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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, August 29, 2003

Girl Fest speaks out against violence

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

"Speakeasy Speakout," a benefit for Girl Fest scheduled for 9 p.m. Sunday at Studio 1, is a multimedia event offering spoken word, music, modern dance, film, video and visual art, including photography by Kim Kinard, above. Girl Fest's mission is to prevent domestic violence against women and girls through education and entertainment.
Girl Fest was founded in the middle of a chaotic time in Rebekah Long's life. Just four months earlier, the 27-year-old Long had been beaten severely by someone she had known since she was a teenager.

"He was my best friend of 11 years. He was my ex-boyfriend as well," said Long, recalling the evening last November she now calls "the cherry on the top" of a month of abuse. "He took me up to Tantalus and beat the hell out of me. He wouldn't stop hitting me until I wrote him a check for $5,000.

"He dislocated my jaw ... fractured (a) rib. I urinated blood for two days."

Long immediately decided she'd had enough. But she was still afraid her abuser would return to do even worse. Just as frightening to Long was having zero knowledge of what kind of assistance was available to victims of domestic violence, and where to get it. Bounced from one agency to the next, Long found it difficult to obtain a restraining order and start receiving therapy.

Except for filmmaker and longtime friend Kathryn Xian and Xian's mother, an attorney, no one helped. Every employee at her salon and spa Aquaria quit.

"During that time ... everyone around her did leave. She really had nobody," said Xian. "(But) Rebekah is also real energetic. She's got the energy of a small sun."

Most of all, Long wanted her terrible experience to be a catalyst for change.

Long and Xian planted the seeds of Girl Fest in March with a mission of preventing domestic violence against women and girls through education, entertainment and encouraging positive representation of women in all media. Girl Fest's first fund-raising blend of education and entertainment was "Speak Out," a successful May event at Studio 1 that featured spoken word artists, live bands, dance, video and film screenings and DJs.

Xian admitted the mix of entertainment and domestic-violence education might sound unorthodox, but really makes sense.

"It sinks in better than having a didactic workshop where speakers are talking and the kids are just looking and listening," said Xian. "If you have ... a spoken word poet ... like Kealoha, who does First Thursdays (poetry slams), people are enthralled."

Add filmmakers, dancers and visual artists to the stew, and "the message sinks in," said Xian. "Integrating education, art and media is relevant to get the message out to these kids."

Girl Fest's second fund-raiser, Sunday's "Speakeasy Speakout," will feature a lengthier list of guest artists and performers than "Speak Out," and a "Roaring Twenties" theme.

"The 1920s were a time of great progress in the women's suffrage movement," explained Xian. "There were a lot of firsts for women — Amelia Earhart, women's right to vote ..."

"... Birth control!" exclaimed Long.

Girl Fest's next themed fund-raiser, scheduled for December, is named Medusa's Winter Ball, after guest hip-hop vocalist Medusa, from Los Angeles.

Ten months after ending her abuse, Long has put Aquaria back on track with a new staff and "loves" going to work again. Work on Girl Fest, she said, continues to help her deal with what happened to her. In spite of her near omnipresent smile, infectious laugh and energetic disposition, however, Long still lives with memories of last November every day.

Seven months of court appearances ended with a guilty verdict for her abuser. But he appealed soon after and has yet to serve any prison time. Meanwhile, Long is still going to post-traumatic stress therapy.

"What happened rocked my core. I'm not the same," said Long. "I need to fight back for that old Rebekah. I need to fight back for my confidence and clarity of mind. Everything was stolen from me.

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else."

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

• • •

'Speakeasy Speakout'

A benefit for Girl Fest

9 p.m. Sunday (doors open at 8 p.m.)

$7-$20 (pay what you can afford)

Studio 1

945-0996

The lineup of artists and performers includes:

  • Spoken word: Kealoha, The Rebel Girl, Hawaiian Ryan, Selah Geissler
  • Modern dance: Christine Berwin, Sequoia, The House of Chandelier with Giinko Marischino, Sami Akuna, Summer Partlon
  • Music: Missing Dave, Sisters In Sound, Rea Fox, Amber Ricci, Maria and Hope Atz
  • Visual art: Nobuko Oyabu, Elea Dumas, Kim Kinard
  • Films and video: Kara Herold's "Grrlyshow", Wendy Fong's "Sidewalk Story"
  • Emcees: Oliver Chavenia, Rebekah Long