Instead of hackneyed village youth stereotypes, three sisters from Dunningen have taken up activism because feminism does not end at the city limits.
Backwardness, rusticity and kilometers of beet fields? This is roughly how many imagine life in the country. The three sisters Emely, Lena and Lisa from Dunningen, an idyllic, rural town near Rottweil, are repeatedly confronted with such clichés – and even more frequently since they founded the feminist village whispering collective. At group meetings or via WhatsApp, interested and committed people from the village come together to exchange ideas, to learn, to change something.
Feminism in the Country?
The Dorfgeflüster collective now numbers 140 people and the number is growing – including men! The three sisters had the idea for this during the first lockdown – when, back in their parents’ house, they drove away the boredom with feminist reading. Heated discussions at the dining table, incomprehension on the part of the older generations and the need to exchange ideas led them to found the group.
We noticed that other people feel the same way and that in rural areas there is simply a lack of opportunities to exchange ideas with others.
They started with a WhatsApp group that gradually grew bigger and bigger. The Monday meetings, which have so far only taken place digitally due to the corona pandemic, also offer space for exchange, as soon as possible, the members of the collective look forward to personal meetings.
No more stereotypical village youth
We always talk about a topic for a month, first of all there is a small input in the meeting, but also a lot of space for discussions and to share our own experiences.
People have told us about how they were simply touched in pubs or received a sexist comment and didn’t know how to react to it in the situation.
Sexism in the village pub, conservative role models and community letters that are only addressed to the man in the house. Even in rural areas this is often still a reality, but it does not automatically make them more backward – only when it comes to the offers for a corresponding commitment, foxes and rabbits often say good night in the country.
What the farmer doesn’t know, doesn’t he eat?
Who whispers is lying? Instead of just talking about the feminist collective behind closed doors, not everyone in Dunningen reacts exclusively to the commitment of the three sisters, but at least with a non-judgmental and honest interest.
In their home country they are making such waves with their idea that their project is now even receiving financial support. Because they have big dreams and want to animate and motivate other people in other regions to do the same and to found their own groups. First of all, now it’s about founding your own club.
Why not shouting from the village at such important messages?
At first we didn’t think too much about the name. In addition, behind village whispers there is also a kind of shelter.
In it you can also talk about unpleasant or even traumatic experiences that are not so easy to shout out. But you can imagine at some point the rubric Village shouting when it comes to events, for example: because they want to continue to be loud in the future in order to draw attention to one or the other dusty point of view in our society.
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