The media Daptar is a platform for women from the Caucasus to share their stories – often their family difficulties, sometimes their success – and a new place to address the idea of Caucasian feminism.

Daptar was launched by the Dagestani organization Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights in 2014. Daptar in Arabic means “diary” or “chronicle.” Сhief editor of the portal Svetlana Anokhina (she is currently facing a criminal case for fakes about the army for anti-war posts) was born and lived most of her life in Dagestan. She emphasizes that there are many internal contradictions in Caucasian feminism. “All the attempts of the ‘metropolitan’ feminists to tell us how to behave cause tension in our women’s community. For example, great difficulties occur in debates about hijabs. The way Caucasian feminists have been talking about the hijab for more than a decade is in the current trend of viewing various phenomena through a decolonial lens. Many women believe that the choice to wear the hijab is the result of their struggle.”

Women came to Daptar to tell their stories, for instance, about how they were beaten by their husbands or brothers but were afraid to ask for help. In Caucasian culture, family (parents, husband, brothers) has a monopoly on violence over women. The family decides where and how to live, what to read and what not to read, what to wear, and with whom it is acceptable to go for a walk. However, the media is not just about negative experiences, but also about women’s victories – rallies for rights, bravery to resist patriarchy, and successful careers.