Some frequesntly asked question about the Silent Protest
Some frequesntly asked question about the Silent Protest
How do we stand in solidarity with survivors?
Protestors have their mouths taped shut from 7am until about 5.30pm with black gaffer tape. This has two purposes. The first is that it offers a very stark and powerful image of the silencing associated with sexual violence which at the same time expresses resistance to the silencing and a willingness to stand with survivors.
The second purpose of the taping is that it offers the protestors themselves an experience of being silenced, of sacrificing food, water and speech for a day in service of a greater cause. This doesn’t mean at all that they come to understand what rape survivors go through, but their capacity for empathy and understanding is enlarged.
Why do we protest?
The protest exists as a way to:
• Raise awareness around the extent of the problem of rape and sexual violence in South Africa
• Resist and challenge the silences around rape and sexual violence
• Express and enact solidarity with all victims/survivors of sexual violence
• Create safe spaces where people can talk about their own experiences of sexual violence
What happens on the day of the Silent Protest?
Silent Protestors will gather before dawn on a Friday 1 August to affirm their commitment to justice and an end to sexual violence and will spend all day wearing purple t-shirts, participating in events designed to get people thinking about the realities of sexual violence and finally coming together at sundown to break the silence.
The following day, on Saturday 2 August, all protestors are invited to spend some time at the Debrief Café: a dedicated space where art materials, clay and informal debriefing conversations are available all day as well as sessions of circle dancing, yoga and pancake making. This commitment to self-care constitutes a different but no less political form of resistance to violence in all its forms.
What are the options available to protestors?
• Silent Protestor wearing English or Xhosa t-shirt: (taped all day, no food or water)
• Rape Survivors wearing t-shirt with ‘Rape Survivor’ on the front & explanation on the back (may choose to be taped)
• Survivors wearing t-shirts with ‘Survivor’ on the front & explanation on the back (may choose to be taped)
• Solidarity protestors wearing English t-shirt (not taped)
DETAILS OF THE SILENT PROTEST
1 August from 06h00 – 20h30
Alec Mullins Hall, Rhodes University, African Street, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape
2 August from 10h00 to 17h30: Debrief Café available to all participants
The Hangar, Rhodes University.
