Pussy Riot win the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize
Russian group Pussy Riot have been awarded the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize. The annual distinction is organised by the Woody Guthrie Centre, the public museum and archive in Tulsa, Oklahoma, dedicated to the legacy of folk musician and anti-fascist songwriter Woody Guthrie.
The honour is presented to artists that reflect the spirit of Guthrie – who passed away in 1967 – by showing themselves to be “a champion for the voiceless with an understanding of how a platform can be used to shine a light on our world, showing us what needs to be fixed and how to fix it”. Previous prize winners include Bruce Springsteen in 2021 and Joan Baez in 2020.
Of their win, Pussy Riot said in a statement: “Today we’ve received the Woodie Guthrie prize. Woody Guthrie is a unique artist who fought against injustice and war with his songs.”
“It’s an honour for us to receive an award from Nora Guthrie, a true successor of her father’s work. At this difficult time of the horrible war that Putin started against Ukraine. We promise that we’re gunna fight against this war and Putin’s regime as loud as we can.”
A number of Pussy Riot members received the award in person, with Nadya Tolokonnikova adding in a remote message: “I wanted to thank you so much for giving Pussy Riot this award. It’s a great honour for us. I know that if we all come together, we can fight the evil. ¡No pasarán!”
Elsewhere, a further statement from the band explained: “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love pussy riot’s anti-fascist message. Usually when Pussy Riot gets added to lists, it’s not always a good thing, but we are honoured to be on this one. We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same”.
Concluding: “Like Woody said, any fool can make something complicated, our message is clear and simple. Anyone can be pussy riot. Riot. Riot. Resist. Oh and a quick reminder to Vladimir Putin and anyone who supports his Z regime … All you fascists are bound to lose.”
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