Art by Alixa Garcia

One Billion Rising Events Take Place Globally, Amplifying the 2021 Rising Gardens Theme and the Connection between Violence Against Women and the Destruction of the Earth

Rising Gardens Activist Events Call for a Shift from Consumption and Greed at the expense of the many, to Cultivation, Creation and Care

This year, One Billion Rising activists are calling for RISING GARDENS, a global grassroots call for revival, restoration and transformation, making the connection between violence against women and destruction of the earth. During the pandemic, activists are expanding their reach online as they simultaneously deepen their reach on the ground, as they do community work to meet the needs of the moment. Rising Gardens actions amplify the intersectional issues of women’s inequality and its impact on food insecurity, land ownership and the lack of access to healthcare, as well as the long term effects from extractive industries and the destruction of Mother Earth, and other basic rights, especially for frontline and marginalized communities.

OBR Philippines

OBR Mexico, @naiime

“Gardening centralizes growing and giving, it is not about taking or acquiring. Maintaining a garden is an act of resistance because it does the opposite of what the capitalist machinery does – it connects people and communities with the Earth. To grow one’s own food, to grow beauty and life – is revolutionary in this age of ecological, environmental, societal, spiritual collapse. To put our energies, our creativity, our hearts into everything that can grow and sustain all forms of life when the current world order is bent on destruction is a radical political act. To care for a garden – to nurture it to bloom and grow – deepens our relationship to Mother Earth. Gardens are sacred spaces that engage and awaken our senses, make us believe in wonder, beauty and connection to all living beings. Like theatre, they are a place of play and of transformation – where we can celebrate and contribute to life.”
– V (Eve Ensler), playwright, activist and Founder One Billion Rising and V-Day

“Gardens remind us of our enduring connection to life, to each other and to Earth, which compels us to do everything in our power to protect and nurture life and all that is sacred without doing harm. The cultivation of plant life is also a means for survival. Growing food in a garden organically – be it your own indoor garden or a community garden – allows you to feed yourself and your community. It provides autonomy and underscores the need for food security in a world where so many are denied these essential resources.”
– Monique Wilson, One Billion Rising Global Director

For eight years, One Billion Rising activists – led by a team of 60 global coordinators – have unleashed vast grassroots, anti-violence actions locally, regionally and nationally. This visionary work has been survivor-led and focused, all the while revealing the power of art and activism to change culture and systems. This year, the 9th year of One Billion Rising, OBR creative resistance events are taking place now and will continue through 22 April, Earth Day.

Ready to RISE? Join survivors, artists, activists, workers, indigenous communities, and youth in towns, cities, schools, fields and gardens worldwide as together we RISE, garden, resist. Visit OneBillionRising.org

One Billion Rising activists are digging deep, dynamically activating their communities via a range of creative Rising Gardens initiatives and creative resistance events including – seed distribution through seed banks and exchanges in India, Congo, Bangladesh, Philippines, United Kingdom, and Sri Lanka; artistic creations in the forms of zero waste food art in Bangladesh, Rising Gardens film festival across South Asia featuring 47 films from 10 countries, spread across four months, and artistic risings in Gabon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Italy, Croatia and Austria; the planting of trees to create new community green spaces in Zambia, Myanmar, Tamil Nadu, India, Congo, Singapore, Afghanistan, and Cameroon; the planting of community gardens in India, Portugal, Congo, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Cameroon, Eswatini, and Nepal; collaborations with agricultural workers and gardeners in Togo, Guatemala, Singapore, UK, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Pakistan; educational workshops about gardening in Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, South Asia, Kenya, and the UK; and education about herbal medicine and the effects of gardening to boost immunity in the UK, Mozambique, Singapore, Congo, and India, actions to advance women’s rights to land and property in Indonesia, Malawi – among so many other initiatives.

RISING GARDENS LIVE EVENT CALENDAR:
Global and Grassroots Reach of Activist Events Expands Online, Creating Connection, Community and Solidarity. A calendar of live online events is now live. Viewers worldwide can tune in as activists amplify local calls to action, resonating globally. From Eswatini to Namibia, India to the United Kingdom, activists are mounting film festivals, online seminars, workshops, and artistic uprising events.

SHOW THE WORLD WHAT ONE BILLION LOOKS LIKE:
On 14 February and on Earth Day, 22 April, One Billion Rising is issuing a global call for activists worldwide to post their Rising Gardens images, artwork, statements, essays, calls to action and, video and film content. Statements from community gardens, urban food banks, women’s shelters, migrant workers and indigenous communities, environmental and climate justice campaigns, peace initiatives, and more will amplify the intersectional impact of the exploitation of the environment and the oppression of women. HOW WILL YOU RISE?

SHARE YOUR ONE BILLION RISING FOOTAGE AND PHOTOS WITH US!

OBR Zimbabwe

Document and share everything you do for One Billion Rising: RISING GARDENS. Share your photos, video and audio updates with the global audience! For your RISING event, please share your photos, video and audio updates with the global audience so they can experience it as it happens – or as close to it! Before and during the events, utilize social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.

Tell the story of what’s happening using these channels. Be sure to tag us and use the official hashtags #1BillionRising #RisingGardens #RiseGardenResist #RaiseTheVibration #RiseInSolidarity and #RiseResistUnite to include your posts on our digital hub at onebillionrising.org and across our social channels for the world to see.

ARTISTIC UPRISING, DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED:

In the wake of all of these efforts, a major global online event is in production. This Artistic Uprising will showcase the actions, art and stories of Rising Gardens activists everywhere.

Ready to RISE? Visit onebillionrising.org
Read about the 2021 theme, Rising Gardens
Check out One Billion Rising’s blog for inspiration from global coordinators around the world
MEET the OBR Global Coordinators
FOLLOW OBR on Instagram
VIEW OBR 2021 Artwork from Around the Globe