Narrative Revolution Fellowship
Creativity lies at the heart of how girls and young feminists organise and transform the world. For many, it is the direct use of art in their activism – using poetry, graphics, illustration, murals, graffiti, music, spoken word and other artistic forms of expression to agitate, protest, reimagine and show the world what is possible. Art emerges as a tool for political awakening and education, healing, resistance, hope and beyond.
THE FELLOWSHIP IS DEDICATED TO CENTERING, SUPPORTING, AND AMPLIFYING THE EXPERIENCES, WISDOM, STRATEGIES, AND DREAMS OF GIRLS AND YOUNG FEMINIST ARTISTS AND ACTIVISTS USING ART TO TRANSFORM THE WORLD.
Serving as a community-centric and creative incubator, the fellowship is a program that brings together 9 girls and young feminist artists and activists from across movements and regions to explore: What would the world look like, feel like, sound like if it supported the dreams, power, and resistance of girls and young feminists?
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Fellows will receive a $2,000 award to support their participation in the program along with strategic support for community learning and building that includes peer creative coaching, advisors, and more.
2024 Fellows
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Carolina Vozian
“If the dreams of feminist girls and young women were supported, the world would be a gentler, more peaceful place, with fewer or no wars, a place where no person would starve to death and live on the streets. Maybe it's an illusion, maybe patriarchy would still somehow manage to manifest itself in this world, but I think we would have more tools, resources and emotional education to deal with it.”
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Carolina Vozian is a writer, cultural worker, facilitator, feminist and queer activist. She facilitates creative writing workshops, organises cultural and political events, has published a debut novel and other texts in collective volumes. Together with Andy Andreea, she curates the radical speculative art platform lumiposibile.ro. She likes to sit by the waves, rivers, fir trees and willows. She was born and grew up in the Republic of Moldova and nowadays lives in Bucharest, Romania, with her cats.
Gianna Mastrolinardo
“In a world where the dreams of feminist girls and young women were supported, we would not dream of having our basic human rights respected. We would be able to go out on the streets without fear, to study, to get a job or a house without that being seen as merely a wish. Our dreams would be oriented to our personal development, to leave our mark in a collective way.”
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Gianna is a young woman with motor disabilities from Argentina, anti-ableist feminist, artist and activist. She is currently part of Orgullo Disca and of the Mesa de trabajo en discapacidad y derechos humanos de Córdoba, both organisations are positioned from intersectional feminism. She is pursuing a degree in Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the National University of Cordoba. She also writes poetry in networks under the pseudonym Pluma libre (@plumalibree). She understands her identity as political and that is why for several years she has been carrying out different actions related to disability.
Lina Bani Odeh
“My art explores the relationship between spaces and the female body, focusing on how this interaction impacts mental and emotional states and shapes personal experiences. Through reflecting on my own perspective as a female artist, I seek to express and understand these impacts, contributing to a broader feminist dialogue by highlighting the unique experiences of women.”​
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Lina is a Palestinian visual artist, she resides and practises her art in Palestine. Her journey in the realm of contemporary visual arts began with the completion of her Bachelor's degree at the International Academy of Art in Palestine. Embarking on a multifaceted career, Lina's passion for the arts led her to diverse roles within the cultural sphere. She has served as a project coordinator, office manager, and curator for esteemed cultural institutions in Palestine, including the renowned Dar Jacir for Art and Research, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, and Qalandiya International. Throughout her career, Lina has been instrumental in managing art spaces, curating exhibitions, organising workshops, and facilitating collaborative projects with Palestinian and international artists.
Mafoya
“There is beauty in dreams, but knowing that these dreams can come true gives the dreamer a sense of power, opportunities, and an incredible breath of life, putting their dreams on the path to reality. It is this feeling that I’ll enjoy working on in my art.”​
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Mafoya is a young Beninese painter. Her passion for drawing began in childhood while preparing for her primary school exam. Her parents enrolled her in calligraphy classes with Beninese illustrator Tévi Bénissan, who introduced her to drawing, sparking her lifelong interest in art. After earning a bachelor's degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from the National School of Administration of Benin, she began creating her first canvases a year before starting her master's in Human Rights and Democracy from the UNESCO Chair on Human Rights at the University of Abomey-Calavi in 2019. Mafoya's paintings feature highly lyrical abstract compositions, stemming from emotion and depicting the richness of her inner world like a colourful diary. Proud of her African identity, she portrays black women with a sense of power and creative genius, challenging centuries of patriarchy. Believing that only women can truly capture the essence of womanhood, she uses symbols and elements from nature to represent femininity. Sand, cowries, seashells, and beads blend with colours to create unique textures that awaken the viewer's senses.
Twitter: @Mafoya_Glele
Tiktok: @lapeintresse
Nu Misra
“Our resistance is not in loud voices or physical protests but in self-realisation, affirmation, and conversations with disabled queer elders and siblings. Online activism has built accessible communities of care, challenging the notion that activism is only "real" when carried out in person, a view that promotes ableism and gatekeeping….We need to imagine movements and organising beyond abled lines of discourse, beyond a verbal culture of communication and storytelling, one that incorporates the nuanced political and lived realities of existing in a non-normative body.”
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Nu holds a Master's degree in Gender Studies, is a disability justice writer, and the founder of Revival Disability India. Their work involves utilising technology to create affirming digital spaces for queer and disabled individuals online. Nu's expertise in the development sector is demonstrated through the campaign ‘Disabled Women Riot’, which aimed to analyse disability-related violence through a queer lens. This campaign connected communities via social media, made medical care and sexual well-being non-hierarchical, and organised and mobilised for innovative solutions based on interdependence. Notably, this campaign earned Nu the prestigious Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2022.
Shonel Reanah Lunkuse
“In this imagined world, young girls would no longer suffer in silence. Instead, they would be supported, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential and make meaningful contributions to their families, communities, and societies at large. It's a world where every girl's dream is nurtured and supported, laying the foundation for a more just, equitable, and prosperous future for all.”​
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Shonel is an activist, debater, poet, and student leader dedicated to gender equality and the rights of women and girls. As a Women Deliver Young Leader (Class of 2020-2023), Shonel uses speech, poetry, social media, and community engagement to advocate for youth health and education globally.Endorsed by leading advocates, Shonel is known for empowering young people to contribute meaningfully to their communities. She currently serves as the Speech Queen for St. Lawrence Schools and Colleges in Uganda, President of the Interact Club at St. Lawrence Citizens’ High School Horizon Campus, and a member of the Interact Presidents Association. Shonel is also involved with Mental Health Uganda and Teenz for Climate. As the Founder and CEO of Ushuudah, she leads efforts to develop youth talent in Uganda, driven by the belief that empowered youth can transform their communities and nations.
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Tere TJ Marcial
“We could all dream of being whatever we wanted to be. If there was support for dreams from childhood, there would be no repressed women and we would be proud of our own identity. I would really like to explore from the recognition with other women through meetings, where we can talk about the dreams they had in childhood, their current situation and the dreams that still persist, talk about their life, their way of inhabiting the world, see it and feel part of it.”​
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Tere, Tere TJ Marcial, is a rapper developing her unique language and is also a traditional musician specialising in Son Jarocho. She is a cisgender racialized woman, a lesbian, and a transfeminist activist. Her hometown is Sayula de Alemán, a Popoluca indigenous town in southern Veracruz, Mexico. In Sayula, Teresa organises a Hip Hop festival-meeting called Hip Hop Jam, now in its fourth edition. She performs in a Son Jarocho duet with rap called Las Terremoto del Sur, alongside her partner Julia Valenzuela. In this duo, Tere plays the marimbol and guacharaca, sings sones, and writes and raps about her perspective on the world and how people can relate to one another and live better. Tere is also a member of Colectiva Son Jarocho Feminista, where she engages in feminist activism through music and community practices rooted in the Son Jarocho and fandango traditions. Her work focuses on communities related to village hip hop, Son Jarocho, traditional music, and intersectional feminism.
Umadevi Ketha
“When the dreams of girls and young feminists are supported, the dream of being able to speak freely about menstruation would come true. I am hopeful. To dream is an act of exercising power, which was fully exercised when I was a kid. Exercising this power as an adult comes with many challenges, and the most accurate way to articulate these challenges comes from the context. We all know the limitations of language and how metaphors and honesty collaborate with languages to bring forward the timeless narratives, that which hold truth. And I believe such stories without losing the ray of hope, strengthen our ability to dream.”
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Umadevi is a South Indian woman who is increasingly appreciating life with each passing year. Over nearly 30 years, she has identified and embraced many pleasurable activities. In her culture, individuals are often expected to make early decisions about their life path, but this approach did not suit her. In her quest for fulfilment, Umadevi sought out what sparked her curiosity and interest. At the age of 17, she chose to study architecture. Driven by a passion for sustainable living, she apprenticed with architect Didi Contractor, who specialised in building earthen structures in Northern India. Her love for illustrations later led her to enrol in a children's book illustration course, marking the beginning of her journey into reading and writing, as well as exploring various artistic mediums. The course in children's literature pushed her to explore profound questions and seek honest answers in simple language. This love for storytelling ultimately led her to pursue the 'South Asian Diploma in Narrative Practices'. Her expertise lies in self-reflection, the politics of storytelling, and the language used in narrating stories. Being surrounded by nature and maintaining deep connections with friends and community are crucial to her well-being. Additionally, reading biographies and autobiographies serves as her sanctuary.
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Victoria Equihua
“For me dreaming is a right, dreams and illusions are political, although these systems make us believe that they are not for us, we insist and we make cracks to make it happen. To those dreams we cling, as we cling to poetry or creation to tell our stories, to say here we are and we resist, for me creation and poetry are that way in which we can echo our voices and snatch something that was always ours and not only of academies, institutions, canons or museums.”
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Victoria Equihua is Capula Michoacán Poet, feminist, theatrical, slamera and argüendera, member of the collective Calandria with whom she coordinates the league of poetry slam for girls in the city of Morelia and member of the feminist collective MAPAS with whom they carry out processes of creation and defence of rights with girls, children and adolescents from migrant agricultural day labourer families, girls and adolescents from peripheries, rural spaces and dissident rebels from the state of Michoacán. Seamstress, saleswoman and workshop leader, she believes in rebellion, community and self-management. She facilitates workshops and community theatre and poetry processes with women and children. She has received national and international awards for her written and spoken word poetry.
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