“We Are As Pretty As A Cactus: Our Inside Is Full Of Life, Outside Is Full Of Rage”

Founded in February, Cactus Association of Young Women is a very young association like its name and the founders of the association are young women who are university students… Neslihan Duran, whom we interviewed, said: “This is a place where young women come together, spend time together, and where they both learn and teach” and explained for what purpose their association has been founded.

All of you are young women studying in university. How was the idea of coming together to found a women’s association born?

The impression that women should be at home instead of being among the community, instead of being outside or on the streets and that there are no places else for women other than home still lingers. Of course, the same mentality brings up things like universities or buses just for women. Our goal is of course poles apart. We wanted to create an environment where women produce and share together. Cactus Association of Young Women was truly a dream for us at first. We started by worrying but afterwards we took a step at the point where we said we should do whatever we can. Then we officially opened Cactus on Sunday, February 16. We’re excited. It has become beautiful place with all its colors as well as its thorns. Women’s efforts are all over this place and that also makes us very happy.

After finding our place in Kadıköy Caferağa, we started to arrange this place collectively. One of us went, and bought the chairs, one of us brought the kettle, and the other one removed the wallpapers. It was entirely made by women’s solidarity.

Can we learn the story of the name ‘Cactus’?

First of all, the most difficult process was finding the name I must say. As a result of long researches, we decided on the name Cactus and said, “We are showing our thorns now.” We are as pretty as a Cactus and we are full of water, full of life. But we have an accumulated anger. After all, we are the ones who are murdered and raped every day. Naturally, we also have anger and our thorns…

What’s going to happen at Cactus?  

The most important issue for us is self-defense. Women are exposed to violence, harassment, rape and murder every day. Self-defense classes will be given here in the first place. We will have workshops to learn different languages. We will have yoga classes to relax. Together we will watch movies, write articles, and discuss conceptual issues. We want to talk about what we can do on the struggle for women’s freedom, how we can restore our extorted rights, about what we, young women encounter in universities, campuses or on the streets. As women, we will meet in sexual health workshops and body recognition workshops. We will proceed with lessons given by both our teachers and us. We imagine an environment where some will make music, another will paint, and another will sing. This place is ours, we, women will do what we want here.

It’s not just going to be open for events, right?

Yes, anyone can come whenever they want to. People will be able to read their books or study. If they want to learn things, they will be able to ask us, maybe we will ask them things. It will be a place where we teach and learn with each other. Although we may not find the solution rightaway, Cactus will be a place where we produce solutions over time.

Over time, do you plan to offer women professional supports such as legal, medical and psychological support?

Of course, these are among the things we think of doing in the future. We just took a little step now.

You also have a library named after Şule Çet.

As the women who founded this place, we are also the women who follow the trial of Şule Çet and who have been the party of the case there. At that time, we were saying that Şule is not the first woman to be murdered, unfortunately, she will not be the last. We also saw those rapist killers in the courtroom. Unfortunately, we have not only seen Şule, but also many other women who have been killed. We saw Ceren, Güldane, Emine Bulut, Sezen Zambak. We do not want to forget about those women. We still hear their screams for justice. That’s why we wanted to name our library after Şule Çet. The books we will read here are the books that she wanted to read, but never had the opportunity. We will read those books for her, and we will lend them to others to read them. This is a library that we’ve grown with donations, collectively, like everything else in Cactus. I hope we have many books and we will be able to share them with women.

How do you plan to announce your event schedule?

We are currently active on Twitter and Instagram. We announce our events there. We may open a website in the future. We also welcome those who want to teach voluntarily. It’s nice to be together here. We will experience what we call sexual awareness. Sharing, loving, understanding, having fun or sharing our problems with women next to us is very valuable.