16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM (PHOTO ESSAY)
‘The only thing you beat is a drum’
For two hours this week the sound of drums echoed around Adderley Street as part of a demonstration held by the Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement. Part of the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children, the group of 16 shelters held their 5th annual drumming event.
A group of around 50 women from various shelters around the
Western Cape gathered at the corner of Wale Street and Adderley
Street at lunchtime on Wednesday for a demonstration against gender-based violence.
The Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement organises the annual
event, “The only thing you beat is a drum”.
Women from the 16 shelters in the movement are provided with an array of
instruments and led by Vusumuzi Dyantyi, co-founder of Vula Youth
Development, which uses performing arts to engage people on social
issues.
The idea originated as a way to bring awareness to gender-based
violence and the silence that surrounds the issue. The location
was chosen for its easy accessibility and the ability to engage with
the public.
“Survivors of gender-based violence are often silenced by their abuse
and isolated by their abuse,” said Bernadine Bachar, chairperson of the
Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement. “Their voices are not heard. This event is about unsilencing those voices.”