8 March every day

Beyond the day of celebration. Beyond the occasion, the festivities, the rituals. Beyond the flowers and phrases of affirmation. Beyond the occasional kiss, greeting and good intentions. Beyond the clichés of political correctness. We must go beyond all that. Because there is no point in celebrating when abuse, outrage and prevarication are the order of the day. When every week a woman suffers violence and is killed at the hands of a man. When the woman is still too often considered an object, a saint or a slut. Beyond.

To go beyond we must act on the present, and make respect, equality, and the protection of rights an everyday practice and not trite words, but part of our everyday life.

Dearly beloved guest, we want every day of the year to be 8 March, and every day of the year to be swallows, cyclamens, clouds, perfumes, sunrises and sunsets that know how to embrace, caress, and love the earth.