Who are you?

My name is Paola. I was born and raised in Sicily, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, influenced by many cultures and a place where people have historically come and crossed paths. As islanders, we have a fascination and fantasy for the horizons, dreaming of other lands. As a kid, I always dreamed of traveling. I had the chance to participate in exchange programs in Canada and Australia as a teenager. These experiences ignited my passion for living in different places and understanding not only the bright sides of where people live but also what they struggle with, their needs, desires, and hopes. This passion led me to study anthropology in London. My studies covered a broad range of topics, including health, environment, culture, objects, spirituality, and what it means to be human. Learning about people and the complexities of our societies has been a way for me to learn about myself as well. I discovered many insights that contradicted what I was raised to believe, which was challenging at times. However, it helped me understand systemic violence and consider solutions to complex issues. For the past year and a half, I’ve been working for a tech non-profit that supports survivors of gender-based violence which is named CHAYN. I try to integrate all of my learnings into this work, offering multi-language resources and transmitting feminist values. We focus on what it means to be anti-colonial, anti-oppressive, and anti-capitalist in our daily lives.

Can you tell me about an environmental issue that affects you?

An environmental topic that is very important to me is the issue of water scarcity in Sicily, where I live. Growing up in the South of Italy, I have witnessed the increasing struggles with drought and the suffering of the land due to a lack of water. It's a situation that has worsened over time. In my own life, I’ve made changes to reduce waste and conserve water at home. I also talk to my family about the importance of water conservation and the impact of animal agriculture on water resources. I feel like I’m watching things die and slip through my hands, but I’m trying not to give in to fear and hopelessness. Instead, I’m focusing on finding communities and ways to come together. I’ve been part of the permaculture network in Sicily, where we meet twice a year to plan initiatives to address these issues. I am passionate about bringing ecofeminism to this region and am committed to doing something meaningful to address water scarcity. I also want to document what has been happening to our land. It's important to me to approach this work with dignity, even more in the face of green capitalism, which often exploits the land further by burning it to install solar panel farms. I love this land deeply, and I’m trying to honor it and give back, even though it is currently suffering.

What is it like to be a woman in Sicily?

Being a woman in Sicily comes with many expectations and societal pressures. Sicilian culture encapsulates a lot of patriarchal and misogynistic beliefs. Growing up, there were clear definitions of what a woman should be. We were expected to act conservatively, dress a certain way, and avoid spending too much time with boys. I often played with boys and was called "masculazza", which is kind of a derogatory term for "tomboy." Over time, I deconstructed my own ideas of what it means to be a woman or a man. After breaking many of these societal rules, I no longer hide who I am. I am queer and genderfluid and I am proud of that. I hear comments like, "Oh, but you're not like the other women," or "Oh, but you're not a real woman”, unsure if these are meant to be compliments or offensive observations. These remarks open up many questions for me. What does it mean to be a woman? I hear other women say things like, "I can't go to the beach today because I'm not shaved." It makes me wonder, is this really what it means to be a woman in Sicily—being imprisoned by societal expectations and missing out on life’s joys because of body hair? I don't mind not shaving anymore, and I feel free. After spending time abroad, I returned to Sicily with a desire to transmit my experiences and knowledge. I didn’t want to feel like I was abandoning the younger people here, as I often felt a lack of inspiring figures when I was growing up. Even if I don't do it intentionally, just by being myself and sharing my views on taboo topics like sexuality, menstruation and mental health, I hope to make a difference and help others. In my journey, I’ve learned to view my body as an ecosystem, similar to how we should approach nature—protecting, nourishing, and understanding it. This realization came to me after years of trying to control my body. I used to hate my menstrual cycle and wished I could be more like men, constantly active and productive. It wasn’t until I re-immersed myself in my Sicilian culture during the pandemic that I began to understand the beauty of our natural cycles and the importance of rest and slowing down, of honoring the ebb and flow of the seasons. This deconstruction of beliefs has been a powerful process for me, helping me understand what it truly means to be a woman, a human, a living being.

Who are you?

My name is Océane Wanita Saleeby, I am 26 years old, I am from the Democratic Republic of Congo and I am the mother of a 2 year old boy. I wear several hats: entrepreneur, women's rights activist, educator and support for women and young girls of menstruating age in the DRC. I got into the menstrual hygiene industry in 2018 because I suffered from a toxic shock that landed me straight in the emergency room and two weeks in intensive care. In my case it was septicemia linked to staphylococcus aureus. I got this disease because I was not warned that a tampon could harm a person's health. The years passed and I continued to use sanitary strips, except that in 2022 after giving birth to my son I started to have itching, burning and discomfort on the skin in my private parts. This was due to the countless chemicals present in these disposable protections. I discovered menstrual panties and it literally changed my life. I wanted to share my story so I could save other women. At no time could I have believed that there were so many women suffering because of the protection they were using. And as it is a taboo subject, and even more so in Africa, women do not talk about it and find solutions on their own which are not suitable and provoke serious reactions. So I do what I consider to be my duty by educating young girls in military camps, in orphanages, primary and secondary schools and universities. I attend conferences, I share my story as much as possible to try to save as many women as possible.

Can you tell me about an environmental issue that affects you?

The reduction in waste linked to synthetic and disposable hygiene products is very important to me. Worldwide, there is approximately 500 billion waste linked to disposable sanitary protection each year. Here in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we do not have an effective waste sorting system everywhere. This leads us to find this waste in our streets. I started making organic cotton menstrual panties, reusable and washable, which I hope will help fighting against this scourge.

What is your vision for women's rights?

That menstruating women can be recognized for their true value in professional, social, or private environments. That taxes on hygienic protection be withdrawn. That the States of every countries can cover almost all of the costs linked to hygienic protection. Companies should take into account the difficulties women face during their periods and realize that this can affect their productivity at work. I also hope that women can benefit from a day off from work or specific facilities to better support their periods. This is a conversation to open for schools and universities as well. In the DRC, one in ten girls misses their studies because of the effects triggered by their menstruation. It is unacceptable. I will fight until things change.

Who are you?

My name is Tamara, I'm 33 years old, I was born and raised in Germany. At the age of 15 I moved to Spain, the country of my parents. I also lived in Chile for a while. I am an interpreter and teach simultaneous interpreting at the university. In 2021 I co-founded a non-profit organization called Eco Interpreters. Our mission is to build bridges between environmental advocates around the world. Our organization contributes to the global movement for climate and environmental action through the use of language and communication skills. Currently we are seven people on the team and have so far built a network of more than 80 interpreters who cover different language combinations so that people who share the same environmental mission, but not the same language, can still communicate and collaborate. I love communication and want to make sure that people can feel heard and seen.

Could you share about a cause that touches you?

I am especially committed to the animal cause and the protection of ecosystems. Animal welfare is something I have been very sensitive to since my childhood. I was a rather quiet and shy kid, but have always felt at ease around animals. We tend to think that getting involved in a cause means to do “big” things. But I have realised that sometimes just sharing your thoughts in a casual conversation with one person can have a profound impact. When you care deeply about something, you tend to accumulate more knowledge around that topic than most people around you. That knowledge mixed with your passion and sensitivity can be so powerful! By sharing how you think and feel, you might oftentimes be casually raising awareness on something without even realising it. And often it’s not even about doing, but rather about being. I get very excited and genuinely happy whenever I see a dog, a cat, a horse, a bird or whatever. The joy I feel in their presence and the concern I express for their wellbeing if I feel that something isn’t ok, is apparently contagious! A friend of mine once told me that he had started to pay more attention to animals and their needs after hanging out with me for a while and witnessing how I behave around dogs. I believe it is natural and very human to feel compassion for another living being. The industrial exploitation of animals and ecosystems as a mere resource distances us from this natural sense of compassion and sensitivity that is at our human core. It’s time to reconnect with that core collectively.

How is it like for you, to be a woman?

I feel very happy to be a woman and to have a female body with the privilege of reflecting the same cycles of nature, of the seasons and the moon in my body through the menstrual cycle. I’m very much in tune with the cyclical rhythm of life. The natural turns of waxing and waning energy, like the tides of the sea. This attunement to cyclicality is obviously not exclusive to women, but for me personally, it was easier to break out from the linear way our modern society functions (in which we’re all expected to be constantly productive) after observing how my body’s rhythms were mirroring the rhythms of nature and understanding that this is the authentic way of functioning for everything in nature. In nature everything blooms and gets into action in spring and summer and energy levels are high and outwardly directed, similar to how the second half of the follicular phase in the menstrual cycle generally feels for women, peaking with ovulation. After that, energy levels tend to slowly start lowering. During autumn and especially winter, people tend to spend more time inside of their homes. Winter is a resting period for many beings in nature. So is the end of the menstrual cycle, the time of menstruation. That’s what I mean when I say that the menstrual cycle reflects the cycles of nature.