I've been vegan for two years already. I usually only talk about it when someone asks me but today I'd like to share with you my very first experience with vegan activism (without you asking me 😊).
Many people think of meat, eggs or cheese as an item from the supermarket or a product from the local butcher or fresh-market. It looks good, is easy to buy and these days does not have to be very expensive. And above all, people know what they want to make of it and that thought alone often already creates nice memories and expectations.
Eating can be a social thing, but it can be just a quick necessity too to take in the much-needed nutrition on a daily basis.
Regardless of eating pattern and priorities, most people around us grow up eating meat, fish, eggs or cheese without really knowing about the suffering animals have to go through. Some people may be curious where these products come from and go and browse the internet or look for other means of information in books or magazines. But otherwise, there’s not really a trigger or perceived need to find out more about this.
The global organisation “Anonymous for the Voiceless” is making this more accessible to the public by what they call the “Cube of Truth”. Last Saturday was the first time ever that me and my husband have participated in this Cube of Truth in a nearby city.
A group of activists forms a square in a public place facing outwards and hold video equipment on which they show footage of slaughterhouses, factory farming, the egg industry and fur farms.
Passers-by can stop and watch the footage and other activists are available to engage with them and answer questions they may have about the footage.
This is a low effort but high impact activity since it is completely voluntary, none of the passers-by are approached, they determine whether they want to see it and if they are interested to know more about it. People of all kinds are attracted, young and old, couples and singles, families and friends, locals and visitors.
This footage was from Switzerland, a highly regulated country, with stringent laws for animal welfare. It shows practices from the slaughterhouses. I never watch it myself because it is just too much for me. Such practices are totally unnecessary today. Just the mere fact that nowadays we have access to so many products which we’ve never had before, there is no need any more for animals to get slaughtered to get the necessary nutrition.
There was quite a group of people, but we pretty much only knew the organizer. The action took three hours and we’ve had a lot of attention from curious people, despite the cold and gloomy weather.
One can imagine that not everyone who’s looking at the footage is shocked or interested, some may be looking away and move on, others start a confrontation and then there’s those who are vegan and just stop by for a chat.
The strength of this cube is that the activists standing in the square all wear masks, are dressed in black and don’t move or speak throughout the action. They just hold a laptop showing the footage or hold a sign that says “TRUTH” – which focuses attention on the faith of the actual animals instead of the people standing there.
Nevertheless, having people standing there sends a strong message of personal engagement and commitment of these activists to bring out the truth. After three ours of not moving at all and holding the sign I couldn't feel my legs anymore...
The group on Saturday was very diverse. There were die-hard activists who’ve done this and other activism for many years. Then there were some new starters, just like me and my husband. And there may have been also a couple of one-off participants who just wanted to try it out and see how this goes.
We had different nationalities as well, Swiss of course, then some Germans, a Spanish, English, Slovak (me) and Dutch (my husband).
Although the cube itself is not meant as a social event for activists, there was plenty of time afterwards for networking. I am even potentially looking to work with some of them when I am opening my restaurant but I have to see how this evolves.
I am so proud that we took part in the Cube and I'm sure that we will be doing it regularly now.
Thank you for reading,
Cheers,
Martina
The photos are not taken by me (as I was in the Cube) but are shared with the permission.
