Outside a military base in Debert, Nova Scotia, on a cold day in February 1984, a small but mighty group of women harnessed the power of performance art, protest, and the media—and captured the attention of the entire country.

That same day in February, 329 people were planning on using the bunker for rehearsal of a nuclear attack—nearly all of them white, middle-aged men with government or military leadership roles; only 11 women were on the list.

Months earlier, women from all over the Maritimes began planning for a multi-faceted day of action, dubbed Debunk Debert. The group arranged radio interviews on CBC morning shows, arranged for men to handle the day’s cooking, cleaning, and childcare, and staged a protest at Camp Debert, the location of Atlantic Canada’s only cold war bunker.

The protesters’ message was clear: while these men continue government from inside the bunker, what is happening to the women and children you’ve left behind? How do you continue government, or humanity, without a second generation? Documentary filmmaker Liz MacDougall explores these questions and covers the protest in her 1985 documentary Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only, screening Friday, March 14 in the Cold War Bunker, presented by the Nelson Museum to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The screening of Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only is at 6:30pm on Friday, March 14, followed by an open discussion with Anna Purcell and Tressa Ford. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for the general public and includes a reproduction of the ‘Debunk Debert’ buttons created for the original protest.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Front Desk or online. Space is limited for this one-time only event.