adding this event as a moment of joy to other memories.

I remember many good and bad days during the years about women fights for their rights in Iran .
Today is the day in wich the Iranian activists, even those from the most remote parts ,full of hope support the women’s movement activists to achive their rights. These women know that Shirin Ebadi and Nasrin Sotoudeh , where ever they will be, will help them and give them their assistance.
Today is the day in wich all iranian women with one heart and one mind, have  changed the meaning of the old stories of the good and the bad.
When Shirin Ebadi has optained the Nobel peace Prize it was a universal honor for us and the result of that is the comminiun of  the thoughts of  the Iranian women.
The campaign documents are the new  pages in the story of iranian women. We won’t forget the day in wich  Shirin Ebadi and Nasrin decieded to work free for the arressted activist women of the campaign.
The news of the  Human Rights International  prize in Italy For Nasrin Sotoudeh was important  for the Iranian women.
In our minds and our hearts we will always remember the days like this where we gather to sing the equality, harmoniuosly with the voice of our lawyers for justice may remain for ever and its echo calls all activists of equality with the same name, ”My assisted.”

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1696

کلوپ نسوان

وکیل سیاسی استراتژیست و مشاور است/ ناهید کشاورز

2 آذر 1387- در یک مسئله سیاسی، این متهمین هستند که محورهای دفاع خود را تعیین می کنند. آن ها هستند که تصمیم می گیرند چگونه با متهم کنندگان برخورد کنند. وکیل در این موارد استراتژیست است، مشاور است. وکیل سیاسی خود در کنار مبارزانی که از آن ها دفاع می کند، قرار می گیرد و از مبارزه آنها دفاع می کند…ادامه

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1692

مبارزات نسل اول زنان حقوقدان براي تغيير قوانين برابر/ جلوه جواهری

2 آذر 1387- امروز، از دل سازمان دهی وکلای حقوق بشر در نهادهایی هم چون کانون مدافعان حقوق بشر به همت عبادی و ديگر وکلای هم نسل او، شاهد ظهور نسل جدیدی از وکیلان جسور، متعهد و با ایمانی هم چون نسرین ستوده هستیم… نسرین ستوده در طول سه سال گذشته پرونده های بسیاری از فعالان جنبش زنان را برعهده گرفت….ادامه

http://femschool.net/spip.php?article1690

The congratulations to Nasrin Sotoudeh also from

Dr Rosa gharacholo

Gity pour fazel

Jelveh Havaheri

Nahid Keshavarz

Zara Amjadian

Activists and colleague of Nasrin. and

a sincere Congratutation from all Iranian Women to Nasrin and The Iranian Women’s Movement

INVITATION

to the Human-Right-International-(HRI)-Prize 2008

nominated:
NASRIN SOTOUDEH
(iranian lawyer and defender of human rigths)

From the Manager

It has been a very busy winter in The Centre, a nd we have been right in
the thick of it …

Fundraising

The Lottery was a sell out, thanks to Julie Heller’s efforts at the Sunday
markets, leaving books of tickets at local shops, and taking every
opportunity to sell tickets. The last sales were made at the Alice Springs
Show, 4 and 5 July, with the official draw by Molly Clark on the following
Monday at the Old Gaol.

Thanks to those members who bought tickets; unfortunately, none of
them won the $2,000 prize but for the winner, Georgina Davison,
it couldn’t have come at a better time, having just arrived in Alice
Springs to start a new job and still looking for accommodation for
her family.

Exhibitions

The display of a typical cell in the women’s cell block has been
completed for some time now.

Thanks to member Kit Bright for the sandshoes for the model. Kit also
sent some nursing equipment.

With the arrival of the mannequins – and a glass case – from the
Australian Federal Police Museum in Canberra expected in the very
near future, our volunteer designer, Krysia Potaczek, is now looking
for information about the men’s section, as there are several male
mannequins among them.

We now have the list of the women on the Australian Pioneer
Aviatrix Tapestry and are slowly putting names to faces. We plan
to have a display of information and photos of these women in the future.

There has been quite a flow of visitors to see the tapestry, starting
from the day it was hung. Among the visitors was Rose Campbell,
who worked on the tapestry during a visit to Malanda.

The Greenbush Art Gallery is open and operating in cell 20 of
B section of the men’s block. Paintings by current inmates are for
sale for most reasonable prices; with NPWHF to receive a commission
on sales.

The Wearable Arts display of acquired items was launched on 31 July.
We have had quite a few visitors especially to see the exhibition, which
was part of the Alice Springs Desert Festival. See more photos of the
exhibition scrolling down.

‘Flame of the North’, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred
Heart exhibition celebrating their centenary of service in the Northern
Territory, was extended in Darwin but is due to arrive at NPWHF for
display toward the end of October.

Visitors

We have had a wide variety of visitors.

The ‘Art at the Heart’ Regional Arts Australia national conference,
was held in Alice Springs 3-5 October. Part of the conference
was ‘Imagine Alice’, a program of installations, exhibitions and events
around the town. Several bus loads of those attending came to see
‘gunta karnelare’ (earth echo) which was created by artist Vicki West
from Launceston, Tasmania in front of our gates.

Vicki’s installation incorporated natural fibre, kelp and earth dyes from
Tasmania as well as materials sourced from Alice. It certainly raised
interest and was much photographed.

The new Administrator of the Northern Territory, Hon Tom Pauling
and Mrs Tessa Pauling spent over an hour in early September viewing
and discussing our exhibitions during their first official visit to Alice Springs.

Mr Pauliing was formerly the Chairman of Museums and Art Galleries
of the Northern Territory, and it was with him that our initial lease on the
Old Courthouse was signed back in 1993.

The NT Shadow Minister for Arts and Museums, Ross Bohlin MLA
came on a familiarisation of facilities within his portfolio last week.
During the tour of the exhibitions and gaol he informed me that his
father was a correctional services officer in Port Augusta when he
was growing up and that they lived within the Port Augusta Gao

Another signatory on our Signature Quilt, Anne Levy - First woman
President of SA government’s Legislative Council and first woman
to preside in any House in all the Parliaments in Australia (1986)
visited recently, and then became a Life Member.

Former prison guard, Ian Castillon, was an interesting visitor as
he told us stories from his time at the Old Gaol – one of which he
has supplied for our archives

Donations

Following a guided tour of our site (the day before she and her
family left town) by former Marketing Officer and Committee
Member, Rose McKean, the General Manager of Landmark offered
a donation of $5,000 on behalf of the company.

When Rose followed this up, he increased the promised donation
to $10,000!

This could not have come at a better time, as the Committee was
looking for funding to undertake the long overdue upgrade of our website.

Based on this promise we have contracted website designer, Neil
Aitken from Redback Productions, who designed our present website,
which was state of the art when it was launched in 2001.

Facilities

The Dept of Infrastructure and Planning estimate of the cost of sealing
the car park is $164,000. We’re now on the lookout for funding.

After several years of lobbying the Alice Springs Town Council for street
signs and the paving of the footpath between the RFDS and the Old Gaol,
we have it in writing that the work has been given a “priority rating” and
should be completed by Christmas this year.

Marketing

Did you see ‘Discover Down Under – 7 days in Alice’ on Channel 9?
NPWHF was part of the project, with Manager Helen filmed showing
Tanya Kernighan around our exhibitions. The program was an initiative of
local tourism operators to show Alice Springs in a positive light after the
several negative reports earlier in the year.

Central Australia Aboriginal Media Association filmed the exhibitions
and interviewed President Lynne and Manager Helen for a program
concentrating on aboriginal women for a National Indigenous Television program.

National Indigenous TeleVision has also filmed action for an episode
of a series for teenagers on pay television.

Vice President June and Manager Helen attended the Tourism Central
Australia Award night in late September. We didn’t win our category,
Primary Tourism Operator, which had a large field of competitors, but
June won second prize in the raffle and was thrilled.

Manager Helen was invited to be part of the ABC Radio 783 broadcast
from Todd Mall one afternoon during the Alice Springs Desert Festival.
She was interviewed by announcer Annie Gastin and spoke about
pioneer woman Topsy Smith.

Grants

We have again been successful in obtaining Regional
Museums Grants to cover the Manager’s Salary and the
Education Officer position on behalf of all museums in Central Australia.

An application has been lodged for a Major Community Benefit
Grant (from levies on the operation of electronic gaming machines
operated by licensed hotels throughout the Northern Territory) to
finance research and creation of an exhibition to be located in and
interpreting the women’s section of the gaol.

$3,500 has also been received through a NT History Grant
for this project.

Volunteers

Our trustee inmate Ralph was replaced in August by Dean and
then by Martin, who should be with us until February.

Our first public event was held on Wedneday 8 October. The
Zonta Club of Alice Springs sponsored the visit of the Australian
Girls Choir as part of their ‘Rockin’ Out West’ national tour. Central
Australia was the last stop of the tour, having already been to Victor
Harbor, Murray Bridge, Perth, Margaret River and Bridgetown.

The 54 girls, between the ages of 10 and 17 years, were billeted
during their stay, with one night at Ayers Rock. Workshops at the
School of the Air and St Philips College preceded their concert
on our lawn, followed by a barbecue (cooked by members of the
Rotary Club of Stuart) for the choristers and their hosts, and the
general public.

It was great to see our outside lawn area being used for the
purpose for which it was designed, and a most pleasant evening.

The event also showed the need for more outside lighting, even
with the flood light.

Thanks to Noel Thomas for his help installing the picture hanging
rails for the ‘Chooks’ and in the women’s cell block exhibition area.

In addition to all of this, we won first prize for our roses at the
Flower Show! Our rose bushes are again flowering profusely, despite
the Manager’s gardening efforts!

And we were almost unscathed by the September storm which cut
electricity and blew down, and uprooted trees and demolished
buildings throughout the town.

photos-sept-2008

Iranian Women’s News in Recent Week:
http://femschool.net/english/spip.php?article170

The new exhibition from the “Verborgenen Museum”, Berlin:

sternheim

Gabriella Schroffenegger is going on to organize the foundation of the Gender Museum of Innsbruck, Austria. She is searching partners for an EU-project with a mix of women’s museums initiatives and “old” women’s museums. Who is interested to it and wants more informations, please contact her:
Gabriela. Schroffenegger@spoe.at

The collaboration between the women’s museum of Merano and the iranian library goes on. In the next time there will be an exchange of books and newspapers.
In the meantime Mrs. Shirin Ebadi and Mrs. Mansoureh Shojaee prepare the foundation of the:

Iranian women’s museum/Museum of Iranian women

Mrs. Mansoureh Shojaee writes:

Primary plan to found “Museum of Iranian women” was inspired by similar experiences around the world, and specially the foundation of Women’s museum in Merano on june 2008. After continual meetings between Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the honorary mother of Merano museum and Mrs. Mansoureh Shojaee (Who was invited to the opening of Merano museum but could not attend the ceremony because authorities banned her from traveling abroad), the following plan was confirmed in a meeting with the presence of 7 specialists in the fields of ethnography, history, art, women studies, law and organizing documents.

The women’s museum of Merano and Astrid Schönweger in their function as responsable of the network “womeninmuseum” will go on to support the future Iranian women’s museum.