Raging Grannies
The Raging Grannies movement began in 1987 in Victoria in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A group of senior women including teachers, businesswomen, artists, homemakers, librarians and other professionals started a protest against the threat to health and environment posed by the visit of US Navy warships and submarines in the waters surrounding Victoria, vessels that could be powered by nuclear reactors and/or equipped with nuclear arms.
From the beginning they proved imaginative in their protests. They first experimented with street theater to bring attention to the presence of those US vessels in the Victoria harbour. Then they dressed in lab coats and, armed with makeshift Geiger counters, they tested water puddles for radiation at popular malls. When curious bystanders asked about their activities they were told about the US vessels in the harbour, which was not in the newspapers.
The Raging Grannies movement quickly spread across Canada and then to the US, Australia, UK, Israel, and New Zealand. So far, there is no central organization of the Raging Grannies. There is, however, a Canadian website that describes the movement and also hosts hundreds of songs written by various groups.
The website describes their philosophy thus:
“Let us be clear about the Grannies. We are totally non-violent, believe in only peaceful protest (with lots of laughter), work for the ‘many not the few’ and see our work as the spreading green branches of a great tree, rising up to provide shelter and nourishment for those who will come after us.
Grannies are best equipped to make public, corrupt things that have been hidden (often for profit). Local toxic waste sites that no-one seems prepared to tackle, asbestos sites employing young people desperate for work, nuclear waste products being dumped outside an uninformed small town, laws that affect an entire community, passed quickly with no opportunity for study. The list goes on.
Grannies always check their facts before acting, discarding rumours, conspiracy theories and the agendas of others. They wait patiently till the whole picture is clear before hitting the street with their pointed, original and devastating songs, written by any old gran who feels inspired.
The delights of grannying include: dressing like innocent little old ladies so we can get close to our ‘target’, writing songs from old favourites that skewer modern wrongs, satirizing evil-doing in public and getting everyone singing about it, watching a wrong back down and turn tail and run, sharing a history with other women who know who they are and what they’re about.
What do you need to be a granny? A sense of humour and an ability both to be objective and to compromise when working with others. Willingness to make noise. An open heart to learn something new. No singing ability. Passion. Joy. Delight. No colour sense, obviously. A friendly disposition. Kindness. Scientific curiosity can’t hurt. Maybe a sense of history and our place in it. There is so much more to be written on being a granny by those yet to come.”
Typically in their protest actions, the Raging Grannies sport disarming smiles and colorful clothing as a parody of stereotypes of older women. They write and sing witty satirical songs, bringing a good dose of irreverence and a dynamic imagination for creative protests in their challenges to authorities.
The idea of a Granny allows older women to claim a public space. They often confound authorities with their unpredictability and imagination. In Canada, for example, they once rode to a naval base in a horse-drawn carriage and carried flowers when a nuclear submarine was in.
Over the years, the Raging Grannies have joined many movements by writing and singing new songs. Some examples are:
- Protests against the Iraq war.
- March against Monsanto to stop Genetically Modified Foods.
- Asking banks to stop investing in companies that make parts for nuclear weapons.
- Asking Facebook to stop the rampant spread of disinformation.
- March to encourage voting in the November 2020 elections.
- Urging the public to wear masks and observe social distancing to minimize the spread of the Corona virus.
- Honoring the life and work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- Protests against police brutality.
- Supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Grannies have daringly crashed parties, receptions, commissions and hearings of all kinds to give visibility to issues or events that some wanted secret.
Here is a recent song of the Montreal Raging Grannies, entitled ‘Why Did all the Seniors Die?’ and sung to the tune of ‘Where Have all the Flowers Gone?’
Why did all the seniors die
During this pandemic
Why did all the seniors die
Many from neglect
Why did all the seniors die
Died from a lack of care
What have we learned from this?
What have we learned from this?
What will our government do
To make their lives matter
What will our government change
To make their lives count
What will the government do
To make sure no more lives are lost
What have they learned from this?
What have they learned from this?
Afterword: Granny Power and Two Raging Grannies are documentaries made on this movement. Two books have also been written about the movement: The Raging Grannies: Wild Hats, Cheeky Songs and Witty Actions for a Better World by Carole Ray and Off Our Rockers, by Alison Acker and Betty Brightwell. There are a number of videos on YouTube including a TEDx talk by the Rochester Raging Grannies.