Members of the Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot came to UW-Madison Thursday to discuss their experiences as political prisoners and alternative media producers.
The event, sponsored by Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts and WUD Distinguished Lecture Series, featured Maria “Masha” Alyokhina and Alexandra “Sasha” Bogino, both of whom are current members of the collective. The speakers said the event, which was held in Shannon Hall, was the largest audience ever for Pussy Riot in the United States.
Alyokhina discussed her experience in two different Russian penal colonies and in solitary confinement as a political prisoner after being arrested for her anti-Vladimir Putin activism. Alyokhina explained that prisoners in these colonies perform daily activities in subhuman conditions and are often engaged in conflict with guards.
Alyokhina went to court against guards in her penal colony four times and won three out of four rulings. She explained that prisoners with support are often the only ones given a voice and, since her release, she has made it her mission to give a “voice to the voiceless.”
Bogino, who is the news editor for Pussy Riot’s media outlet, MediaZona, said the outlet has become one of the most influential in Russia. She said MediaZona is an alternative media outlet that focuses almost exclusively on Russian prison system issues, because the state-run media will not tell those stories.
In a question and answer session, audience members asked questions on topics that ranged from Putin and President-elect Donald Trump to progressive activism.
When asked about what to do about the election of Trump, Alyokhina praised the protests and action in Madison.
“Government is not as important as the community you belong to,” she said.
Alyokhina then discussed the state of politics in both the U.S. and Wisconsin, and mentioned her thoughts about Gov. Scott Walker.
“I think [Walker] should somehow be sent away,” she said.
