The Daily Campus

Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Ashley Pospisil Christian Perez, left, and Stuti Akella speak at the 'A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer' performance on Monday night.

UConn's 8th Annual V-Day campaign continued into Monday evening when students performed "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer" at von der Mehden Recital Hall.

Eleven students dressed in black and red appeared on the stage ready to recite the monologues of the real life men and women who were affected by sexual violence. The performers took on the persona of the victim and read their pieces with much emotion.

Some of the stories recited dealt with the serious issues of rape, sex slavery, human trafficking and sexual mutilation.

The performers delivered their speeches one at a time at a red draped podium as their fellow peers sat in chairs behind them. This was the first year the performance took place after a weekend full of V-Day events, including the "Vagina Monologues."

Rehearsals for "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer" occurred during the last two months for three hours every Wednesday, according to Rachel Madariaga, a 4th semester women's studies major. She said it was intense work done in a short period of time.

"These are not just women's issues," Madariaga said. "The issues are for everyone. They affect everyone. The male performances show how everyone can stop violence against women. This is everyone's problem."

Many of the stories students read were about young women in college and high school who were almost raped but fought back. The women weren't going to succumb to the wishes of the "dominant" males, so instead they did everything they could to get out of the situation. Several of the stories were told in serious tones while others turned grave situations into humorous ones.

"It was very powerful," said Mylinh Long, a 5th-semester anthropology major. "I enjoyed the experience." Long also said she liked the diversity of pieces, especially the male voices.

Caitlin McArdle, the director of the performance, said that both men and women are part of the problem and must also be included in the solution.

A male performer told the story of a man who came from a family of raped women. His mother and all of his sisters were the victims of rape. He explained how their lives and

experiences affected him and made him the man he had become.

Another male performer spoke of a journalist who went to Cambodia and met children who were being used for sex. The journalist wanted to help, but he knew he couldn't get involved. Because he couldn't do anything, he felt as if he had done what every other man had done to the children.

He used the female to get what he wanted.

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