For immediate release
Bridgewater, June 7, 2019
You may have seen them, women of a certain age, dressed in outlandish costumes sporting wild and crazy hats, singing familiar songs (often off-key) with lyrics you don’t recognize. These are the Raging Grannies, part of a worldwide network of activists who use humour and parody to get their message across. The Raging Grannies originated in Victoria, BC in 1987 and have spread across Canada and beyond with gaggles, as they are affectionately called, in the United States, Australia and Greece. At present there are two active gaggles in Nova Scotia—the Wolfville Raging Grannies and the South Shore Raging Grannies.
On May 27, twenty-one Grannies from the two gaggles met in Wolfville to swap songs and discuss plans of action. With over 1,400 years of collective wisdom, these Grannies had a lot to share! The Grannies also recorded a video in support of the Mi’kmaq Water Protectors from the Millbrook First Nation who are in an ongoing dispute with the Alton Gas Company that wants to dump copious amount of brine into the Shubenacadie River.
When the Raging Grannies movement began in 1987, their focus was on nuclear weapons. Since that time Granny actions have covered a wide variety of issues with songs like “No More War’, “Take Your Freakin’ Frackin’ Drilling”, “Itsy Bitsy Aquaculture” and “Give me a Home Where the Rivers Don’t Foam”. Grannies strive to educate, raise awareness and generate change, usually in the face of strong opposition but in the words of their theme song, – “a chain link fence won’t keep us out, and jail won’t keep us in. Grannies keep on singing and the Grannies always win.”
In the face of the current threat to human survival—the Climate Crisis, Grannies are mobilizing to pressure politicians and business leaders to take immediate action to cut emissions and halt the senseless destruction of our precious Mother Earth. You will be seeing a lot more of these colourful characters in the coming months as election fever ramps up and the Grannies urge you to take a few minutes to listen to their message and join in the effort to salvage our children’s future.
If you think you might be Granny material, don’t hesitate to approach them. New voices are always welcome. Singing talent is not required, but you will need a wicked sense of humour and a great hat!
For further information contact cathyoliver@xplornet.ca
