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cunterview.net is an inclusive project by Civil Society Organization named Expanse of Gender and Media Culture ' Common Zone', based in Zagreb, Croatia. We are giving our contribution on bridging ICT gender gap through
a) education based on skill exchange
b) technical, artistic and multimedia workshops
c) having women-made media space.
With online database of women artists and news portal
(which are on cunterview.net incorporated one in another) we tend to
raise visibility of women artists and participate with dynamic and
diverse voice in the media map of Croatia.
We see citizen journalism (especially one done by women) as an important contribution to the improvement of freedom and diversity of expression.
English version of cunterview.net is in making.
For any feedback, suggestions or proposals
please contact us by e-mail:
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Clarification of the
project title
We have noticed that
this name often invokes strange reactions in people (in Croatia:). The name
“Cunterview” has several meanings and interpretations. By using
the word “cunt” which is an eyebrow-raiser for many and also
frowned upon, we are trying to reclaim it, or in other words, start
using it in contexts different from those in which this word is
usually used. (Inga Muscio has written a whole book on the subject –
it is titled Cunt: A Declaration of Independence.) Furthermore,
the word “Cunterview” is pronounced very similar to
“counterview”, which implies a different/opposed/female
perspective on things.
Specific
objectives of the cunterview.net:
- creating a (multi)media
space for women, based on women’s professional and citizen journalism
-
creating and
developing the Croatian women artists’ database
-
announcements and
coverage of the women artists’ related events (exhibitions, book
releases, plays, movies, achievements in different fields of design,
and so on)
-
skill-exchange
based media workshops for women
-
online workshops
which will precede the actual ones (the intention is for the
theoretical knowledge to be acquired from home to save time and thus make the live sessions more
productive)
- organization and
promotion of the women artists’ exhibitions and performances
Helpful guidances
The project was
launched in April of 2006, but with current design, constantly updated and running from November 2006. As is usually the case, there were certain
problems concerning the realization of the project and motivating
people to get involved with it, but there were several things that we
insisted upon that greatly contributed to successful realization of
the whole idea. Those are:
- the use of information
technology and open software
-
connecting the
cultural sphere with the activist work
-
narrowing the focus
of the project (to be able to explain what it is about in just a few
sentences)
-
identifying the true
needs of a specific target group
-
enabling target
groups to get involved in the project development
-
coming up with
at least ideas, if not solutions for the project sustainability
 Expanse of Gender and Media Culture 'Common Zone': this is the full name of the CSO behind this project. It was founded in
Zagreb in November of 2005. The current co-presidents of the
association are Gabrijela Ivanov and Dalija Pintarić, and the
cunterview.net project was idea designed and given its name by
Gabrijela Ivanov. K-zona is not defined nor registered as an
exclusively women’s organization, but its members (around 15 of
them) and contributing friends (around 20) are very sensitive to
gender issues.
The main objectives of Common Zone
are the promotion of the use of information technology and the
creation of gender sensitive cooperation based models of society instead of power-and-ownership based ones.
Croatian Gender
Equality Office has also recognized the potential of this project.
Its generous donation of 40 000 kunas (around 8000USD) over
the period of eight months (from July 2006 to February 2007) has been
of great help in the realization of the project.
We believe that
open-mindedness, inclusiveness, educational potential, the use of new
technologies, and the fact that this media space is in the largest
part created by women, are what will draw a large number of
associates and contributors to the cunterview.net. And there is also
the fact that nothing similar to the cunterview.net exists in
Croatia.
Cunterview.net is and will
always be flexible and open to co-operation with women’s (artistic)
initiatives and they are welcome to contact us if they need our help
with setting up their websites, and we are also willing to help out
in any other way that we can.
...and the closing words:
If you wish to see
some changes, start making them yourself, or more nicely put: Be the change you want to see in the world.
At first, maybe only a
couple of your friends and colleagues will join in, but then the
network will start spreading out in an unpredictable but positive
way. Cunterview.net believes in the importance of the little
initiatives and their grassroots bottom up change.
The extent of the change is perhaps not as important as the
self-confidence that people develop through finding out that there is
something that they can do to make changes for the better, because
the apathy, submissiveness, and passive reactions that we are faced
with on daily basis can be (to put it mildly) a real downer:)
www.cunterview.net
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