A Success Despite The Weather: The Vagina Monologues Came Again!

By Laura FANNING

Even bad weather couldn't keep y

enthusiastic fans away from the Vagina Monologues. The show was a huge suc- cess, with the Thursday and Friday night shows filling to approximately eighty-five percent and the Saturday night show sell- ing out.

For five bucks, people enjoyed the personal, the political, and the some- times down-right raunchy monologues pre- sented by the zealous cast. There were monologues on "hair," on "the flood," and on more serious topics such as the social stigmas surrounding sex and sexuality. The all female cast maintained an energy level that was astounding, and left the audience exhausted, yet satisfied.

For five bucks, people enjoy the personal, the political, a — the sometimes i “| _ raunchy monolog

One particular monologue designed to get the audience involved was called "Reclaiming the Word Cunt." Although the audience was shy about screaming the word at the top of their lungs, and one woman even yelled out "NO!" when Trish Daley asked her to "say it," the point of the exercise was well received. To support this point, included in the program was an explanation of the word. Since most people probably didn't read it the night of the show (including myself), I will reiterate the origin of the word cunt as it was presented in the pro- gram.

"*Cuneiform' the most ancient form of writing. Derives from ‘kunta' meaning ‘female geni- talia' in Sumerian of ancient Iraq. ‘Kunta' is ‘woman! in several Near Eastern and African languages and a

priestesses were known to be accountants/ administrators of the Temple of Inanna in Sumeria c3100BC when cuneiform was first used. It is highly likely that cuneiform was ‘the sign of the kunta' who kept the books (clay tablets) for the temple economy/redistribution of wealth that evolved from communal economies of ancient mother-cultures. So when an abus- er calls a woman a ‘cunt' he is actually calling her a ‘queen' who invented writing and numerals." -From STONE AGE DIVAS, by Gloria Bertonis, M. Ed. Now that you know the real meaning of the word maybe you wont be so squeamish about saying it.

Behind the humour and general entertainment factor of the Vagina Monologues is a specific purpose. These monologues were compiled by Eve Ensler in response to the ongoing abuse of women around the world. They are the stories of real women with real experi- ences, and through the Vagina Monologues these women are given a powerful, unified voice. The Vagina Monologues are stories of joy and heart-break, of triumph and tragedy; because of these qualities they are included in the V-Day campaign to end sexual violence against women. The V- Day campaign proclaims "Valentines Day as the day to celebrate women and demand the end of abuse."

The Vagina Monologues was sponsored by the UPEI Women's Centre and was organized and performed entirely by volunteers. The proceeds from this years show will be donated to the Grandmother’s House, the Native Council of PEI shelter for women and children. If you missed the show this year... don't worry because it will come again next year!

Mother Tongue that is being compiled Vv pe fy by linguists today. It was.also spelled

‘quna' which is the root of ‘queen.' Since UNTIL THE VIOLENCE

‘page 6

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