JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

A recent debate on Twitter highlighted inclusivity in the feminist movement by discussing fundraising, participation and privileges.

The debate started with the question of whether a recent event — the Feminist Festival (FemFest) in Jakarta, organized by Perkumpulan Lintas Feminis Jakarta — could be inclusive despite charging admission fees. While it is unfair to assume or expect that the organizers could and should fund the event themselves, the organizers and their supporters shouldn’t dismiss ways to raise funds before the event to make it more widely accessible.

The decision to charge for admission may reflect the fact that the organizers, like many of us in the feminist movement, have day jobs and many other responsibilities and are already so overwhelmed — that it is extremely difficult to balance our mental health with the organization’s sustainability and idealism.

But if inclusivity is indeed a priority, the organizers must find ways to fund their events so that they become accessible to as many people as possible. Fundraising shouldn’t be something undertaken on top of event-organizing; it should be part of the strategic plan for holding the event in the first place.

The event’s budget and fundraising goals must meet all associated costs, including venue, vendors, transportation, accessibility (including translators and facilities for the disabled), contingency plans and organizers’ fees.

This way, we can compensate for our own work and make our events more accessible, if not entirely inclusive.

Providing contingencies can make more vulnerable individuals feel more comfortable about participating — for example, in relevant events provide psychological first-aid officers, or cars to transport the most vulnerable participants, such as individuals of sexual/gender minorities, to a safe location in case of attacks from hard-line groups.

In August 2018, my organization, InterSastra, held the event “House of the Unsilenced”, comprising an art exhibition, discussions, writing workshops and performances to speak up about gender justice, which ran for six weeks, entirely free of charge to the public. This, however, was accomplished after more than a year of fundraising: writing, revising and resubmitting proposals. Not everyone has the luxury of time and access to donors, although access can be built over time. In addition, donor funding and business sponsorship raise the question of the organization’s independence and legitimacy.

Every organization must ensure they accept funding that is in line with their vision and priorities, and that they can carry out their mission with integrity and without fear of losing funding. That is why building a strong support base as well as a diversification of donors and income aside from donors is crucial.

Other fundraising ways include crowdfunding, concerts or markets. Holding such events take hard work, time, and energy — but fundraising is a necessary part of strategy if we truly want our event to be as inclusive as possible.

Access and inclusivity are one side of the debate, the other is the roles of marginalized people and communities within the movement. FemFest’s critics claimed that it was not enough to invite representatives of more marginalized groups, such as female workers, and that it was bad practice to position them as “human libraries” to teach middle-class Jakarta women about their struggles.

The critics also pointed out that there were other settings that would allow for an exchange of stories and knowledge where the participants were in more equal positions — such as talking over coffee. I have learned more at workshops where factory or domestic workers sit, talk and create together with students and middle-class professionals than at events where middle-class people are asked to feel pity and donate for the poor.

The former settings break barriers between the groups, while the latter separates people into “superior” givers and “inferior” recipients.

While I see the value in connecting upper- and middle-class feminists to the struggles of less privileged groups, we must take care that we don’t position the more privileged ones as charity givers or, worse, “saviors” — because if they think that’s their role to play, it solidifies rather than breaks down the power structure that is keeping the less privileged groups marginalized.

Nevertheless, economic standing and class are not the only causes of marginalization. I wouldn’t deny the opportunity for any survivors of sexual abuse, including those categorized as upper class, to develop their voice and be listened to — as long as their expressions don’t overshadow or silence other less privileged survivors. To forge connections that transcend our differences and enable us to raise up one another is my ideal.

As we check our own privilege, let us not forget that in the larger society, feminist activists — even the middle-class ones — are not on the top of the privilege pyramid. Some groups or celebrities get more attention than others, but feminism itself as a movement is not mainstream.

We must push and demand the government and big institutions to do more to ensure inclusivity. Ask them what they are doing to lift grassroots organizations and communities. They are the ones with the financial means to provide education and opportunities that are accessible to all, to create and support initiatives for a more just society.

Finally, let’s appreciate the hard work of all those in the feminist movement, who have raised so much awareness about gender inequality, supported one another through abuse and discrimination, and much more. We all have a lot to learn from each other.

Let us question our assumptions before criticizing others, and let us respond to criticism with reflection. Let us help one another to overcome limitations and achieve true intersectionality.

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Novelist, founding director of InterSastra and one of the International Arts Leaders 2019 of the Australia Council for the Arts.

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