CAM: Which of your shows is your favourite and most memorable? Why?
CAM: In closing, what are some noticeable positive changes or strides being made in the stand against GBVF that you can share with us? women and the fear of visibility. “I think it would be helpful and affirming to many women, as we often don't understand why we are so afraid of the light, and we don't realise how many women feel this way.” Lenina : This is a hard question to answer because progress feels so slow and stagnant, and it is easy to fall into depression when we consider how slow the needle is moving. But I take comfort from the fact that the needle is moving. I often refer to the Rape Crisis Memoir released in 2016 when the organisation turned 40 years old. Being able to visualise the slow but very real progress made over a 40-year period helps one understand that while the fight is hard and long and can stretch you to the edge of your sanity, progress is being made. For example, they cite the South African Law Reform Commission providing recommendations around marital rape in 1985, and marital rape finally being criminalised through the Prevention of Family Violence Act in 1993. That took eight years! We know that victory was not the end of it; we know many women, wives, and partners are still being turned away from police stations today and told to go deal with this 'issue' at home. But we have it in black and white, and this movement keeps growing, and we will keep fighting for our autonomy, freedom, and humanity. I recently posted on Facebook that every week, I say every episode is my favourite, and it is true. I really, truly admire the brave women who come onto my show and share their work and stories, and I am blown away every week by the conversations we have. But I do recommend the show we did recently with the organisation, Quote This Woman, which speaks specifically to
Lenina Rassool
And to all the women out there, I want to say that I have seen empowering transformation when women step up and into the light to raise their voices. There is a validation and an affirmation of our humanity when we speak out. My favourite quote is: "My silence had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you," by Audre Lorde. Whether we speak out or not, it does not prevent us from being victimised. A follow-on from that, if I may add, is the sombre quote by Zora Neale Hurston: "If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it." We still see this every single day. CAM: Speaking about women being placed on public platforms, there seems to be an apologetic ambience when women are given space and platforms of empowerment. What is the "stigma" that comes with visibility? Lenina : I think it's less of an apology or stigma but more of a threat. It was not that long ago that women were considered property and had no rights. In fact, if we were violated, we were blamed, punished, and stigmatised as a result of being violated. In a situation like that, the only protection is to keep your head down, to be invisible, and as we know, even that was not adequate protection from violation, and it still isn't. In my many conversations with women about why they are nervous about being seen or interviewed, even talking about themselves and their work, or seen to be apologising for their visibility, there is a deep fear of judgment and backlash. The irony is that the only way to increase representation and visibility of gender issues and GBV is by being seen.
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June 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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