Perez Gutierrez, Richard (Extra Credit - Armed Manifesto)

    Attending the Armed Manifesto was a very unique experience. When I first registered for the event I did not know what I was going to expect. All I saw was the thumbnail of women in face masks holding knives. When the webinar began, it first led with a performance. It then led into a presentation on the organizers behind the event and then a questions and answers to wrap up the event. One additional thing I thought was interesting was that the entire event was in Spanish with English interpreters for those who do not understand Spanish. It is very rare to find webinars and art shows that are intended for Spanish speakers and Latinx people. Usually events have to accommodate Spanish speakers but here it was the other way around. This spoke with the theme of Chicanx, women, feminism, and Latinx solidarity throughout the event. 

During the performance, all four women had different roles and messages they wanted to portray. They all had different types of knives and were cutting various things. One of the messages that stood out to me was when one of the women said, “What matters is the will to cut. Because when I cut I move”. One of the women then begins to chop a banana with a large butcher's knife. I felt like the banana was a metaphor for a penis. They all wrap up the performance with whatever objects they cut up into pieces. The webinar ends with a discussion panel on the organizations. It was very interesting learning about this organization La Revuelta and the spaces they are creating for women. An interesting topic that came up was when an audience member asked how the organization goes about with nonbinary members, queer, and transgender individuals. They said that they do not have to many members who are not cis-gender women, but they are always open to learning and accepting of many identities. This was a very interesting and unique panel and performance that was very educational and helped broaden my knowledge on central and Latin American activism.