Bubblegum Club

Tag: student protest

  • Wits Silent Protest 2016 – Solidarity | Disruption | Remembrance | Healing

    #SilentProtest #SilentProtestWits #DemandPEP #BreakingTheSilence #1in3 #rememberkhwezi

    The power of Womxn’s solidarity and the power of silence in protests has been made evident throughout South Africa’s history. From the Womxn’s march to the Union Building in 1956 to the recent silent protest by four Womxn against rape culture during Zacob Zuma’s post-local elections address at the IEC in Pretoria. Wits University’s Braamfontein campus was painted purple on Wednesday the 17th of August as part of a daylong Silent Protest aimed at raising awareness against gender-based and sexual violence, as well as providing survivors with the comfort of knowing that they do not have to carry the burden alone. This awareness also highlighted the need for rape survivors to not only be heard and feel safe, but to also have access to treatment at hospitals and access to post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to help the body to fight off the chances of HIV infection.

    Beginning ten years ago with 80 Womxn in Grahamstown who taped their mouths as a symbol of the silencing around rape and other forms of sexual violence, the Silent Protest has become one of South Africa’s biggest annual protests against sexual violence, with 2016 marking the fourth year that it has taken place at Wits(1). Activations and performances on the Monday were organized by Drama For Life (one of the supporting organizers of the protest) on the main campus at Wits as a build up to the Silent Protest. Aids Healthcare Foundation South Africa along with Wits’ Counselling and Careers Development Unit (CCDU) were the main organizers of the event on campus with support from Drama For Life, the Gender Equity Office and Vow FM. Particularly powerful was the presence of some of the founders of the Silent Protest.

    Wits Silent Protest by Drama For LifeImage via Drama for Life

    The day started with participants receiving one of three different T-shirts identifying their form of participation. The first being a shirt which indicates one as a survivor of rape or any other form of sexual abuse. The second being those who participate as a form of solidarity but who cannot have their mouths taped. The final shirt indicating ones participation as a silent protester. Protestors who volunteer to have their mouths taped spent the day in silence and fasting to represent those who remain silent due to the fear of shaming, blaming and stigmatization often associated with reporting or speaking out about sexual and gender-based violence. Embodiment was a central communicator of the protest’s aims, with the taping of protestor’s mouths and the five minute ‘die in’ as the most potent forms of embodiment acted out publically throughout the day.

    Part of the power of the day was the stressing of self-care in healing as well as the deliberate creation and claiming of safe spaces on campus for the day. Circles mapped out on the floor with cloth were safe spaces in which participants could have their mouths taped shut. A larger circle was mapped out with cloth on the Amic Deck, which was the meeting place for the commencing of the silent march during lunch, as well as the space where speeches, stories, reflection and  unburdening took place. A CCDU tent was also present to provide support to anyone who needed it during the protest.

    Silent protest 2016_Wits Drama for LifeImage via Drama for Life

    During lunch protestors gathered to begin their silent march around the main campus. The only sounds heard were the rhythm of our steps and the few scattered in the crowd who were blowing whistles as a symbol of the need to disrupt the silencing of sexual violence survivors(2). Placards with “Stop the war on women’s bodies” and “PEP for all who need it now!” written on them were boldly raised in the air by men and Womxn. A group of Womxn chose to wear khangas in reference to the president’s rape trial and #rememberkhwezi, as well as to emphasize that it does not matter what a woman/girl is wearing; nothing justifies any form of violation. With the re-grouping of the marchers within the safe zone mapped out on Amic Deck, protestors were asked participate in a ‘die in’ which required lying down for five minutes to embody those who have fallen victim to such violence and not survived. The march ended with the collective removal of tape followed by a rhythmic humming led by Drama For Life to signify the unsilencing that this protest is working towards.

    Speeches by Larissa Klazinga and Kwezilomso Mbandazayo called attention to the importance of the day due to the fact that solidarity leads to healing. Kwezilomso quoted bell hooks with the words “solidarity is what intimacy looks like in public”. The protest, as expressed by Kwezilomso, was a moment of disruption. A disruption of hetero-patriarchal power. She continued her address by reflecting on her journey and the support provided by Black Womxnhood. In referring to the continued work, the daily work that needs to be done to overcome this violence, Kwezilomso stated, “as Black Womxn we have always led revolutions. And as Black Womxn we must lead this revolution”. The space was then opened up for other protestors to feel free to publically share thoughts, reflections and stories. This sharing, reflection and catharsis continued in more intimate spaces created in various spaces around campus through poetry, art and theatre.

    #SilentProtest #SilentProtestWits #DemandPEP #BreakingTheSilence #1in3 #rememberkhwezi

    *To see more images and find out more about the protest or to be part of conversations around sexual violence and rape culture, search any of the hashtags that have been mentioned throughout this article.*

    (1)  http://twitter.com/SilentProtestW

    (2) https://www.facebook.com/SilentProtestWits

    References:

    https://www.facebook.com/SilentProtestWits/photos/

  • Sehrrge- No Permission Needed

    ‘Fuck your tuition …. Ready to take it without your permission’ goes the arresting chorus of Sehrrge’s No Permission. Aka Dumisane Maseko from the Vaal, a  BPharma student by day, the song moves political commentary into the trap era. With a slurred beat from Polo, Sehrrge talks about how young people in South Africa are caught in a web of debt slavery. In order to have a better life, society says, you have to be prepared to be in bondage for the rest of your life. The song acknowledges this sad state of affairs, while waving a defiant middle finger at it.

    Student protests against fees have been an explosive force globally, but in South Africa is has been especially contentious. Fees Must Fall, and associated events, have come to stand for the dissolution of the post-Apartheid ‘rainbow nation’ project, when many feeling that reconciliation really just meant a rebranding of racism and structural inequality. Sehrrge’s artwork for the song ( a piece which he has called ‘Digital Ballot’) reflects this era of flux- Mandela below the AWB flag, against the melting face of Jacob Zuma. This schizoid imagery speaks to the dissolution of what he calls ‘ the democratic Utopian South Africa.’ Facing up to unpleasant reality puts him with the small group of South African hip hop artists who have chosen to confront politics head on. In the past, Cape Town’s Prophets of Da City had their radical songs censored by the Apartheid regime. In the 2000’s, Godessa spoke of Social Ills, while Teargas were named for the beloved substance of violent police.  More recently Dookom courted controversy with Larney Jou Poes, a searing attack on the deplorable conditions of farm workers.

    Fortunately, Sehrrge knows how to keep his politics engaging. Out of nowhere, the song dissolves into a hazy Take Care style late nightclub scenario. He may be criticizing consumer society, but he is as enthralled to it as anyone else.  In fact, such contradictions have been central to some of the most politically potent rap. The tense space between consciousness and materialism, bragging about skill and bearing witness to the world. NWA and 2Pac made timeless protest music while espousing some deplorable views about guns and violence. Currently, no-one embodies this better than Run The Jewels. On their two albums to date, Killer Mike and El-P have critically dissected society while also making hilariously depraved boasts and threats. In a comparable vein, No Permission succeeds precisely because of its hedonistic swagger.

  • The People versus the Rainbow Nation; In conversation with Lebogang Rasethaba

    Motlatsi Khosi (MK): “The People versus the Rainbow Nation” is a striking title that draws one deeply to this trailer. It suggests, to those who recognize its South African meaning, that all is not right for citizens. This title speaks to the growing disillusionment sweeping this country. From service delivery protests, to striking municipal workers and the latest, student protest movements. What role do you see this documentary playing in this growing movement facing the nation?

    Lebogang Rasethaba (LR): I think the film, and also if you think about the primary function of the medium, reflects the times. So maybe it won’t add anything to the movement in terms of energy or whatever,  like I don’t believe people watch a film and then go protest fees structures, but it will give some insight into what it means, or rather what it feels like to be a young person navigating the aligning vectors of power in society. That’s really what the film is about, it shows how all the current socio-political climate affects the young people in the film differently. 

    3. The trailer is tremendously captivating. It features words of anger and frustration from those not happy with the country Mandela left behind. Yet it also features images of young people, those presumably studying towards their degree, talking about politics and the state of the nation. What is it that you are hoping viewers, both local and international to take away from your documentary? What is it that you want them to learn about the issues being faced by students and their movements in South Africa?

    Here’s the thing, this film isn’t some champion for the voiceless… I think what’s really dope about the current narrative amongst young people in SA right now is that there is a lot of authorship, a lot of the things you will hear in the film people all the world over have probably heard before. Young people are very clear, vocal and very articulate about their positions. So audiences aren’t going to learn anything because we know what racism is, we know what sexism is. We know what classism is, we know all this but they might gain some perspective because its always more impactful when the dialogue isn’t happening in the acrimonious comments section.  Maybe the film presents those voices into a cohesive narrative in a filmic way that hasn’t been done before, maybe.

    MK: South Africans are no strangers to the global structures and economic forces and are no strangers to international cultural trends. MTV is apart of this growing international influence that has even formed its own branch within our shores as MTV Base. How was this relationship formed between you and this media powerhouse and what role have they played in the direction of this production.

    LR: One of the producers at MTV called me up and they told me that they wanted to give a young filmmaker a platform to voice his views on what’s happening in South Africa right now.  They were really cool to work with because they didn’t interfere with the process or demand anything really, once we agreed that the film should interrogate the rainbow nation I never heard from them again. They kinda let me do what I wanted to. When I showed them the first cut they were like, I paraphrase, “fuck this is kinda different from what we imagined, its intense…we need to re-think and re-align our strategy”….you get what I’m saying here right? They had to retrospectively change their campaigns and strategies and whatever so they could align with the film. Imagine! 

    “The People versus the Rainbow nation” airs today at 21h15 on DSTV channel 130. You can also watch the film tonight at a viewing party at Chalkboard Cafe in Maboneng.