Week 9 - "Pussy Riot in Translation" Summary

In Russia, a group called Pussy Riot started to take shape and begin protests about various issues in Russia, including women’s rights. One of their most famous protests occurred when five of the members illegally started a performance in a church. Three of the protestors, Samutsevich, Tolokonnikova, and Alyokhina, were arrested and later jailed for their actions. The trials and their results gained international attention, with several countries criticizing Russia for the decision. Much support came from the West, even though many people did not even know what Pussy Riot stood for. Yet, within Russia itself, the group largely failed to make much of an impact due to the oppressive climate and the government’s control.

The article describes how Pussy Riot intended to use their bodies to protest, and details similar attempts by other Russians. For example, Pyotr Pavelensky, a young artist, has sewn his mouth shut, wrapped himself in barbed wire, and nailed his scrotum to Red Square as part of his extensive protests. While Pavelensky and Pussy Riot did gain attention, often their messages fail to reach the public, and are often misunderstood in the Western world.

Some journalists, like Masha Gessen, have attempted to document Pussy Riot’s activities and the stories of the members. In her novel, Words Will Break Cement, Gessen tells the story of Samutsevich, Tolokonnikova, and Alyokhina, the three Pussy Riot members who were arrested. Although Gessen does detail the events successfully in a novel, she writes the novel so that westerns can understand the story. As the political climate in Russia is so drastically different from that of the United States, it is difficult for Westerners to understand why certain actions would be taken. In the end, Gessen produced a piece of entertainment for Westerners, and did not address controversial issues in the novel. Some important parts may have been downplayed while other details are emphasized, as a result, in order to create a story that Westerns can enjoy.

Anya Bernstein has also researched Pussy Riot, and focused more on how the government treated the arrested members of Pussy Riot. When discussing how the members should be punished, one government official stated “If I could get my way, I would spank these girls and let them go.” This shows how the government treated the three women as little girls so that the public would not take their protests seriously. Bernstein also describes how Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were strangely released from prison during the Sochi Olympics. Perhaps the government was attempting to push away the issue of Pussy Riot while the world’s attention was focused elsewhere. After their release, though, the two women suffered much physical abuse from the Russian public. They were unfazed, nonetheless, for perhaps they knew the effects of their actions would slowly and inexorably spread through the rest of the world.