THE BOOK
For the Lives of All Women/Pela Vida das Mulheres is a collection of photographs and interviews by Camila Cavalcante to be published by Break the Habit Press. For over two years Camila travelled around Brazil meeting women who have had, or who have been witnesses to, illegal abortions. She photographed a total of fifty women who, with their identities protected, shared their stories and intensified the debate for women’s reproductive rights. You can see some of Camila's images of this project here.
The title was inspired by the chant that people took to the streets to fight for women’s rights in Brazil and all over the world. It will be a bilingual book with the most powerful images of Cavalcante’s project, as well as interviews with the collaborators and essays from activists and experts.
In this book, Camila uses the naked female form to challenge the dangerous reproductive laws of Brazil. She exposes her body and her identity on behalf of these women in an act of dissent and solidarity for all, making her collection of portraits both deeply personal and deeply political.
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For the Lives of All Women/ Pela Vida das Mulheres book cover
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Access to safe abortion is a human rights issue and until this is resolved we will continue to fight for it. In Brazil abortion is only legal to save a woman’s life, in cases of a foetus without a brain and in cases of rape. Despite this law, one in five women between 14 and 40 years old have had at least one abortion in their life. If prosecuted, these women can go to prison for up to three years.
Similar laws affects 125 countries, nearly 40% of the world’s population. That includes Northern Ireland, where the legislation, as it stands, only allows abortion if a woman's life is at risk or if there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health.
The far-right is gaining power across the world and it is women and other vulnerable groups that will be affected most by this. We have to come together and fight for what we believe to be right. At a time in which fake news is on the rise and people are closing their minds to data and facts, we need to use all possible tools to create empathy and help break the stereotypes that are associated with women who seek abortions.
Within this context For the Lives of All Women is an act of rebellion in itself.
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Us For All Women in 2017-4: “My choices were either to have a baby alone again while he would be a father when it’s convenient, because he was not ready to change his life style, or not to have a baby. But what I wanted was to have a baby with him.”
WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
One year ago Camila created her first crowd-funding here on Indiegogo for her project Us For All Women/Nós Por Todas. It was an amazing way to fund her research and travels in Brazil and legitimise her work and activism while continuing to develop her art. Break the Habit Press and Camila now want to create this book as a legacy for the project and the cause.
Even though Us For All Women is artistically completed, creating a photography book is very expensive. All of the money raised will go to the cost of printing the book on high quality paper and making it the most beautiful book it can be. Break the Habit Press is a new start-up and so needs help funding this.
We need £4,500 to make a basic photography book. Any money over the target will go on making the book even better. If we have lots of extra money, this will go towards the book launch on March 8th, International Women’s Day 2019. We plan to have a Q&A with Camila, an exhibition and a panel discussion.
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Us For All Women in 2001-2: “You cannot go through this unscathed. It’s about responsibility, but not only our own, it’s society’s responsibility. We empower ourselves to demand the right for a choice, but this is something that needs to be discussed collectively. It cannot be something exclusively ours anymore. There’s too much pain, too much sadness.”
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US
Apart from backing the project financially, what would be unbelievably helpful is if you shout about it everywhere! It is really important that we talk about this subject and that we help women who need our support. Please tell all your friends, family, colleagues and social media followers about the book and its importance. Or if you just needs someone to talk to about this, drop a line to Camila; she would be happy to hear from you.
RISKS AND CHALLENGES
We are working really hard to make this book happen. All of the photographs and interviews are completed and most of the content translated. The only thing we need now is the cash to fund it. Without your help, this book will not be possible. As this is an ‘all or nothing’ campaign, if we do not reach our goal, you will get your money back at the end and we will not print the book. What a shame that would be!
ABOUT CAMILA
Camila Cavalcante is a visual artist from the north-east coast of Brazil, currently settled in the UK. She holds a Masters of the Arts degree from University of Westminster and works for the London School of Photography. Camila was awarded two photography national prizes in her home country and has taken part in over 30 exhibitions and three art residencies in Brazil, the US, Mexico and the UK.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Break the Habit Press are a feminist publisher creating books around social issues and covering topics that need to be challenged. They are dedicated to pushing for change through literature and events.
Their first book was 100 Women I Know, a collection of accounts of rape and sexual assault. Thirty percent of money received from book sales will go towards funding educational workshops in schools.
Their second book was Period. by Natalie Byrne and covers everything you need to know about periods. Ten percent of profits goes to Bloody Good Period, an organisation providing menstrual supplies to asylum seekers, refugees and those who can’t afford them.
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The tote bags of the project come in black or light green
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You can choose the size and fit of you t-shirt
