Can you say the ‘V’ word?

Several thousands of dollars in donations have been collected by the non-profit group Off The Beaten Path in time for the upcoming The Vagina Monologues production, scheduled for March 24 and 25 at American Memorial Park.

The goal of this performance, and the larger movement called V-Day, is to raise awareness about violence toward women and girls and to ultimately put a stop to these acts of violence. To this end, the bulk of funds raised by this campaign will be donated to local welfare organization Karidat’s “Guma’ Esperansa” (House of Hope).

The Vagina Monologues was written by Eve Ensler. She conducted hundreds of interviews with women around the world in which she encouraged each woman to talk about her own femininity and life experiences. As a stylized record of contemporary oral histories, the Monologues may be an unabridged glimpse of what it means to be female in this era. Some monologue themes include: experiencing one’s first menstruation, the sex trade, self-discovery, the loss of innocence, and childbirth. They are memorable because they implore the community to re-examine attitudes toward women’s issues.

V-DAY Marianas fundraising chair Laura Williams has been working with her committee to solicit donations in support of the Vagina Monologues.

At a recent performance rehearsal, she said: “Many powerful and influential people in the CNMI have expressed support for our cause of raising awareness about violence toward women. Many of these people said they could relate to domestic abuse issues, having experienced them on a personal level, and I think may people in the CNMI can relate as well.”

She went on to say, however, that some would not commit their corporate name to the cause simply because the word “vagina” appears in the project’s title. Laughing thoughtfully, Laura added, “Vagina—the more you say it, the less taboo it sounds! It’s actually a very politically-correct word, when you think about it, but we should also be aware that, as a gender-defining part the female body, the vagina is wrought with cultural taboos.”

She questioned the decisions of some corporations that sponsor dubious events like cockfighting and gambling, yet refuse to lend support to The Vagina Monologues’ effort to raise awareness and funds for a beneficiary as worthy as Guma’ Esperansa. This is because, she says, they can’t get past “vagina.”

Last week, Guma’ Esperansa manager Lauri Ogumoro wrote a letter to local newspapers in support of The Vagina Monologues production. Ogumoro had this to say about the controversial title: “No matter how crude the name seemingly is, the message and mission of The Vagina Monologues is clear—‘Stop violence against women and girls.’ I find it hard to believe that anyone could be against ending violence in all its forms.”

After all is said and done, V-Day Marianas organizers hope to see the local community talking about violence toward women and girls in an honest and compassionate manner, and also taking action to stop this violence. Fear of talking about “vaginas” and women’s issues are some taboos among many that the V-Day campaign aims to change through international public awareness campaigns. Agreeing with Laura’s statements, V-Day chair Fran Castro ended the interview by quoting from the monologues: “Can you say it? V-a-g-i-n-a.”

Recognizing the trend of corporate hesitation at this project’s title, Laura wishes to encourage individuals to join the list of donors for social change by contacting her via e-mail at: gawawilliams@yahoo.com.

Despite its controversial name—or perhaps because of it—local people who are committed to social service have embraced The Vagina Monologues campaign. The continued success of this effort is manifested in the fact that the V-Day (www.vday.org) has become a social movement in its own right, with volunteer activists around the world educating millions of people about the issue of violence against women and girls. In 2005, the movement raised nearly $4 million and benefited over 1000 anti-violence groups.

It would be impossible to conclude more eloquently than Ogumoro’s statements at the close of her letter: “I am proud that the Off the Beaten Path group has chosen Guma’ Esperansa as one of the beneficiaries of their production. I encourage men and women in our community to be open-minded. If we can stop the violence against just one individual, whether male or female, then we have truly made a difference.” (PR)