On May 6, they will receive the “Woody Guthrie” distinction, named following an American folk singer and composer (1912-1967) considered a left-wing musician, sometimes classified as a socialist, revolutionary or even anarchist, and who defended the poorest and the oppressed.
The latest recipients of this award are Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez or Pete Seeger.
“In Woody’s mind, I think he would have liked Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” said one of the members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, in a message sent to AFP by their agent.
“We don’t really play folk but we don’t really play punk either. We just shout and protest as loud as we can and hope to show others that they can do the same,” the protesting artist continued.
She and Maria Aliokhina will be presented with the award at the tenth anniversary of the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following which they are expected to perform on stage, according to organizers.
“The artists who, like Woody Guthrie, have the courage of their convictions, there are currently none who deserve it as much as Pussy Riot,” said Cady Shaw, head of the Woody Guthrie Center, in a press release.
Last May, members of Pussy Riot started a series of concerts in Berlin to denounce the war in Ukraine and the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Maria Aliokhina, under the threat of a prison sentence in Russia, had been able to leave the country illegally, disguised as a delivery girl, and join the concert.
This feminist punk group became famous following a performance deemed scandalous at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in 2012. Young women sang a punk “prayer” asking the Virgin Mary to “drive out” Vladimir Putin. Three of them, including Maria Aliokhina, had been sentenced for acts deemed blasphemous to two-year prison terms in a camp.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Aliokhina were released in December 2013.
Since then, Pussy Riot have continued to denounce “totalitarianism” in Russia.
