Is it a message of the people or just a show?
Whether you are familiar with this all female protest group or not, Pussy Riot do not fail to shock and surprise with each and every one of their anti-Putin performances. The twelve members of this ‘band’ display brightly coloured balaclavas and tight dresses as they roam the streets of Russia demonstrating their anti-Capitalist, Feminist movement.
The most recent protest from Pussy Riot was in February where the band stormed into the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to perform a song called ‘Punk Prayer’- and of course, you can find the footage on YouTube! The protest was given such attention that three of the members now face two years imprisonment for hooliganism. This particular protest hit Russia hard as it attacked the relationship that the government and church have built over the years.
Pussy Riot has grown from a protest art group called Viona who are better known for such works as painting a 65m long phallus on the Liteyny drawbridge and their infamous video ‘How to Snatch a Chicken’ where a woman attempts to steal a chicken from a supermarket by hiding it somewhere rather unpleasant. What these two groups have in common is that they both pose the question- “is this change or is this just a show?”
Both partake is anti-Putin performances that reach the media and cause public stupor, but do their protests actually have any effect on the current Russian government? So far, the public have not decided whether to back them or to let them serve their time in prison. The majority of Russian media seems to condemn their action in Christ the Saviour, but believes their sentence is excessively harsh.
For the scantily clad feminists, the jail time can only mean more publicity and growth in following. However, in most interviews with Putin, the mention of Pussy Riot does not seem to faze him or cause any kind of upset. Again, it has to be asked- is he worried about the potential uprising or does he really think that a bunch of girls in tights cannot possibly touch him? It seems that when it comes to making change it is the message of the people, not the show that will make a difference.
