It was so great to meet COSWAS in Taipei after first meeting them in Mama Cash in 2007 on their way to support sex workers in Sweden. We have always been actively following the media created from COSWAS, including their beautiful documentary, Our Life Saving Vinegar – which explores former sex workers producing and bottling “life saving” vinegar to support their own lives. On my visit to their office and center in an old red light district of Taipei, I luckily had a taste of this vinegar myself, very tasty and good for women organs!

COSWAS is busy advocating for current and former sex workers. In addition, they work with alliances of many other organizations that support marginalized communities in Taiwan. They are active with making media and documentaries, also giving workshops and offering cameras to their participants.

The building across the street from the center is an amazing, and thanks to them a historical monument. It is an old brothel from the 30’s or 40’s. The rooms are kept in tact as a sort of visitor’s center. It is also a monument and homage to a sex worker activist who championed for sex worker rights.

Thank you to Zi Teng in Hong Kong for the personal and friendly invitation to visit their space to check out the work and advocacy they are doing for women in Asia.

Zi Teng provides support for local and migrant sex workers in Hong Kong – offering health, social, cultural and legal services. Since reading about them at Mama Cash in 2006, this grass-roots women’s organization has always inspired VOW Media with their work. In 2006, they collaborated with San Francisco Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival and with COSWAS to produce the 1st Hong Kong Sex Worker’s Film Festival. Besides producing monthly newsletters raising awareness, they are busy with on the ground outreach and providing advocacy for women detained by the police.

We are happy to be included in their September 2011 newsletter, and to see our poster hanging in their office!

click to view full size

Amsterdam Oost presents BajesDoc, Reclaim the Screens, 8-11 December 2011. Bajesdoc is a free alternative documentary film festival in Bajesdorp and other autonomous locations in Amsterdam Oost, Joe’s Garage and de Valreep. With dozens of inspiring documentaries related to environment, politics, human-rights, and various social struggles here and over the world, discussions/debates with some of the movie makers will sometimes follow the screenings…Bajesdoc is made possible by a group of international volunteers engaged in alternative neighbourhood initiatives. Documentaries will be screened with english subtitles. Discussions will follow. We’ll provide you drinks and food.
Bajesdoc at Joe’s Garage, friday december 9th:

19:00 Voku
20:00 Red Forest Hotel (Mika Koskinen, Finland, 2011, 87′, english subs.)
21:30 Behind the Mask (Shannon Keith, US, 2006, 72′)

VOW RADIO @ Red Light Radio 11-21-2011 by Red Light Radio

Workshops en werkconferentie Nieuwe Makers
Garage Notweg, 4 november van 10 – 17 uur
In de werkconferentie Nieuwe Makers gaan we samen met ambachtelijke makers, cultuurmakers, beleidsmakers en mensen uit het onderwijs dieper in op de eigentijdse ontwikkelingen van nijverheid in hun lokale context.
In workshops over lokaal geld, hypercrafts, figure running en in het Design cafe Foodscape Garage Notweg werken betrokkenen bij de thema’s van deze workshops aan nieuwe concepten.

Deelname aan Nieuwe Makers is op uitnodiging. Heeft u belangstelling voor het thema van de conferentie en/of workshops en wilt u deelnemen, stuur dan een bericht aan diana@makersenco.nl.

Met oa Urbaniahoeve, Waag Society, Christian Nold, Jaromil Rojo, STEIM, MakeMe, Voices of Women Media, Bas van Beek en Henriette Waal.

http://www.creatieve-innovatie.nl/page/1932/nl

In 2010, VOW Media worked with 9 amazing women from Samen Sterk, the client council of BlinN, currently known as Fair Work.
This is a video they created highlighting their collective experience and the evolution and empowerment process they all went through.
More information here

Thursday, October 20, 2011
Joe’s Garage
Pretoriusstraat 43, 1092 EZ Amsterdam

VOW Media Benefit – Voku, plus info and short-films “A Day In Her Life”.
From 19pm, no reservation, donations welcome.

For more information:
http://www.joesgarage.nl/archives/813

Click here to apply now!