Partner of the 2020 Festival  | Guest contribution by the GIZ

The ökoRAUSCH Festival 2020 is supported by many great cooperation partners. We would like to give them the opportunity to present themselves and their current projects.

NachhaltICH* – What gender equality has to do with sustainability and how you can contribute to the cause

Goal 5 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has set a clear goal: Gender equality should be achieved by 2030. But what does gender equality have to do with sustainability, and hasn’t this already been achieved in Germany? After all, men and women have the same rights. March 8 is International Women’s Day and we have taken this day as an occasion to really think about these questions.

Gender equality is sustainability

The 17 SDGs are holistic because they do not only take into account the ecological perspectives of sustainability, but they recognise that social and economic aspects are just as important for both a sustainable life and society. Furthermore, the SDGs take into consideration that the individual goals influence one another, so the interdependencies must be considered.

When talking about gender equality worldwide, the numbers speak for themselves: there is still a lot to do, not only for the specific targets of SGD 5, but also with regard to other goals. This pertains to everyday life, such as the job market and health; for example, women represent approximately 40 % of agricultural workers, but only around 14 % of landowners are female. Furthermore, around 300,000 women die annually due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth due to lacking quality health care. Women are especially vulnerable during war and crises; for example, three out of four victims of human trafficking are female.

Not a German problem?

Yes it is! Lacking gender equality is not just a problem that other countries have. It is estimated that in Germany, one in three women will experience violence during her lifetime, often in a romantic relationship. This is only an estimate, however, because many women do not press charges.

Even the much discussed “gender pay gap”, the gap between the pay women and men receive, is an issue that is relevant in Germany. That does not necessarily mean that women are paid less for doing the same job. Factors such as part-time jobs are taken into account because women often do not work full-time: they are the ones with the most responsibility in the family. Care work, meaning the care of children or other family members, is unpaid. Women therefore have a smaller income than men and are more financially dependent on their partners than men are. At the same time, they have a double load with care work and wage labour, and their work is valued differently by society; it is equated more with care and emotions than with profitability. A more sustainable world is therefore a world that also supports more equal conditions between genders. For it is only when everyone has the same rights that we can actually live sustainably.

Gender equality – not only for women

Gender equality is often equated with the needs of women and girls. But the rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community are also taken into consideration under the umbrella term of “gender”. Because gender quality often relates to role models and stereotypes, men also benefit from the discussion about this issue because when female gender roles in society are questioned, the roles of men in society are also questioned.

What can I do?

For the most part, gender equality has been achieved in legal terms and has come a long way, especially in recent decades. Two examples: Until 1997, marital rape was not recognised as such in the eyes of German law, it was considered assault or coercion. Until 1958, a husband was allowed to terminate their working wife’s labor contract without notice – and without the woman’s consent – and he had the exclusive right to manage her wages.

These laws no longer exist, but the corresponding roles have not quite disappeared. They have changed over the years, but they are so deeply engrained in our society that they still influence our thinking and therefore our behaviour. Which is why it is so important to speak about and question the status quo, especially regarding issues such as gender equality, where the problems are not always obvious at first glance. In speaking about it and questioning it, you are directly advocating for a more sustainable society.

The NachhaltICH app offers you specific suggestions regarding this issue. Have you ever talked to friends or family about gender-based discrimination? Do you know if there is a gender equality officer at your school, university or at work? Is there an association in your town that campaigns against genital mutilation? What is the gender pay gap in your company? Gender equality is a sensitive issue that begins in the minds of people, which is why it is of great value to have quality conversations about it: It affects not only our female friends, sisters, mothers and grandmothers, but also our male friends, brothers, fathers and grandfathers.

So what are you waiting for? You can download the app from any app store, Google Play, or directly from www.nachhaltich-app.de and take on exciting challenges!

*A play on words meaning “Sustainability and me”

ökoRAUSCH Festival 2020 | Winner in the category of “start-ups”

Fashion from Kibera to the world!

Have you ever heard of Kibera? Located to the south of downtown Nairobi, it is one of the largest informal settlements on the African continent. Starting up a fashion label there is…unbelievable! And David Avido (24), born and raised in Kibera, did just that. Today he is dressing world famous musicians and this year he began selling his fashion in Europe. His story inspires young people from his neighbourhood and people all over the world. lookslike avido proves that anything is possible if you are focused and have faith in your own strengths.

“It always bothered me that I was reduced to where I came from,” says Avido. He always hears people say that people from Kibera are poor, criminals and addicted to drugs. “Those are all real problems. But with my fashion I want to show people that there is much more to Kibera than just that. There is huge creative potential here! I want to inspire people and help my people feel proud of their neighbourhood.” Avido has spoken in front of thousands of youth in Kenia, and international reggae and dancehall artists are wearing lookslike avido pieces.

Cologne: A bridge to Europe

Avido visited Germany for the first time in July 2019. We had met prior to that in Nairobi. I was there on business and now organise European sales out of Cologne: Neonyt at the Berlin Fahion Week, Summerjam music festival, and a number of his own events were all a big success: We learned a lot, had a lot of people make orders with us, and we told Avido’s story. Even Wolfgang Joop took an interest in Avido and we are eagerly awaiting his call… It was a very exciting experience to speak to people about fashion from Kibera, it was the most direct form of feedback we could get. At the same, seeing the innovative approaches and technical possibilities of recycling and circular fashion made a lasting impression on us.

Social and ecological sustainability

The label lookslike avido produces its pieces in Kibera and joined the formal sector of its own accord, which is a big step for a company operating in a context in which most small and medium sized companies remain in the informal sector. A group of 10 seamstresses are always ready to produce pieces on an order basis for fair wages. There are currently six work stations in Avido’s Atelier. As the number of orders grows, employment positions will be created that are subject to social insurance. The biggest challenge is the issue of sourcing and localisation. Many of the local companies in East Africa that provide raw material for textiles are not large enough to guarantee consistent quality of their material. Others already have fixed business partners. Furthermore, there is rarely information about the origin or production standards of the material available at the markets. The label is currently negotiating with a number of local producers in East Africa, as well as exploring how upcycling elements could be integrated into some of the products. The upcoming collection already has the first of such pieces. During the trip to Germany, the label came up with even more ideas for new and more sustainable designs.

We are excited to see what the next year will bring and we look forward to the opportunity to present lookslike avido at the ökoRAUSCH Festival in the summer of 2020!

Photographer: Eric Greven

This is the second part of the reports from the participants of the ECO DESIGN FORUM. What happens when designers and artists from four different countries go on a trip together? The five-day programme with presentations, excursions and a good amount of exchange – first in Tel Aviv, Israel and then in Auja, Palestine – really made an impression on everyone and gave rise to a lot of questions.

Aviya

Produktdesignerin / Tel Aviv, Israel

Participating in the workshop was a great pleasure. Meeting some great designers from different countries that are most importantly, interesting lovely people that I’m happy I have met. We had many opportunities to connect and getting to know each other and I think that just this, for itself, is an amazing opportunity.

In addition, It was pleasantly surprising, that although the workshop was held in my home city, ökoRAUSCH group found the way to expose us locals to some great content and experiences within our own city that we haven’t heard or seen before.

I personally think that as designers, everything that we experience is absorbed in our system and at the end comes out in our work in one way or another.

Design, Art and Sustainability

We’ve recently returned from our first workshop and networking event, the ökoRAUSCH ECO DESIGN FORUM International! Here is a photostory of our trip to Israel and Palestine at the end of October 2016.

My colleagues Christina Schütz, Isabel Oestreich, Tatjana Krischik and I have brought back a number of special stories about the designers from Israel and Palestine that participated at the ECO DESIGN FORUM (EDF). They are all the creators of innovative green ideas, projects and products that bring with them a great deal of inspiration, courage and creativity! The success of the EDF was due in large part to the intercultural exchange and international sustainable art and design networking between Palestinian, Israeli and German designers from the partner cities Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and Cologne as well as the Turkish and Spanish partners from Istanbul and Barcelona.

 

Day 1 | We started the EDF at the Heinrich Böll Foundation Israel, Tel Aviv
with presentations of all our cooperation partners and ökoRAUSCH who gave insights into the design, arts and cultural scene of their countries

Tel Aviv / Israel
Adital Ela, designer and lecturer for sustainable design, CEO of criaterra Design

Auja / Palestine
Malek Abualfailat, Palestinian Project Manager Friends of the Earth – Middle East

Istanbul / Turky
Pınar Öncel and Tuna Özçuhadar, project leader of Design and Innovation Initiative for Sustainability

Barcelona / Spain
Maria Paz Montecinos, art director and cultural manager, designer for Drap-Art

Cologne / Germany
Dunja Karabaic, project manageress of the ökoRAUSCH Think Tank

 

Day 2 | ALMA Home of Hebrew Culture, Tel Aviv
Panel 1 Creative Industries
Keynote speech and Workshop
Authentic Business Models for Sustainable Design
Christof Schreckenberg, Feldstärken GmbH

Panel 2 Education, Social Design & Arts
Keynote speech (via Skype)
A Short Trip into Environmental Psychology Laura Henn

Best Practices
Global Learning and Upcycling Tatjana Krischik, ökoRAUSCH Think Tank
Art & Dialogue Isabel Oestreich, ökoRAUSCH Think Tank
Co-designed processes Pinar Öncel
Earth Based Art Daphna Yalon

Day 3 | Travelling day
On our way to the second EDF international location, Auja, we went on a field trip to Battir and Ramallah to meet up with protagonists from the local design, arts and sustainability scene.:

Battir Landscape Ecomuseum

Qalandiyainternational

Disarming Design

Day 4 | EcoCenter Auja
Project presentations of scenes of sustainable design
by Adital Ela, Mahmoud Driaat, Pınar Öncel and Tuna Özçuhadar, Maria Paz Montecinos and Dunja Karabaic

Guided tour through the EcoCenter, fild trip to Jericho, where we met protagonists of the local design, art and sustainability scene

Day 5 | EcoCenter Auja
Panel 1 Creative Industries
Keynote speech and workshop
Christof Schreckenberg, Feldstärken GmbH

Panel 2 Education, Social Design & Arts
Best practices
Workshop building an oven out of self-produced mud-bricks Ahmad Ameen Attyat, EcoCenter Auja

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

Dokumentarfotografie

– als Bestandteil von entwicklungspolitischen und gestalterischen Projekten im Ausland, am Beispiel der Wanderausstellung „CRAFT ACT – Philippinische Manufaktur im Wandel“ –

Schon während der Anfertigung meiner Diplomarbeit im Libanon war mir klar, dass auch nach dem Abschluss des Studiums weiterhin die dokumentarische Fotografie im Zentrum meiner Aufmerksamkeit stehen wird. Inspiriert von Dokumentarfotografen wie Joakim Eskildsen, sehe ich mich als Fotografin in der Rolle einer Vermittlerin, die mit dem Medium der Fotografie Inhalte visuell transportiert.

Auf die Idee, ein fotografisches Projekt auf den Philippinen umzusetzen, kam ich erstmals durch meine damalige Kommilitonin und Freundin Anna Kamphues, die vor Ort bereits als Kommunikationsdesignerin für die AFOS Stiftung für Unternehmerische Entwicklungszusammenarbeit in einem Berufsbildungsprojekt mit Handwerker*innen und Designer*innen zusammenarbeitete. Für mich bot sich hier die Möglichkeit, in ein bestehendes Projekt und Netzwerk hineinzukommen und direkt vor Ort mit einer NGO zusammenzuarbeiten.

Das Vertrauensverhältnis und die Kontakte zu den Menschen, die sich durch die Arbeit der AFOS Stiftung und Anna vor Ort über die Zeit bereits aufgebaut hatten, kamen meinen Fotografien sehr zu Gute. Ich konnte direkt sehr nah mit den Menschen zusammenarbeiten; ob in der Abacafarm in Guihulngan, mit den Flechthandwerkern in La Libertad oder beim Papierperlen herstellen in Iloilo City. Ich dokumentierte die Arbeit, aber auch das Zwischenmenschliche und die Alltagsrealitäten der Handwerker*innen und Designer*innen. Die Fotografien wurden in der Wanderausstellung „CRAFT ACT-Philippinische Manufaktur im Wandel“ in NRW 2014/2015 präsentiert. Als Teilprojekt der Wanderausstellung ermöglichen die Fotos einen individuellen Zugang zu den Lebens- und Arbeitswelten der Menschen. Zugleich funktionieren sie in ihrer Gesamtheit als ein visuelles Bindeglied zwischen handgefertigten Produkten, Hintergrundinformationen und filmischen Kurzportraits, die ebenfalls in der Ausstellung gezeigt wurden.

Stipendium zur künstlerischen Weiterbildung

Finanziert habe ich meinen gesamten Aufenthalt mit einem Stipendium des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (DAAD) zur „künstlerischen Weiterbildung im Ausland“, das Absolvent*innen nach Abschluss eines kreativen Studienganges bis zu zweimal innerhalb der ersten fünf Jahre bekommen können.

Während meiner Zeit auf den Philippinen konnte ich zudem weitere freie Arbeiten für mein Portfolio schaffen. So ergab sich aus der Zusammenarbeit mit der AFOS Stiftung ein Fotoauftrag zum Thema Fairer Handel. Meine Fotografien der Wanderausstellung werden seither auf den Philippinen im Zusammenhang mit dem Projekt „HoliCOW“ ausgestellt.

Mehr Informationen unter:

holicow.ph  (Hintergrundinformationen – HoliCOW)
afos-stiftung.de  (Hintergrundinformationen – AFOS-Stiftung)
sabinestein.com  (Fotodokumentationen – Sabine Stein)