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<\/p>\nGuerrilla performance art collective Pussy Riot has gained at least as much notice for its activism as for the music it makes. Originally based in Russia, the feminist protest group got its start railing against the human rights violations and excesses of Vladimir Putin\u2019s regime, as well as the actions of the often-colluding Russian Orthodox Church. Relentlessly harassed, detained and imprisoned, members of the provocative group were eventually driven underground.<\/p>\n
While membership in Pussy Riot has always fluid \u2013 participants often perform with their faces hidden inside balaclavas \u2013 three key figures in the collective were identified in 2012. Maria \u201cMasha\u201d Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were all convicted of \u201chooliganism.\u201d While the original members have each since gone their own way, today Masha Alyokhina tours with her own show, Pussy Riot: Riot Days, a spoken-word and music event that recounts the collective\u2019s history and the issues that inform its work.<\/p>\n
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The action that brought worldwide attention to Pussy Riot was that 2012 protest, \u201cPunk Prayer.\u201d Setting up in the sanctuary of Moscow\u2019s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Pussy Riot staged a performance until they were shut down by church officials. A video of the event made its goals explicit; titled \u201cPunk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!\u201d Three members of the group were tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. Human rights groups around the globe protested, but to no avail: Putin merely responded that the three \u201cgot what they asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n
After her release, Alyokhina continued her activism. For her trouble, she was physically attacked, and she would be detained and imprisoned on several other occasions. \u201cFrom abroad, I think it’s hard [for non-Russians] to imagine the level of censorship which exists in Russia,\u201d she says. But even under those conditions, she and her associates managed to stage \u201cPunk Prayer\u201d in Moscow in 2019. \u201cThat was an independent, very small and underground festival against domestic violence,\u201d she explains. She has fond memories of that performance. \u201cI remember this moment like it was now, and so many people were, with their hearts, supporting us,\u201d Alyokhina says.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEven during my house arrest, I had a radio and heard about the war,\u201d Alyokhina says. Even with all she knew about the Putin government, she says she was shocked when she learned of Russian troops murdering hundreds of civilians in the Bucha region near Kyiv, Ukraine. \u201cI decided that I needed to use my voice to stand with Ukraine,\u201d Alyokhina says.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In 2022, under house arrest and learning that she was to be sent to a penal colony, Alyokhina fled Russia. Disguising herself by wearing a food delivery uniform, with help from friends she escaped over the border. That endeavor was made more difficult because officials had seized her passport and other personal documents. Once safely out of Russia, Masha Alyokhina vowed to continue publicizing the misdeeds of Vladimir Putin and his regime, especially against the backdrop of the country\u2019s merciless invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n In May 2023, Alyokhina was granted Icelandic citizenship. But the Russian exile maintains a love for her home country, and a wish to someday return. \u201cI know it sounds crazy and naive,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut the country that was protesting all these years does exist. And I\u2019m part of this country; I hope that our voice somehow will be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pussy Riot: Riot Days show is achieving that goal, if outside of Russia. Riot Days is not a regular concert, Alyokhina emphasizes. \u201cIt\u2019s not only songs; we are sharing the story of \u2018Punk Prayer\u2019 and the experience of what I [underwent] during my first imprisonment.\u201d She says that anyone coming to the show can expect three things: \u201cThey can listen to a story to know more about Russian prisons,\u201d she says. \u201cThey can hear very loud songs, and they can have fun; they can definitely expect a riot.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what she\u2019d like audience members to take away from the experience, Alyokhina has a ready answer, the kind one would expect of a brave activist. \u201cI want people to do their own actions and riots,\u201d she says. \u201cEach big action was a small one from its beginning. And this is the main goal of Riot Days: we want people to feel and understand that each story is important, and that they can change the world with their small actions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Guerrilla performance art collective Pussy Riot has gained at least as much notice for its activism as for the music it makes. Originally based in Russia, the feminist protest group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,59,71],"tags":[5276],"class_list":["post-26412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-punk","category-spoken-word","tag-pussy-riot","cat-41-id","cat-59-id","cat-71-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26414,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26412\/revisions\/26414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}