Lecture Performance & Salon at Kampnagel Sommerfestival Hamburg
21.10.2023
Secret Agency and the Women of the Seven Seas are invited by SPILL Festival to take over the Barge Victor, renamed Victoria for the occasion, and search for the Shefarers of Ipswich.
17.09.2023
secret agency were travelling on board of Arka Kinari along the Molukka Islands (Indonesia) to celebrate and hand over the network "Women of the Seven Seas" to Nova Ruth (Arka Kinari). Crossing the Equator (N/S 0°00.000´- E127°28.820`) we put the flags out greating all women of the seven seas while offering rice, flowers, knowledge and beauty to the floating water.
06.07.2023
Puan Samudra (The Ocean's Women Guardians)
The word "samudra" (ocean) comes from a woman called Lopamudra, the wife of an Indian sage named Rsi Agastya. On a Balinese lontar scroll, it is said that Rsi Agastya took Lopamudra to Jawadwipa to parlay with the sea-God Baruna. After that, her name was no longer mentioned in the lore of Rsi Agastya's travels in the archipelago.
A similar pause in history also happened to real-life figures such as the Admiral Malahayati, a female admiral and freedom fighter who are barely celebrated in mainstream Indonesian life. Her stories stopped echoing in history, and no more stories are heard of women accessing the seas.
For the past few years in Indonesia, women have been engaging more and more with the sea. But this is still far from being the norm -- either due to lackluster seafaring infrastructures, difficult access to sailing, or non-negotiable cultural rules. Meanwhile, the seas are decaying and need new ideas and new hands to care for it, too.
Nova Ruth, as co-founder of the female sailor's network The Women of the Seven Seas, calls for other women of the sea to discuss why it's important to open the door for women to sail in our archipelago's waters.
Speakers:
- Nova Ruth (Arka Kinari)
- Maryam Rodja (Ayo Berlayar Foundation)
- Nadea Nabilla Putri (Azura Indonesia)
- Representative from Kodingareng Women Activists
- Representative from Talo' Women Activists
- geheimagentur
Also happening:
- Movie Screening & Talk 'The Silent Blues of The Ocean' by Andi F. Azzahra
- Opening Performance by Arief Daeng Rate (Traditional Oral Story Telling Sinriling)
- Closing Performance by Nova Ruth
Connect the ports by cloud:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89013977787?pwd=emM3TXk2NVB5enN5Mmg4WFpKQUoyQT09
Meeting ID: 890 1397 7787
Passcode: 392150Conference Schedule:
19.30 GMT+8
01.05.2023
CALL FOR THE SHEFARERS OF IPSWICH
Today, women are sailing the seas in greater numbers than ever before. As shefarers, activists, artists and researchers. Is that going to make a difference?
To find out, secret agency founded another not entirely real organisation: The Women of the Seven Seas. Women of the Seven Seas is a global group of female artists, researchers, activists and seafarers working with, at and around the sea and on questions of maritime life: the Female Seafarers‘ association of Nigeria, the artist Nova Ruth on board of the Arka Kinari in indonesian waters, Constance Hockaday, who learned from the Floating Neutrinos, the pioneer collective, that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a raft built from trash, the philosopher Francoise Vergès – to name a few. The women of the seven seas created meaningful connections between artists and maritime professionals, between women from the global north and the global south.
Being invited to SPILL Festival we are excited to come to a historically so important port city, that is located next to the biggest port of the UK today, as well as Harwich, as one of the main seaside entry points into the UK. So, what we are now looking for the Shefarers of Ipswich and surroundings: Women and non binary people working in the ports, in maritime industries, but also women and non binary people who are working with the sea artistically or doing maritime research. Also, women who have recently travelled the seas as migrants, coming here from other parts of the world. Please get in touch!
17.08.2022
August 17,18 & 19, 7 pm, Kampnagel Sommerfestival Hamburg
In this lecture performance about the Women of the Seven Seas geheimagentur / secret agency does not only tell the story of how the Women of the Seven Seas group has been initiated and what has happened so far. They also present a live animated vision of a future, when cruise ships will go under, sea levels will rise and transgender hippies on rafts of trash will unite with the female seafarers‘ association of Nigeria to come for the rescue.
concept/text/performance/set – geheimagentur / secret agency, soundtrack – Lil Twills, with the voices of: Koni Duniya (Female Seafarers Association of Nigeria), Nova Ruth, Francoise Vergès, Maria Ines Plaza Lazo, Jim Ismael Anton, Heike Roms und Lil Twills.
On August 17th at 8.30 pm there will be a Salon presenting Koni Duniya and Edisenimi Evelyn Youdeowei from the FESAN, there will be drinks and conversations while Shefarer Nova Ruth plays a live concert from aboard her boat project Arka Kinari in the Indian Ocean.
01.08.2022
RESIDENCIES IN HAMBURG PORT
In summer 2022 Koni Duniya and Edisenimi Evelyn Youdeowei, founders and members of the Female Seafarers Association of Nigeria, the FESAN, come to Hamburg for a three week residency. Their focus is to do networking with Hamburg based shipping companies and maritime organisations, ultimately to find job position for hundreds of well qualified, yet unemployed of the FESAN. FESAN and secret agency visit HAPAG LLOYD and other major maritime players as well as NGOs active in sea rescue. They also connect with organisations representing seafarers, male and female. At the same time the artist and activist Mary Mattingly comes to Hamburg for a residency to do research about climate change related maritime matters. Residents, secret agency and the interested public meet at PARKS in Hamburg Hammerbrook and host a Shefarers' Salon at international summerfestival Kampnagel.
15.04.2022
Women of the Seven Seas is a global group of female artists, researchers, activists and seafarers working with, at and around the sea. The group has been initiated by geheimagentur and has one question in common: Will the growing number of women working at sea make a difference? Maritime patriarchy is no joke. It is a history of war, colonialism and exploitation of people and natural resources. Is there - finally - a feminist movement about to appear at sea to unite against all that? The answer is: not yet. But maybe soon.
in this lecture performance geheimagentur/secret agency will not just give a report of what happened so far, but will present a treatment for a blockbuster Hollywood movie about what might happen in the future, when cruise ships will go under, sea levels will rise and transgender hippies on rafts of trash will unite with the female seafarers‘ association of Nigeria to come for the rescue.
concept/text/performance/set – geheimagentur / secret agency
soundtrack – Lil Twills
with the voices of: Koni Duniya (Female Seafarers Association of Nigeria), Nova Ruth, Francoise Vergès, Maria Ines Plaza Lazo, Jim Ismael Anton, Heike Roms und Lil Twills.
At Teatre Lliure, Barcelona, April 15th, 6.30 pm
more info/tickets here.
Gefördert vom Fonds Darstellende Künste aus Mitteln der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Rahmen von NEUSTART KULTUR.
15.01.2022
### CALL ### CALL ### CALL ###
TO THE WOMEN* OF THE SEVEN SEAS
What: 3 Weeks Residency
Where: Hamburg Port
When: Summer 2022
The Women* of the Seven Seas Network aims to connect women from all aspects of maritime life. Our goal is to make the history, present and future of women* working on and with the seas more visible. Today, women are sailing the seas in greater numbers than ever before – as part of the service crews on cruise ships, or as captains rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean. Women* are chief officers, or managers in ports. They are activists fighting for equal rights and artists exploring hydrarchy as an alternative way of living, they are trying to reclaim ports as public spaces or are fighting for endangered maritime eco-systems. They now have their own stories to tell: stories of escapes, stories of alternative ways of living, stories of a different, liquid, order of things, stories about the fight for equal rights. Could all these stories come together in a hydrarchical feminist movement? Will the growing number of women* working at sea and on questions of maritime life make a difference? Is there a feminism of the seas? Can we build on the solidarity of women and non-binary people at sea to address maritime problems in a different way?
The residency program is hosted by geheimagentur and allows 3-6 Women* of the Seven Seas to come to Hamburg in August 22 for a time of exchange and explorations in one of Europe’s biggest ports. The residencies will be individually planned and will include talks and presentations, as well as time for a specific exploration of the port according to your interests.
This is an open invitation to all Women of the Seven Seas: Please apply for the residency program in Hamburg Port.
You are not yet a member of the Women of the Seven Seas, but interested in the residency? Please apply for membership first! Send us an email and tell us about yourself and your connection to the sea. If you are a researcher, a crew member, an artist, an activist, a shefaring woman of any kind: please apply. If you feel your perspective on a feminism of the seven seas should be seen, heard, witnessed: please apply
Please send your application, including your name(s), your collective’s name (if applicable), your contact and a short description of the purpose of your residency to:
contact@womenofthesevenseas.net
Please send your application until 15th January 2022.
Services for You and Your Collective:
Travel Expenses
Accommodation in Hamburg City for Duration of Stay
Help with Visa Procedure (Letter of Invitation, Communication with Authorities, etc)
Workspace
Assistance in Hamburg City
Access to Network
If desired: Performance/Presentation Space
22.08.2021
First Shefarers' Parade of Hamburg
Today, women are sailing the seven seas in greater numbers than ever before. As shefarers, activists, artists and researchers, they are exploring hydrarchy as an alternative way of living, trying to reclaim ports as public spaces, they fight for decolonisation, sea rescue, fair trade and endangered maritime eco-systems.The patriarchal history of the seas is characterised by war, colonialism and exploitation. Hamburg Port is a part of this patriarchal tradition, and up until today Hamburg Port Authority, Eurogate and Hapag Lloyd remain predominantly male organizations. Only very slowly, maritime gender relations start to shift: Is there an alternative, feminist take on the sea and the port?
The first Shefarers‘ Parade of Hamburg wants to send out a signal: Prepare the flare guns and the synchronised swimmers brigade! With a parade of ships, boats and rafts we will sail from the Bille to the city and back. Along the way, we will stop for action, music and a rubber boat ballet. In the Hafencity, we will open a feminist ship welcoming station and at the end we will hijack the Peking for a female captains‘ dinner. Or something like this. Wanna sail with us? Send us a message! contact@womenofthesevenseas.net
Together we want to make the presence of women* at sea and in the port visible, we want to fight discrimination, and we want to respond - as shefarers – to maritime questions in local and international contexts. Women*, non-binary people and collectives with female* majorities are invited to join - with or without their own boat, ship or raft.
The first Shefareres‘ Parade Hamburg is initiated by geheimagentur collective. In projects like the Alternative Cruise Ship Terminal AKT (2015), PORTS (2016), Access Points and FREE PORT Baakenhöft (2017), geheimagentur has campaigned for a Right to the Sea & the Port.
More information: geheimagentur.net
documentary by Cylix: https://vimeo.com/64164154508.08.2021
8. August, 14.00 – 18.30 CEST
This symposium brings together women from different aspects of maritime life. It marks the launch of womenofthesevenseas.net, this online-platform which aims to connect female artists, researchers and professionals from around the world working on and with the water.
Today, women are sailing the seas in greater numbers than ever before. As shefarers, activists, artists and researchers, they are exploring hydrarchy as an alternative way of living, trying to reclaim ports as public spaces, they fight for decolonisation, sea rescue, fair trade and endangered maritime eco-systems.
This is new. While women have fought with considerable success for gender equality on land, the maritime world seems far behind. The history of the seas is almost exclusively a history of men. And it‘s characterised by war, colonialism and exploitation. Change is needed. Women of the Seven Seas want to support this change. Together we want to make the presence of women* at sea more visible and respond to maritime questions in local and international contexts.
The symposium will be held in English and is open to everyone, free of charge.
Program:
2 pm - introduction by geheimagentur
2.30 pm – contribution by Françoise Vergès
3 pm - interview with Female Seafarers' Association of Nigeria (FESAN)
3.30 pm - conversation Françoise Vergès / FESAN / geheimagentur
4 pm - break
4.30 pm - contribution by Giuditta Vendrame
5 pm - contribution by Constance Hockaday
5.30 pm - contribution by Nova Ruth
followed by conversation Giuditta Vendrame / Constance Hockaday / Nova Ruth /geheimagentur
Meeting-ID: 814 5946 9114
Kenncode: 85q%YytzXT
24.03.2021
Our first Women of the Seven Seas meeting! Spanning the planet from 10 am in the morning till 1 am in the night. We were so excited to start the conversations around a feminism of the seas! Looking forward to more meetings!
