"Taking on Violence Against Women: The Arts in Action"

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South Africa (SA) has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the world: a woman is murdered every three-hours, and gendered assault is 5x higher than the global average (STATS-SA 2019). GBV is recognised not only as a serious violation of human rights, but also as a significant public health concern that includes injuries, gynaecological disorders, mental health disorders (including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder), adverse pregnancy outcomes, and sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS. GBV is also a barrier to social and economic development, rendering many survivors unable to work or otherwise move freely in society. On 9/11/2019, SA President Cyril Ramaphosa proclaimed GBV a national crisis, promising government debate to revise domestic violence laws and to initiate a national intervention plan that challenges patriarchal norms and engages at community levels. This project comes in response to his call, introducing arts-based interventions to provide support to GBV survivors, shift societal norms by promoting gender equality and behavioural change, strengthen law enforcement, improve economic power of women and take steps to enhance GBV legal and policy frameworks. It is the first primary preventative and support strategy for GBV in rural Eastern Cape, with actions taking place in the AmaZizi chiefdom, which, located within the AbaThembu Kingdom, Eastern Cape, comprises nine villages: kwaZangashe, Ngcobo, Ngqamakwe, Ugie, Elliot, Maclear, Cala, Idutywa and Gcuwa. Arts-based actions planned will help improve response services for survivors through capacity-building workshops, support communities to re-evaluate the social norms that lead to GBV through art exhibits and festival, strengthen legal and policy frameworks by facilitating evidence-base reform and amendments to current policies and providing training to local law enforcement, and improve the economic power of women through arts-based entrepreneurial training. Although AmaZizi is the target population, this project will serve as a test-bed for building support for wider GBV policy changes across South Africa, particularly in rural regions, and informing future prevention efforts globally. This project is led by ethnomusicologist and anthropologist Nanette de Jong (Newcastle University), who has worked extensively in South Africa for 15 years and is an expert on gender, culture and community, having carried out interventions that mitigate contextual influences on HIV/AIDS and GBV. The Co-I is AmaZizi traditional leader, Chief Pokwana ka Menziwa, who also serves as chairperson of the NGO, Vusizwe Foundation, chairperson of South African Society of Archivists, Head of Research and Development with Oral Historical Association of South Africa, Advisory Board member of the Department of Arts and Culture and member of African Diaspora Forum. Partners include Dutwya Law Enforcement, Department of Social Development, Department of Arts and Culture, AIDS Alliance, as well as Eastern Cape-based NGOs Impendulo Foundation, Theatre for Life and Ngcobo-Zintombizodwa, which work with GBV survivors in the region through the arts-based interventions.