Since 1992, the anarcho-feminist activist María Galindo has headed the Bolivian collective Mujeres Creando, whose mission is to take the artistic expressions of other women members to the streets of Bolivia. She is a psychologist, radio presenter, author and former TV presenter, but is mainly known for her effervescent and political performances.
Braga 25 (B25) – You will be programmed in Desire, as an artist, performer and also as a speaker. How can we relate Desire to the concept of revolution?
María Galindo (MG) – I’ll leave that for my talk, but the title is a perfect summary of this relationship: revolution rhymes with illusion.
B25 – We know that anything can and will happen at your conferences/performances… But what can we expect from your talk at Desire?
MG – We could say that we’ll be giving a lecture on the revolution, but the tone, content and movements will transform what is meant to be a lecture into an act of pamphleteering political agitation. Its outcome will perhaps be an oration and its climax a performance. We will explore the revolution as a concept, in order to go beyond the concept and enter the revolution as an illusion and, with the help of illusions, awaken it and transform it into desire.
B25 – Your feature film ‘Revolución Puta’ will be screened during the festival. How did this project come about?
MG – It was a necessity in the struggle of sex workers in their relationship with the state. We got tired of a repetitive relationship that was wearing us down and decided to establish a relationship with society through a film. That’s how the project was born – out of the frustrating and repetitive relationship with the state.
B25 – What has been the impact on those who have seen the documentary?
MG – The impact in Bolivia was great. We could say it was a cultural phenomenon. We premiered it all over the country, filling cinemas and theatres that are normally empty. We raised a lot of money for our fellow activists, generated a lot of debate and effectively ended police repression against sex workers.
B25 – The question that couldn’t be missed: what do you want?
MG – My wishes are very simple – I enjoy life. I wish for love, time to rest, which is what I need most. I wish for a good book to read. I wish for time to think and write. We’ll talk about my forbidden wishes at the conference.
The full programme for Desire – Movement of Arts and Common Places can be found here.