Jasmina Tešanović
– (1954 Belgrade) is a feminist and political activist (Women in Black; CodePink), writer, journalist, musician, artist, translator and film director. She designs and created the first feminist publishing house in the Balkans, Feminist 94. She has been publishing her works on blogs and other media, always connected to the Internet. She writes in three languages and lives between Turin, Belgrade, Austin and Ibiza.
I was born in Belgrade, 1954.
I don’t have a fatherland. I don’t have a mother tongue. I grew up using three and four languages in Belgrade, Cairo, London, and Milano. I survived three major religions, Orthodox Christianity, Islam and Catholicism, without becoming religious. On the contrary, I became excluded by default from any native culture and any endemic religion.
My motto became: I am not crazy, I am a foreigner.
I also could not determine my class, race or gender. My family were diplomats and Yugoslav communists: a doctor and an engineer. My father always talked to me using the Serbian male gender so as to empower me by giving me male rights, like Orlando’s character in Virginia Woolf’s novel.
I ran away from home at the age of 20 to make my own way in the world. I went to Rome. Before that I studied film in Milan: we were the first academic group in Italy to claim that film is an art form and not entertainment. I worked as a film assistant to Miklos Jancso1. I met Pier Paolo Pasolini and was very close to the tragic events of the night of his assassination. Pasolini said to me “you are like a beautiful vase full of somebody else’s knowledge”, the words he used for Medea in his script/movie. His cruel death as a gay political outcast propelled me to come out as whatever I was without feeling shame.
I lived in feminist communes and occupied decaying state buildings in downtown Rome: “La donna e’ Bello”. I joined activist groups, publishers and filmmakers who talked about women in feminist terms. No mother tongue and no homeland meant being a woman, as Virginia Woolf said. I was in the group of neogurativisti of conceptual artists, initiated by Achille Bonito Oliva2.
I shot a movie Difficile morire by Umberto Silva as a collaborative artist3. In those days I met various Roman celebrities: Bertolucci, Moravia, etc. I was missing something all the time, there was a void in that predominantly male scene.
So in 1978, together with my friends from Belgrade, Dunja Blažević and Žarana Papić, I organised the first feminist conference in Eastern Europe, Comrade Woman: The Women’s Question – A New Approach4. I brought over all my Roman feminist girlfriends, writers, filmmakers and activists. It was supposed to be a small gathering of Eastern and Western European feminists about second-wave issues regarding the empowerment of women. Instead, it became a feast, a massive coming out of many more participants from all over the world than we had invited. They came to Belgrade, the capital of something different, to the Student Cultural Centre where everything was possible at the time. We realised that women’s issues were universal and beyond national and ideological boundaries. Since we touched on forbidden topics and unspoken truths, we became the enemies of the state. I had a police file opened where only one word was written: a feminist, like a terrorist.
During the conference, I had filmed Drug-ca žena, which today is an important document and testimony5. In the framework of the conference, Biljana Tomić and Bojana Pejić curated an exhibition with the following artists: Nil Yalter, Judy Blum, Nicole Croiset, Vera Chytilová, Liliana Cavani, Rony Dapulo, Annabella Miscuglio, Anna Carini, Jasmina Tešanović, Goranka Matic, Annabella Miscuglio, Dacia Maraini. I was exhibiting my film, Love is nothing but words6.
And then I burned out, on both fronts, East and West. I decided to live a low-key life in Belgrade. I had Sony portable video equipment and could make my movies, film events, translate books, and write something. I had a performance in SKC, Unedited (1979, 30 minutes) where the audience made the film together. I made a movie Jutro, podne, veče with Radoslav Vladić based on a David Albahari story7. I worked with Živojin Pavlović on the movie Zadah tela8.
Then all hell broke loose after the death of Tito and I witnessed the fall of Yugoslavia, and its horrors. As a feminist peace activist I was in groups such as Women in Black and Women studies: the traitor witches who stood up loudly to Milošević’s regime. I founded a feminist publishing house, “Feminist 94” as a free space against nationalist rubbish.
I wrote and published in 12 languages The Diary of a Political idiot, a real-time war diary written during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo9. It was the first war diary ever online to became viral. We even made an international movie based on it10.
After the fall of Milošević, I started traveling all over the world, living on the internet and performing in a new way; talking, dancing, singing and writing. I was always trying to shed light on the Other side of the mainstream. With Bruce Sterling and Massimo Banzi I founded Casa Jasmina, the home of the future, in Torino. I wrote the Manifesto Internet of Women Things, a platform for feminist design and online presence11.
Writing and living in between is my way of being creative.
In the wrong time, wrong place.
If I die, I plan to be buried in the cosmos.
The text was written in collaboration with Dejan Vasić (2022).
1Reference: Miklos Jancso Private Voices, Public Virtues, film, 1976. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073869/.2Reference: AA.VV La città di Riga. Periodico quadrimestrale d’arte, n. 2 primavera 1977 https://www.stsenzatitolo.com/st/prodotto/la-citta-di-riga-periodico-quadrimestrale-darte-n-2-primavera-1977/.
3Reference: Umberto Silva and Jssmina Tešanović, Difficile Morire, 1977, 95 minutes, Italnoleggio Rome
4Reference: Comrade Woman: Women’s Question – A New Approach, conference held in Belgrade’s Student Cultural Center in 1978. For more information please visit: https://www.arhivaskc.org.rs/hronografije-programa/velike-manifestacije/5840-drug-ca-zena-zensko-pitanje-novi-pristup-27-30-.
5Image and link: Jasmina Tešanović Drug-ca žena, film, 1978. Link: https://vimeo.com/331682275.
6Image and link: Jasmina Tešanović Ljubav je u suštini govorljivost, film, 1978. Link: https://vimeo.com/331682624.
7Link: Jasmina Tešanović and Radislav Vladić Jutro, podne, veče, film RTS 1979. https://vimeo.com/338558372.
8Reference: Živojin Pavlović Zadah tela, film 1983. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086630/.
9Reference: Jasmina Tešanović, The Diary of a Political idiot, https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Political-Idiot-Normal-Belgrade/dp/1573441147.
10Link: Jasmina Tešanović, The Diary of a Political idiot, 1999, 58 minutes, ( SWR German TV, Arte) https://vimeo.com/37288626.
11Reference: Jasmina Tešanović Manifesto Internet of Women Things, https://jasminatesanovic.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/seven-ways-of-iowoment/.
– (Beograd, 1954.) je feministkinja i politička aktivistkinja (Žene u crnom; CodePink), spisateljica, novinarka, muzičarka, umetnica, prevoditeljica i filmska rediteljka. Osmislila je i formirala prvu feminističku izdavačku kuću na Balkanu, Feministička 94. Objavljuje svoje radove putem blogova i drugih medija, uvek na mreži. Piše na tri jezika i živi na relaciji između Torina, Beograda, Ostina i Ibice.
Rođena sam u Beogradu, 1954. godine. Nemam otadžbinu. Nemam maternji jezik. Odrastala sam služeći se s tri i četiri jezika u Beogradu, Kairu, Londonu i Milanu. Preživela sam tri velike religije: pravoslavlje, islam i katoličanstvo, ne postavši religiozna. Naprotiv, to me je isključilo iz bilo kog oblika nacionalne kulture i endemske vere.
Moj moto postaje: Nisam ja luda, strankinja sam.
Takođe nisam mogla da odredim svoju klasu, rasu ili rod. Moju porodicu su činile diplomate i jugoslovenski komunisti: lekarka i inženjer. Moj otac bi mi se uvek obraćao u muškom rodu srpskog jezika s ciljem da me osnaži, dajući mi muška prava, poput lika Orlanda u romanu Virdžinije Vulf.
Pobegla sam od kuće kad mi je bilo 20 godina kako bih pronašla svoj put u ovom svetu. Otišla sam u Rim. Pre toga, studirala sam film u Milanu: mi smo bili prva akademska grupa u Italiji, koja je tvrdila da je film vid umetnosti, a ne zabava. Radila sam kao asistent filma sa Miklošem Jančom.1. Upoznala sam Pjera Paola Pazolinija i bila sam vrlo blisko povezana sa tragičnim događajima u noći njegovog ubistva. Pazolini mi je rekao „ti si poput prelepe vaze ispunjene tuđim znanjem“, reči koje je namenio Medeji u svom scenariju/filmu. Njegova svirepa smrt kao gej političkog izopštenika, podstakla me je da se slobodno izražavam i ponašam, bez osećanja sramote.
Živela sam u feminističkim komunama i stanovala u državnim zgradama u fazi raspadanja u centru Rima „La donna e’ Bello“. Pridružila sam se grupama aktivista, izdavačima i filmskim stvaraocima koji su govorili o ženama sa feminističke tačke gledišta. Kao žena nisam imala domovinu, moja domovina je bila ceo svet, kao što reče Virdžinija Vulf. Bila sam u grupi neofigurativisti, konceptualnih umetnika, koju je oformio Akile Bonito Oliva2.
Kao umetnik saradnik, snimila sam film Umberta Silve Difficile morire3. Tih dana sam upoznala razne poznate ličnosti Rima: Bertolučija, Moraviju, itd. Sve vreme mi je nešto nedostajalo, postojala je praznina na pretežno muškoj sceni.
Tako sam 1978. godine, zajedno sa svojim prijateljicama iz Beograda, Dunjom Blažević i Žaranom Papić, organizovala prvu feminističku konferenciju u Istočnoj Evropi, Drug-ca žena: žensko pitanje – novi pristup4. Dovela sam svoje prijateljice feministkinje iz Rima, spisateljice, filmske stvarateljke i aktivistkinje. Trebalo je to biti jedno malo okupljanje feministkinja Istočne i Zapadne Evrope drugog talasa u vezi sa osnaživanjem žena. Umesto toga, bila je to svetkovina, masovno pojavljivanje mnogo većeg broja učesnica iz čitavog sveta nego što smo mi pozvale. Došle su u Beograd, glavni grad nečeg različitog, u Studentski kulturni centar, gde je tada sve bilo moguće. Shvatile smo da su problemi žena univerzalni i da prevazilaze nacionalne i ideološke granice. Budući da smo se dotakle zabranjenih tema i neizrečenih istina, postale smo neprijateljice države. Otvorili su mi policijski dosije u kojem je pisala jedna jedina reč: feministkinja, poput teroristkinje.
Tokom konferencije sam snimila film Drug-ca žena, koji danas predstavlja važan dokument i svedočanstvo5. U okviru konferencije, Biljana Tomić i Bojana Pejić su postavile izložbu sa delima sledećih umetnika i umetnica: Nil Jalter, Džudi Blum, Nikol Kroaset, Vera Čitilova, Lilijana Kavani, Roni Dapulo, Anabela Miskuljo, Ana Karini, Jasmina Tešanović, Goranka Matić, Dačija Maraini. Ja sam prikazala svoj film, Ljubav je u suštini govorljivost6.
A onda sam sagorela, na oba fronta, Istočnom i Zapadnom. Odlučila sam da živim povučenim životom u Beogradu. Imala sam ručnu filmsku opremu Soni i mogla sam da snimam svoje filmove, konceptualne performanse. Prevodila sam prozu i poeziju, i pisala. Imala sam preformans u SKC-u, Unedited (Nemontirano) (1979, 30 minuta) u kojem je publika zajedno snimala film. Snimila sam film Jutro, podne, veče sa Radoslavom Vladićem, po priči Davida Albaharija7. Radila sam sa Živojinom Pavlovićem na filmu Zadah tela8.
Onda je sve otišlo dođavola posle smrti Tita i svedočila sam padu Jugoslavije i svim užasima tog perioda. Kao feministkinja i mirovna aktivistkinja bila sam članica grupa kao što su Žene u crnom i Ženske studije: veštice izdajnice koje su se glasno usprotivile režimu Slobodana Miloševića. Osnovala sam feminističku izdavačku kuću, „Feministička 94“ kao slobodno mesto protiv nacionalističkog smeća.
Napisala sam i objavila 15 knjiga. The Diary of a Political Idiot (Dnevnik političkog idiota) preveden na 12 jezika, ratni dnevnik u realnom vremenu, napisan tokom sukoba na Kosovu 1999. godine9. bio je prvi ikada ratni dnevnik na internetu koji je postao viralan. Čak smo snimili i međunarodni film po njemu10.
Posle pada Miloševića, počela sam da putujem svuda po svetu, živeći na internetu i nastupajući na nov način; govoreći, plešući, pevajući i pišući. Uvek sam se trudila da učinim vidljivom drugu stranu mejnstrima. Sa Brusom Sterlingom i Masimom Bancijem sam osnovala Casa Jasmina, dom budućnosti, u Torinu. Napisala sam Manifesto Internet of Women Things (Internet manifest ženskih stvari), platformu za feministički dizajn i prisustvo na mreži11.
Pisati i živeti u među vremenu je moj način da budem kreativna.
U pogrešno vreme, na pogrešnom mestu.
Ako umrem, nameravam da budem sahranjena u kosmosu.
Tekst je napisan u saradnji sa Dejanom Vasićem (2022.)
1Referenca: Mikloš Jančo Private Vices, Public Virtues (Lični poroci, javne vrline), film, 1976. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073869/.2Referenca: AA. VV La città di Riga. Periodico quadrimestrale d’arte, n. 2 primavera 1977 (Četvoromesečni časopis o umetnosti, broj 2 proleće 1997.) https://www.stsenzatitolo.com/st/prodotto/la-citta-di-riga-periodico-quadrimestrale-darte-n-2-primavera-1977/.
3Referenca: Umberto Silva i Jasmina Tešanović, Difficile Morire, 1977., 95 minuta, Italnoleggio Rim.
4Referenca: Drugarica žena: žensko pitanje – novi pristup, konferencija održana u beogradskom Studentskom kulturnom centru 1978. godine. Za više informacija, molim posetite: https://www.arhivaskc.org.rs/hronografije-programa/velike-manifestacije/5840-drug-ca-zena-zensko-pitanje-novi-pristup-27-30-.
5Foto i link: Jasmina Tešanović, Drug-ca žena, film, film stil, 1978. Link: https://vimeo.com/331682275.
8Referenca: Živojin Pavlović, Zadah tela, film 1983. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086630/.
9Referenca: Jasmina Tešanović, The Diary of a Political idiot (Dnevnik političkog idiota), https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Political-Idiot-Normal-Belgrade/dp/1573441147.
10Link: Jasmina Tešanović, The Diary of a Political idiot (Dnevnik političkog idiota), 1999, 58 minutes, ( SWR German TV, Arte) https://vimeo.com/37288626.
11Referenca: Jasmina Tešanović, Manifesto Internet of Women Things (Internet manifest ženskih stvari), https://jasminatesanovic.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/seven-ways-of-iowoment/.
