There is an ongoing war in South Africa. A war that took decades to summon the attention of the media, because the survivors were not considered to be of importance. A war that took decades to summon the attention of politicians, because they too destroyed the lives of survivors in this war in their personal spaces. A war that took decades to summon the attention of religious groups, because in many of these groups the voices of the survivors are silenced. In fact, the violence inflicted onto the survivors has become so normalized in our patriarchal context that this war took decades to summon anyone’s attention, simply because this type of violence against these types of people is normal. The war is being waged against womxn, and our bodies are the battleground.
Where can we be womxn?
This a question I ask myself over and over again each day. It is a question that silences me.
I ask this question for Karabo Mokoena, Hannah Cornelius, Natalie Baartman, Lerato Moloi, Sithembile Mdluli, Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, Sara Baartman and the identities of so many other womxn whose names will not be forgotten.
Where can we be womxn when gender-based violence runs rampant in South Africa and not a day passes when we do not hear of the murder, abuse or the rape of a womxn? Where can we be womxn when femicide (the most extreme form of gender-based violence) is the norm? Where can we be womxn when our universities prioritize the protection of buildings from legitimate student protests, over the protection of womxn’s lives? Where can we be womxn when our politicians seem passionate in defending womxn’s rights, but are equally passionate in denying legitimate rape charges and hiding their harassment scandals? Where can we be womxn when the Womxn’s league denied Khwezi in efforts to protect Zuma and the Minister for Womxn in the Presidency recently denounced the late Karabo as ‘weak and hence she became a victim of abuse’. Where can we be womxn when even fathers warn their daughters of the behavior of men? Where can we be womxn when we instinctively cross the road when groups of men are approaching in fear of our lives?
Where can we be womxn?
Our society is the epitome of rape culture. Rape, violence and sexual harassment against womxn has been trivialized and normalized. South Africa has a rape epidemic and the various initiatives put forward by the government are not effective in addressing rape culture. In 2012, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted a study on the Gender Equality Index in countries around the world. South Africa ranked the 4th highest in the world (1st in Africa) for progress towards gender equality and the upliftment of womxn’s rights. Despondently, we do not see these statistics and advancements in reality.
Rape culture is the constant blaming and shaming of rape survivors for the actions of rapists. Rape culture is society’s admonishment of womxn to protect themselves from rapists by taking self-defense classes, instead of addressing the issue at hand. Rape culture is the normalization of the robbery and sexual assault of womxn using taxis in South Africa, and the taxi industry’s insipid response. Rape culture is when universities are more likely to expel students for plagiarism than for sexual harassment. Rape culture is when the police trivialize legitimate reports of abuse from womxn, when in our current system gender discrimination and lower socio-economic statuses already place womxn in positions that leave them with fewer options to avoid abusive situations. Rape culture is South African culture.
We have all experienced rape culture, and we all need to make efforts to end it. Sadly, invisibility in rape culture is perpetuated by one’s positionality. Intersectionality, a term coined by American Civil Rights activist Kimberle Crenshaw, describes the interconnectedness of one’s positionality influenced by their identities. Intersectionality is key when analyzing rape culture in South Africa. Many cisgender heterosexual womxn already choose silence rather than reporting violence to the police, due to the patriarchal nature of police in South Africa. One can only imagine the silence forced upon sex workers, members of the LGBTIQA+ communities and refugees when they experience violence. They become invisible survivors of violence.
One of the reasons I was awarded the Queen’s Young Leader award was for my involvement in the #EndRapeCulture movement and my work on the Rape Culture task team at Stellenbosch University. While I am very honoured to have been recognized for this work, I want to use this platform for two matters regarding rape culture. Firstly, I aim to use this platform to educate the masses about rape culture, and contribute to the efforts of Dr Pumla Dineo Gqola, Wanelisa Xaba, Pontsho Pilane, Reanne Olivier, Jodi Williams, Lulama Mabude and many other phenomenal voices. And I will write and speak about the #EndRapeCulture movement unapologetically and in all spaces.
Secondly, I want to use this platform to critique society’s constant praise of humane actions. It should not be a surprise or an honour to engage with someone who has fought to end rape culture. It should be expected. Our society has become so conditioned to accept violence, that anyone who speaks up against violence is heroized. We praised the white students in #FeesMustFall for forming a shield around black poor and missing middle students to protect them from the police. We praise anti-rape activists for taking a stand. We praise Christians for standing up to Islamophobia. In all of our praises, we praise one another for doing what is humane and good, and expected. Where is our humanity when we are surprised by people who treat others humanely?
I ask that when reading this piece, you do not heroize me, but rather that you understand the role that we all need to play in bettering our society. Post-1994, we sang songs of praise in honour of our freedom as a nation. But we were never really free. Sure, legislative discrimination ended. However, patriarchal, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist and Islamophobic behaviours still fester in our society. We all need to make collective efforts to stop this behavior. To ensure that freedom becomes a reality for all. We all need to end rape culture.
Ending rape culture requires introspection from every person. We need to reflect on how our behavior perpetuates rape culture, and when we have perpetuated rape culture in our silence. Men, stop being offended when womxn share their lived experiences with you. When womxn say #MenAreTrash, understand that the defense #NotAllMen diminishes the experiences shared by womxn. #MenAreTrash calls men out on their behavior. Ask yourself how you can better yourself and other men to improve the experiences of womxn. How can you play a role in stopping the violence experienced by womxn?
We need feminism now more than ever. Feminism seeks to fight for the rights of womxn in all of our identities so that one day we can get to a point where we do not have to ask ourselves ‘where can we be womxn’.
Where can we be womxn?
For as long as I continue to ask myself this question over and over again each day, I know that I am not free. And until the day that we have an answers other than ‘in the grave’, I will fight in this war unapologetically.