The sixth edition of Disruptive Fridays features a conversation with Pedro Marum (XenoEntities Network, Mina, Suspension, PT/DE), Mariana Nobre V. (Performer, choreographer, queer rave instigator, Emotional CPR – eCPR, Rabbit Hole and Lecken collectives, PT/DE), Mariana Cunha (Kosmicare, PT) and Rafi (Artist, Organizer, TS Raver, DE), moderated by Nada Bakr (Disruption Network Lab EG/DE).

During this conversation the guests discuss harm reduction within queerfeminist self-organized communities that welcome queers, trans, POC and neurodivergent people to discuss, test and learn about psychoactive substances. For long they have operated with structures that not only provide moments of revelry but also much-needed care and acceptance for many, who often find in these communities their peers, their kin, forms of coping and resistance. In the current times of pandemic and isolation they are debating how to continue this work.

As the clubs and parties close, where does all this energy go now? What happens to all the bottled-up anxieties and loneliness? What happens to the people that struggle with addiction and, instead of understanding, find prejudice and discrimination? Who looks after those whose needs have always been overlooked or oppressed? What happens now that governments have (yet again) failed to protect, and these communities have become de-fragmented and even more precarious under isolation? How can we foster collective digital support, debates, talks and guidelines about harm reduction and emotional support in self-isolation times?

Pedro Marum, Mariana Cunha, Mariana Nobre V. and Rafi speak about their ongoing projects and about “RAVELENGTH”, an upcoming project in which they collaborate to generate accessible tools for harm reduction, relief and empowerment within the queerfeminist electronic music scene and raver communities. By organizing online discussions, workshops and support groups in collaboration with artists, healthcare professionals and local community organizers, they call for a culture of solidarity across and beyond European borders.

Pedro Marum ( XenoEntities Network, Mina, Suspension, PT/DE)
Marum is one of the instigators of the collective party mina (Lisbon), co-founder of the label and artist platform suspension, and founder member of XenoEntities Network. mina and suspension have started a collaboration with harm reduction NGO Kosmicare, organising talks and exchange groups with the queer community, raising awareness and providing access to tools and knowledge on harm reduction. In response to the pandemic crisis, together with other collectives they initiated Ravelength.

Mariana Nobre V. (Performer, choreographer, queer rave instigator, Emotional CPR (eCPR), Rabbit Hole and Lecken collectives, PT/DE)
Emotional CPR is a practice based on values of mutual support and interpersonal communication for addressing personal and community moments of crisis and distress. Having its origins on a public health education program developed in the field of mental health, eCPR is now being integrated with somatic practices and informed by queer principles of consent, inclusion, collective action, access and solidarity. This work is being developed by a team of eCPR practitioners and artists with extensive experience in queer activism, movement research, queer nightlife production and harm reduction.

Mariana Cunha (Kosmicare, PT)
Mariana works with Kosmicare, an NGO that envisions a world where drugs are used with liberty and wisdom. She studied pharmacological and neurosciences and has been working in harm reduction since 2017. Currently, she runs a permanent drug checking laboratory in Lisbon. Her interests include psychopharmacology, raves, science fiction and everything in between.

Rafi (Artist, Organizer, TS Raver, DE)
Rafi is an organiser and artist based in Berlin. He organises with TS Raver, a queer nightlife project that positions peer led harm reduction teams as anchors for critical care.

Nada Bakr (Disruption Network Lab, EG/DE)
Nada Bakr is a curator, researcher and cultural manager based in Berlin. She holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Media Arts Cultures from Aalborg University. She works on different projects in Berlin and Cairo related to visual arts, digital culture, art and activism, digital rights and media art. Her work in the field of media art is developed through research and practice on the intersection between art and technology. Nada is the Managing Director and co-curator of Cairotronica – Cairo Electronic and New Media Art festival, where she curates and manages the biennial festival program. She works as project manager for the conference and community programme and is a member of the Disruption Network Lab e. V..

Photo Courtesy of the organisation