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Annual report for the year 2011

English 31.01.2012. 22:07

1. VEGAN DINNERS (11)

In the year 2011 we have organized eleven Vegan dinners. Vegan dinner is a project we have started four years ago. Events are taking place every third Thursday in a hall of a non-profit NGO Pekarna-magdalenske mreže in Maribor. Vegan dinners promote ethical view points of veganism together with animal rights philosophy.

Vegan dinners are primarily educational events aimed to reach various population groups, but mostly strive towards reaching young people. First 45 to 60 min are dedicated to a lecture, documentary movie (projected on projector) or a presentation on ethical veganism/animal rights and they are followed by a discussion on the topic.  Later vegan food at minimum donation (2 EUR) is served and recipes are handed out.

Some of the 2011 topics discussed at Vegan dinners were:

- screening of the Vegan Society's movie »Making the connection«;

- presentation of the Slovenian translation of the book entitled »The China Study«;

- presentation of the Croatian Animal shelter IANUA that  provides permanent home for animals that have been rescued from the process of exploitation for food and collecting donations for the shelter;

- introduction of our project Vegan buddy-all round support to people who want to become vegan:

- lecture  The debacle of humanity: reconstruction of human relations towards animals in Kundera's novel: Unbearable lightness of being (Branislava Vičar, Za živali!);

- lecture ZOO as means of marginalization of animals and the establishing of relations of power  (Urška Breznik, Za živali!);

- lecture Biodiversity in neoliberal capitalism and the position of animals (Branislava Vičar, Za živali!).

 

2. ZA ŽIVALI! CONFERENCE (18th and 19th of June 2011)

In the month of June we have organized a two day conference on the topic of the moral equality of human and non-human animals. The programme consisted of three lectures by two members of Za živali! and a guest- professor of anthropology from Croatia, discussions and introduction of books on animal rights and vegan cuisine followed. It took place in the hall of a non-profit NGO Pekarna-magdalenske mreže, Maribor. On the second day we hiked to the partisan hospital Jesen on Pohorje mountain where we ate vegan stew.

You can find the detailed Slovenian version of the programme on:

http://www.zazivali.org/novice/za-zivali-drustveni-dnevi

 

3. WORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN (4)

In June and July 2011 we have organized four workshops for children on vegan cooking and animal rights. The workshops were part of Art camp for youth and children which is taking place within the annual Maribor summer festival Lent:

- 2 vegan cooking workshops for children

Children learnt to cook three different vegan meals.

- 2 animal rights workshops for children

Children played a board game entitled Vegan world which was developed by Za živali! on the topic of animal rights and veganism with the intention to educate them that animals are not property and that our everyday choices can make a big difference.

 

4. SCREENINGS IN THE CITY CENTRE (7x)

This year we have strated with the screenings of animal rights/veganism films in Maribor city centre,

First screening in June was executed with the big help of Animal Friends Croatia. The second screening took place in the month of July. Five of them happened in November and December. Screenings were accompanied by vegan snacks prepared by members of Za živali! and were handed out for free to visitors/passers by.

 

 

5. VEGAN BUDDY PROJECT

Vegan buddy is someone who mentors individuals wanting to become vegan but lacking the support from their immediate environment (family, friends). Member of Za živali!  who is Vegan Buddy to an individual, help her/him with advice on vegan cooking, cosmetics, explanation of ethical veganism/animal rights philosophy…either through online correspondence or actual meetings in person.

 

 

6. LECTURES

On  May 30th 2011 Branislava Vičar had a lecture entitled Animals- possessions or persons?

in Slovenska Bistrica Youth Centre.

 

On July 8th 2011 Branislava Vičar had a lecture Animals in production relations: from early domestification to urban-industrial production within Živa dvorišča, Festival Lent.

 

7. PUBLISHED ARTICLES

In July 2011 Večer newspaper published an article by Branislava Vičar 8-hour animal transports: changing the position of animals or just maintaining instutionalized exploitation? about the absurdity of campaigns that do not challenge the use of animals by itself and thus only befog the basic problem of men's dominance over other animals.

In September 2011 newspapers Dnevnik and Večer and varirous webistes published an article by Branislava Vičar  Veganism in the eagle's nest that points to the basic hegemony that stabilizes veganism as a prejudice.

 

President of Za živali!, society for assertion of animal rights

Urška Breznik