ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a global call to women survivors of violence to break the silence and release their stories – politically, spiritually, outrageously – through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and “whatever way feels right”. For the first of a series of events at Harare’s Book Café, SISTAZ OPEN MIC on Saturday 8 February invites women artists of Zimbabwe to get involved by coming forward to “Claim your space and do your thing: Music, Poetry, Comedy, Dance, Theatre – Whatever!”
‘One Billion Rising’ was the biggest mass action in human history. The campaign began as a call to action based on the staggering UN statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS.
Last year on 14 February, people across the world came together in over 10,000 events to strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.
In Harare this week, the FLAME gender project by Harare’s leading arts development organisation Pamberi Trust - which has seen the emergence and growth of hundreds of artists - partners with One Billion Rising Zimbabwe to extend the global call to people of Harare in a series of events dedicated to the cause, leading up to 14 February, its internationally recognized day:
Sat 08 Feb, 2-5pm, SISTAZ OPEN MIC – ‘SISTERS RISING FOR JUSTICE’
At Sistaz Open Mic on Saturday 8 February from 2-5pm, Harare women artists pave the way for the global campaign ONE BILLION RISING, a call to women survivors of violence to break the silence and release their stories – “politically, spiritually, outrageously – through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way feels right”. Special guests include Selmor Mtukudzi from 5.30pm, swiftly rising singer-songwriter (who will also perform at Book Café on 14 February).
The popular monthly platform at Book Café is a protected space for young women artists to participate in the arts in the safety of daytime, and regularly features around 30 artists, both emerging and established, who bring a diverse programme of entertainment to the table, spiced with themes around issues which affect their lives, including gender emancipation and empowerment. Women artists have claimed the platform as their own, and several success stories have grown from it. As advertised, “Sisters, this is your space, come and claim it: Music, Dance, Poetry, Comedy – whatever!”- cc $1
Tue 11 Feb, EXHIBITION: ‘ONE BILLION RISING’ - 11-15 February 2014
‘EXTRACTS: FROM A TIME TO A PLACE’ features a photographic collection of different risings the world over, and artwork by CHRISTINE NDORO, NOMPILO NKOMO and CATHERINE MAKAYA. Included are extracts from Christine’s exhibitions, ‘This Woman’s Work’ and ‘Memories of Peace’, and some pieces which have not yet been seen. Christine rises by holding on to hope of a world where love just ‘is’. The exhibition also features work from NOMPILO NKOMO, a happy, spirited young woman with malformed hands who paints with her feet, and who believes that ‘everything under the sun is possible if we believe.' The third exhibitor is young, jubilant artist CATHERINE MAKAYA, who has something that needs to be said about the world she lives in, and the woman she is rising to be. FREE, ALL WELCOME.
Thu 13 Feb, 5.30pm, Book Café Gender Forum discussion:
‘ONE BILLION RISING: The State of Female Justice in Zimbabwe: Reflections on justice issues for women in Zimbabwe’ – The free public discussion will be looking at gaps in the justice system and women’s access to justice in wake of abuse; and how communities can actively engage stakeholders in ensuring that survivors of violence can access justice timely. Panelists are women’s rights activists Tendai Garwe, Tariro Tandi, and Nyasha Sengayi (OBR Zimbabwe Coordinator), chaired by Cleo Ndlovu. Supported by OBR Zimbabwe. FREE, ALL WELCOME.
These events are presented by One Billion Rising Zimbabwe in partnership with the FLAME gender project by Harare’s leading arts development organisation Pamberi Trust. Each year FLAME presents exciting programmes for International Women’s Day and 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, with regular Gender Forum discussions and many artistic performances and workshops through the year.
Pamberi Trust receives core programme support from Hivos, Africalia and the European Union, among other event-specific partner organisations who employ the arts for information dissemination and peace-building.
ABOUT ONE BILLION RISING
ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places where they are entitled to justice – courthouses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not. It is a call to survivors to break the silence and release their stories – politically, spiritually, outrageously – through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way feels right.Our stories have been buried, denied, erased, altered, and minimized by patriarchal systems that allow impunity to reign. Justice begins when we speak, release, and acknowledge the truth in solidarity and community. ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is an invitation to break free from confinement, obligation, shame, guilt, grief, pain, humiliation, rage, and bondage.
The campaign is a recognition that we cannot end violence against women without looking at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Impunity lives at the heart of these interlocking forces.
One Billion Rising was the biggest mass action in human history. The campaign began as a call to action based on the staggering UN statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On 14 February 2013, people across the world came together to strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.
Over 10,000 events took place on the ground and the campaign took over media and social media worldwide for 48 hours, trending in 7 countries – 4x in the US alone. The wildly successful grassroots campaign was covered widely by media in all corners of world including The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, and many more.
Find out more about the campaign at http://www.onebillionrising.
ENDS
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