Inna Shevchenko
| Inna Shevchenko Інна Шевченко |
|
|---|---|
Inna Shevchenko (left) 11 Jul 2010
|
|
| Born |
June 23, 1990 Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Residence | France |
| Alma mater | Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv |
| Occupation | Feminist activist |
| Movement | FEMEN |
Inna Shevchenko (Ukrainian: Інна Шевченко) is a feminist activist and the leader of international women's movement FEMEN, which often demonstrates topless against what they perceive as manifestations of patriarchy, especially dictatorship, religion, and the sex industry. Shevchenko has a higher profile than the other members of the group. She was the leader of the three FEMEN activists reputedly kidnapped and threatened by the Belarus KGB in 2011. She achieved attention in Ukraine by cutting with a chainsaw and then bringing down a 4-metre high Christian cross in central Kiev in 2012.
In 2013, Shevchenko was granted asylum in France, and now continues her activism by leading FEMEN France from a training base she has established in Paris.
In July 2013, Olivier Ciappa, who together with David Kawena designed a new French stamp depicting Marianne, stated on Twitter that Shevchenko had been the main inspiration for the depiction.
Inna Shevchenko was born in Kherson near the Black Sea, on 23 June 1990. Inna had a childhood 'like that of all girls. I was brought up as a typical Ukrainian, Slavic girl, and was taught not to shout or argue'. She was a 'patsanka' (tomboy) and was especially close to her father who was a military officer. She also has an older sister. The 2004 Orange Revolution opened her eyes to politics and in the TV shows which pitted journalists against politicians, she said the journalists 'looked more intelligent so I wanted to be one'. She went to university at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv from 2008 until 2012 where she studied journalism and graduated with honours. Her extracurricular activity as a leader of the student government gave her political connections that helped land her a job in 2009 working for the Mayor's press office in Kiev. Shevchenko's first language is Russian, although she is also fluent in Ukrainian and English.
...
Wikipedia