Tupilak Tribute to Rita Creighton Chan

Our steering committee member has died in a tragic highway accident on her way to an international feminist motorcycle rally in Germany.

Rita was a dynamic and enthusiastic member of a number of LGBT organizations in Sweden and was a pioneer of rainbow culture and international LGBT solidarity * especially promoting the rights and dignity of immigrant women in Sweden.

The American-born Rita was perhaps most widely known for her years-long English*language program on Stockholm Gay Radio * “Leaping Lesbians” * where she combined the serious and the humorous, the cultural and the political, the Swedish and the global, the private and the universal.

In mourning on behalf of the Tupilak steering committee,

Bill Schiller, chairman

International Cultural Festival -- Stockholm July 29-August 5, 2007

Press Release July 18, 2007

Rainbow Culture vs. Homophobia & Silence at Stockholm gathering

10^th Moonbow International Culture & Human Rights Festival

Stockholm – International rainbow solidarity across Nordic borders and beyond -- and the use of rainbow culture as a powerful weapon against intolerance, homophobia and invisibility –are the themes of this the 10^th Moonbow international culture & human rights festival in Stockholm July 29-August 5 during Pride week.

“We are very pleased to have the co-operation of the Romanian Culture Institute to enable two activists from Bucharest to attend our festival …and to have the support of Canadian labor union CUPE to bring a composer/ musician from Toronto to this 10^th anniversary festival,” says Bill Schiller of Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers) and the ILGCN (International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network) Information Secretariat in Stockholm.

“We’re also very glad to have Iranians in exile hosting a seminar on the worsening situation for homosexuals in Iran, and to have private support to bring an Italian performer, Italian graphic art and Italian video art to this year’s Moonbow,” he adds. “Our low-budget Moonbow festivals were launched to boost international awareness and rainbow culture -- without high price tags and open to everyone.”

Art, Music, Performances, Drama, Literature, Discussions

Other artists, photographers and art work, musicians, singers, performers and seminar hosts are from Austria, Finland, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the USA.

Swedish singer Elise Ria Borderline

A traditional Moonbow supporter, the Nordic Rainbow Council will host a festival seminar on the coming conference on Baltic rainbow co-operation at the giant Gothenberg Book Fair and at the Museum of World Culture this September in that west coast Swedish city (including delegates from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). ‘Another supporter, Nordic Rainbow Humanists, will participate in a seminar on boosting Nordic co-operation and confronting the fierce homophobic attitudes of religious institutions – especially in our eastern Baltic neighbors and in Russia and Belarus.

Starting with the Tupilak/ILGCN art exhibition vernissage on Sunday afternoon July 29, the week-long festival will take place at Galleri Café Aguéli (Blecktornsgränd 9, Mariatorget). On Saturday, August 4 a festival cultural evening and award ceremony will take place at Musik Valvet (Gamla Stan, Kåkbrinken 5 Entré!).

More Information: www.tupilak.org info@tupilak.org