Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova positions herself as a philosopher, feminist, and human rights activist. But many ask a reasonable question - why does she choose rather controversial methods to protect someone's rights and interests, as a rule, causing a negative reaction in society?
Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova is a rather extraordinary person, in a sense, a modern revolutionary, eager to reshape both politics and society, a convinced feminist. But the methods of manifesting her convictions, which Nadezhda uses, rarely bring the desired results, rather complicate her life, turn society against her. So who is she - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova - a defender of women's rights or an outrageous person “against everyone and against everything”?
Who is Nadezhda Tolokonnikova - biography
Nadezhda was born into the family of an ambulance doctor and music school teacher on November 7, 1989, in Norilsk. When my father decided to go into business and move to Moscow, the parents broke up - Nadia's mother did not want to leave her hometown. But little Nadya did not remain without dad's attention, he took an active part in her upbringing, dreamed that her daughter would enter Moscow State University.
Nadya spent most of her childhood with her mother, an imperious and strong woman. It was she who insisted on receiving, in addition to basic education, also music, instilled in her daughter a love of literature and history, philosophy. Moreover, my mother supported the young rebel in every possible way, helped to avoid the troubles that Nadya constantly got into, taking part in various youth protests.
The father also had a significant influence on the development of his daughter - he introduced her to the works of Vladimir Sorokin, took her to exhibitions of Prigov's paintings, and brought her personally to the conceptual poet Rubinstein. And instead of magazines for girls, Nadya read Kommersant.
Public activities of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
In 2007, Nadezhda moved to Moscow, entered Moscow State University, where she became one of the founders of the Voina art group. Together with like-minded people, Nadezhda held protests - either in support of street art, or in support of employees of a well-known fast food chain. But the forms of manifestation of the art group's convictions and positions were somewhat extraordinary - the shareholders threw themselves at homeless animals, staged orgies, and walked the streets of the capital naked.
In 2011, Tolokonnikova, together with her friends, organized the rock group Pussy Riot, and unleashed her "anger" on the Orthodox Church and the current government. The actions were just as "bright", as a result of which Nadezhda and two of her friends - Masha Alekhina and Katya Samutsevich - ended up in the dock.
The trial and its results (Tolokonnikova and Alekhina received a real term of imprisonment - 2 years each), attracted the attention of foreign "colleagues". Such celebrities as Madonna, Stephen Fry, Peter Gabriel and others have demanded to mitigate the punishment. Moreover, according to some world-class publications, Tolokonnikova became “woman of the year”.
How Nadezhda Tolokonnikova lives and what she does now
In the personal life of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the same chaos reigns as in the public one. In 2008, she married a like-minded artist, Peter Verzilov. Pregnancy did not become a reason for refusing to participate in protest actions - in the last stages, the expectant mother walked naked around the Biological Museum.
During the trial of Tolokonnikova, there was an acute question of who her daughter Gera, who at that time was only 4 years old, would stay with during her imprisonment. As a result, the court gave permission for guardianship to Nadezhda's lawyer.
After her release, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova decided to take up the protection of the rights of women prisoners. The protests became less shocking, most of them were transferred abroad and on the Internet. Tolokonnikova wrote a book, takes an active part in the life of former cellmates and their protégés, is the initiator of many high-profile cases against employees and the protection of female correctional colonies.
