This past week we sat down with several members Diana Burkot, Maria (Masha) Alyokhina, and Olga Borisova of the feminist activist group Pussy Riot to discuss the ongoing importance of using music as art in all forms of political protests, Riot Days Tour happening now in the USA, “SWAN LAKE” video project just released on 1 Nov, and what the average person can do when wars become impossible to ignore.
For our local Midwest readers Pussy Riot will be performing in St. Louis on Tuesday, November 28th be sure to grab your tickets!
Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk rock collective known for their bold and politically charged performances. They’re currently on tour with “Riot Days,” a show inspired by Maria Alyokhina’s book of the same name. The group is renowned for their activism and provocative music, making them a powerful force in contemporary protest art.
In our exclusive interview with Pussy Riot, we delve deep into the world of these fearless artists, providing readers with an intimate one-on-one discussion. We explore how they harness their music and activism to tackle pressing political issues, not just in their native Russia, but on a global scale.
This candid conversation sheds light on their unique perspective and how artists can be catalysts for change across borders. Get ready for an insightful journey into the minds of Pussy Riot and the power of art as a force for political transformation.
Activism and Music
How do you see the relationship between your activism and your music, and how do they inform and influence each other?
I think that it’s a clear connection well, Pussy Riot from the beginning was an activist and we are still an activist. For us it’s super important to use music for provides our message to make it more let’s say, interesting and we started to do our actions in unpredictable places in Moscow before, like when when Putin announced that he is going to be a President again. We started to do actions and they were always with songs from the the time when we started when we be imprisoned. And we spent like two years in prison.
I think it’s very, things are changed a little bit… Because the level of repercussions in Russia really grown and that was growing and growing and growing. – Masha
In 2022, it’s ended with the full scale invasion to Ukraine. So our actions were different in the form sometimes they were with songs, sometimes without, but that was always clear message against, against Putin and we’re going to United States and we all seen the situation when Donald Trump won elections and how easy and how fast he divided the country and how fast society split up. But at the same time, we’ve seen how many artists start to wake up and open their eyes and how many artists understood that it’s super important to speak out, to speak out against Donald Trump, but also to articulate their political position. – Masha
I can add that’s actually musical really open was a like about the message. For example, a lot of examples in hard core punk rock music and it was important what to do did the like Bikini Kills, Nine Inch Nails, System of a Down. It’s a lot of examples, like Rage Against the Machine for example and sometimes it just more, let’s say like easy way to send the message, let’s say, because it looks like it’s not really cool to be activist, but if you use the music, maybe it’s more comfortably or easier… to understand people about their social political questions. – Diana
US Tour
What are you most looking forward to during your upcoming US tour, and what can fans expect from your live performances?
Well Riot Days our show it’s a combination between spoken word, video art with exclusive scenes from the actions. Also we have music and unpredictable turns up. Yeah. So it’s, I would call it multimedia experience. It’s a process experience. It’s one hour long and we want to show people one story for them to, to realize that freedom is something that you need to fight for. Yeah. And we want to inspire people basically everywhere where we’re going. Doesn’t matter the country but I think now in the United States it’s very crucial to, to raise those topics especially following the, the elections that coming soon and the importance I think we really need to mention it every time and every city that the, the possibility of Trump become President again. It’s very scary for the many, many reasons, especially Ukraine wise.
We already know that he’s not willing to help Ukraine to win. He has several times mentioned that or you know if I would be a President if I was the President that would solve this conflict, it would solve this war so easy and we know what could be could look like for Ukrainian people, which, which is more victims, more occupation, and for us, since we support Ukraine, and it’s been more than a year.
Since we’re supporting Ukraine, we support raised money from our T-shirts and books, We send them to Ukrainian Children’s Hospital in Kiev. So it’s very important for us to raise those topics and to continue talking about this war because obviously especially now that nowadays wars and violence became every day’s narrative and I see how people outside of it and and they use it they, they feel like now the war became a feels, feeling like a background, some background noise. But it’s real people and real events.
So we really want to continue speaking about it because it’s very important for us. – Olga
I think it’s so important now one more topic it’s like, like women rights because when we want for example in the Tulsa it was… – Diana
Well, as you know, in Oklahoma abortion is illegal. Yeah, we just we received the would have got reprise last May. It was 6th of May. Yeah, so I was talking about how abortion is supposed to be and should be a right for every, every person. And it’s not the easy choice, but if we should have one. And I was talking about the other state, which is Michigan right when they reversed the law. – Olga
Yeah. So it’s just mind blowing to know that in the United States abortion now is illegal in so many states. – Olga
It’s really direct connect actually that’s a man’s tried to control women’s body and actually this is world beginning from the man. And the yeah, I think we all really, all the work really need like feminism and maybe more maybe matriarch here. – Diana
Feminism
Pussy Riot has been a strong voice for feminism. How do you believe music and art can contribute to gender equality and women’s rights?
I think it’s about the topics that we’re raising in our not only us but in general music groups and activist movements, we need to give a voice for women and minorities because they need to be heard. So I guess this is the best way to, to help these people and us to, to not provided, but like to help spreading our message. – Olga
We are, I mean we just seen so it’s we we’ve seen all the all the stages in in the road to hell because we’ve seen the situation in our country when they took some freedoms then more and more and more and in 10 years they actually build a terrorist state from the classical authoritarian state. And they took everything. So now basically all the people, all the loud voices are all killed or? Pushed from the country out or imprisoned for 8 from 8 to life sentence. And just 15 years ago it wasn’t like that, but it happened very fast. Yeah, for he said that years is nothing but it’s possible to turn the country to, to hell. To actually hell through these years. That’s why we’re telling our story. Because we’ve been first artists, activists who’ve been imprisoned by Putin’s regime before they repressed only let’s say rich people, oligarchs who were let’s say trying to they were on their way.
Yeah the they they were trying to stop Putin with with all the the money and influence etc, and some of them being imprisoned but they never gave a real big prison terms to just simple people, you know to. to just usual activists and we we were the first ones and after us that’s, that’s that was just a machine. Yeah, a machine, which is just stamping the prison sentences. Four years, five years, eight years. Then they start to poison oppositions, then they start to kill oppositions, and unfortunately it’s now every day’s reality here.
It’s not a surprise at all for Russians to see, like any person, receive eight years to prison term. And I just want to aware the world that. They are building a huge camp in the biggest territory in European continent and they are going to and they want to grow, they want to grow, they will want to occupy other countries and build the same there. And who are, who has not agreed with this? They they are actually going to kill so.
Yeah. So it’s it’s not just, you know, internal, internal conflicts. Yeah, it’s a danger for the world and it’s very important to us to clarify it for United States people just because if someone like Donald Trump next year will become President and support Vladimir Putin, the world, the whole world, will look different. – Masha
Yeah. And, you know, a lot of people, a lot of people that’s what’s totalitarian states, like macho men are doing, they’re trying to push you to believe that you are nobody, that you are like a small person who not able to change anything. And it’s not like this. It’s we are who choosing the power. It’s a lot of us. And we have voice and I just want to remind the to, to people that things are like this. – Masha
Now you still have all the instruments to, to fight against the this reality that Masha described so. And while you while you can, you should. – Olga
Audience Engagement
How do you connect with your audience during live performances, especially when addressing important social and political issues?
I think Masha can tell you a lot about it because after each concert she’s signing books, she’s signing copies, and she’ll always have have these incredible talks that she’s telling us. – Olga
The thing is that right that this is not the usual concert with the list of songs, it’s a story from the first action of Pussy Riot which I joined and to the last day of prison where I spent two years. I spent more later, but this story finished here and after after each performance I’m signing books and I mean, it’s always a life conversation. It’s always a life connection with with people where they share their stories. My experience there a lot, a lot of activists coming to our concerts and they are showing photos of actions which they are, which they done and it’s super cool, you know, to see that you are not alone. – Masha
And actually, sometimes we are how to say, share this stage and the end of the show. We invite the some activists from the city where you’re from and they come to help. And they have a opportunity to have their own statement. And I think it’s more of this. It’s always about the exchange, experience, energy. It’s really simple, but it’s how it’s work actually. – Diana
And it’s great to see because in our show we have lots of slogans and it’s great to see how people react in them. Yeah, and my favorite part maybe is when we do have a the slogan Russia will be free. And it’s great to see how people react.
People are from different continents and different countries. And it means that they really, they are feeling for us, Yeah. And we are like and we are united in terms of our fight for freedom. So it’s great to see this as well when they then they shout out. Just like very cheering. – Olga
The show actually its like a rioting show, it’s very like a rock, punk rock. It’s a lot of like personality and human point. I think people I hope and believe that they really feel it, that it’s not like… – Diana
It’s not a stage show, it’s like, yeah, Marsha ‘s story. And for many of us it’s interactive story. We’re all all activists. I think the world can be changed by by stories. And since you are genuine in telling your story, it can really move people. Yeah, like with your regrets, with your feelings. When you’re honest, people feel it. So it’s great to have this connection build even even though our show is in Russian with subtitles, but people, people do get the point. – Olga
Yeah. Well, I mean, you don’t have to speak Russian to feel empathy. – Ashley Salazar, MOLL Mag Editor in Chief
Collaborations:
You’ve collaborated with artists from various backgrounds. Can you tell us about any memorable experiences or lessons learned from these collaborations?
We had a great time in 2017 in New York where we did our action, in support of the imprisoned Ukrainian film-maker Oleg Sentsov. So we occupy Trump Tower and made a huge banner like 6 meters long… That was great and it was just great to share it. It was first time actually for me to collaborate with a foreign activists. And we were rehearsing together and, you know, plotting together how we’re gonna do it. So yeah, that was great. So we do sometimes collaborate in terms of activism as well. – Olga
I think it’s not only like activist musician too, for example, the song, which we will release tomorrow. It’s about the Russian propaganda… And this was how to say really beautiful, amazing experience, this is like the first song of Pussy Riot when we work with the orchestra. – Diana
STATEMENT This song is our statement against Russian state propaganda. “Forced patriotism” lessons have been introduced in Russian schools. Teachers force kids to form a Z formation to show support for the war. All over Russia, children are forced to write “letters of support” to occupying soldiers. Fifth-grader Timofey wrote that he wishes the russian military “to return home and not to kill people on foreign soil” The teacher condemned the child, he was bullied for “insufficient patriotism.” “Soldier, don’t kill people” was written by a boy, and this inspired us to write a song.
New history textbooks have already been distributed to high school students. To pass the exam and receive a certificate, schoolchildren must memorize propaganda — talk about the greatness of Russia, which is fighting the “fascists” in Ukraine. Children are protesting — sixth-grader Masha Moskaleva made an anti-war drawing against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Her single father was sent to prison for two years for “discrediting the Russian army,” and Masha was sent to an orphanage. Russian state propaganda poisons people’s hearts and brains with hatred.
Putin’s propagandists are no less war criminals than the soldiers who kill and rape the civilian population of Ukraine, or the generals who give these orders. Russian authorities are holding thousands of Ukrainian children hostage. Children are kept in sanatoriums, where they are taught to love Russia, and if the children say that they miss Ukraine or speak Ukrainian, they are beaten. These children are often recognized as orphans and given up for adoption, although most have parents in Ukraine who are trying to find them and return them. Children are the most vulnerable in this war. Children should not suffer.
We call for:
1. immediate return of all kidnapped Ukrainian children
2. stop poisoning children with Putin’s propaganda
3. to sanction Russian propagandists and Russian artists that serve this fascist propaganda.
– Pussy Riot November 2023
Challenges and Activism:
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as activists and musicians, and how do you overcome them?
We cannot go back home. Yeah. I mean, it’s the first time for, I mean minimum me and Diana are who were constantly living in Russia and for Olga who also have home in Russia and, and family. So we we we basically cannot go home because I’m, I’m in Russian federal wanted list and I have a criminal case open to me at all of us because of our support of Ukraine and it’s illegal in Russia to support Ukraine, you can be in prison for this eight years.
Yeah, it’s illegal even to call the war the war it should be called the special military operation. Otherwise it’s fake, fake. – Masha
Yeah, it’s not…you cannot discreditation of the Russian army yeah, you cannot freely talk about the war at all. – Diana
And this is the first experience when, when we have this situation when we are basically living in different places and the yeah, it’s, it’s not easier. But I think, well, we always, when we start to think about it, we always remind ourselves why we started doing it.
And actually we start to do it because we want to support Ukraine. And in Ukraine a lot of people, including our friends, lost not just a possibility, they physically lost their houses because they’ve been bombed and some of some of them lost their loved ones and, and members of the family because they’ve been killed by Russian army and that’s much bigger tragedy than ours. And that’s drive us to, to continue to help them because we are in the position when we have this microphone, when we have this possibility to speak with people and they are listening to us. So it’s just unfair to, to not do it. – Masha
And also I wanted to add that about the first thing about how that we’re not in Russia currently. Yeah, but, but you ask how we do like overcome it. So for the video that we’re gonna publish tomorrow, we have collaborated with people that are still in Russia and actually stand against this war. Some art from our video was made by Russian artist Alisa. Your gonna see it in the video and also it was directed by a girl who lives in Russia right now, who’s in Russia right now. So just to not lose the sense of what’s going on. Does not lose the connection with the country. Yeah, we’re basically. But yeah, we’re every day anyway. We’re every day. We’re still in this Russian info zone, you know? But it’s important to not lose the connection between these two worlds. – Olga
Yeah, because actually, a lot of like activists in the Russia right now they continues to fight and do antiwar statement. For example, it can be anonymous. Just to put the stickers, banners. – Diana
And again. There are like oh, a few hundred thousand people killed and several million became refugees in Ukraine. Yeah, and I mean to have several millions people just lost home because of the crazy wish of one fucking dictator. It’s. It’s tragic. – Masha
Yeah. No man or person in general should have that much power over humanity. – Ashley Salazar, MOLL Mag Editor In Chief
“The show actually its like a rioting show, it’s very like a rock, punk rock. It’s a lot of like personality and human point. I think people I hope and believe that they really feel it.”
– Diana Burkot
“When you’re honest, people feel it. So it’s great to have this connection build even though our show is in Russian with subtitles, but people, people do get the point.”
– Olga Borisova
“It’s a story. From the first action of which right which I joined and to the last day of prison where I spent two years.”
– Maria Alyokhina
Credits: Video still’s from the “Swan Lake” music video. – Pussy Riot
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