Resisting Gender-Based Violence and Injustice Through Activism with Biblical Texts and Images

正如联合国可持续发展目标5所强调的那样，基于性别的暴力和不平等（GBV/I）不成比例地剥夺了妇女和女孩的个人、社会和经济成就感以及身体、情感和精神健康。处于该项目中心的所有国家-南非、博茨瓦纳、莱索托、联合王国-都受到基于性别的暴力/基于性别的暴力的影响，但在南非和莱索托，这两个国家是全世界报告的强奸发生率最高的国家之一，情况尤其严重。此外，在整个南非、莱索托和博茨瓦纳，性别暴力因艾滋病毒感染的高风险而加剧，社会经济贫困的妇女和女孩特别容易受到性别暴力和艾滋病毒和艾滋病带来的困难的影响。艺术与人文学科的专业知识和资源以及有针对性的国际合作可以大大有助于以创新和有效的方式提供可持续的支持和发展。A&H的专业知识焦点，这个项目特别集中在两个学科：-圣经研究，因为圣经是非常有影响力和前所未有的可用（以所有土著语言），这些国家的人口都以基督教为主;性别研究，因为基于性别的暴力/基于性别的暴力使有害的性别陈规定型观念永久化，必须首先充分理解这种观念，才能有效地解毒和抵制。H在该项目中应用的专业知识是音乐和表演艺术，以促进创造性，互动性和可持续的抵抗媒体。这一领域的产出-如照片、歌曲、幸存者故事和现场表演-也有助于自我表达，使易受性别暴力侵害的人能够自我表达，（主要是女孩和妇女，但也包括LGBTQ社区的成员）未经过滤的表达媒体，旨在所有愈合，赋权和团结。在优质教育（#4）和建设和平与正义（#16）方面，该项目将：1）在三个南部非洲项目国家以及在联合王国，利用A&H学术界的能量、专门知识和支持，并通过与相关非政府组织和社区团体合作，将这些资源用于性别暴力领域的社会活动。该项目的三个核心促进者（一个在博茨瓦纳，两个在英国）都是圣经学者，每个人都在性、艾滋病毒神学或种族等领域贡献了独特的专业知识。所有人都与积极解决基于性别的暴力/基于性别的暴力问题的非政府组织和社区团体有联系，并热衷于社会正义。2）促进现有资源并创造新的资源，这些资源将在一系列讲习班中探讨圣经与基于性别的暴力/基于性别的暴力之间的关系。南部非洲的非政府组织和社区团体在困难的情况下开展了出色的工作，但由于网络不足，这些工作并不总是有效地共享。该项目的主持人将在一个已建立的社会参与圣经研究中心-南非的Ujamaa中心-接受培训，并传播经过试验和测试的资源，以及设计新的资源，供在博茨瓦纳和莱索托的一系列讲习班上试用。除了在讲习班上和为讲习班制作的教育和信息资源外，该项目还将促进创造性的方式，促进个人表达和愈合以及社区动员和团结。4)在学术和大众论坛上传播信息和资源，包括在开放式项目网站上传播信息和资源，该项目力求以多种创新方式为学术界注入社会正义，并为创造性渠道和社会正义努力提供高质量的信息和教育。这将加强现有的网络并使之多样化，还将形成新的网络，并朝着持续改善社会和实现正义迈出一大步。

As highlighted in UN Sustainable Development Goal #5, gender-based violence and inequality (GBV/I) disproportionately deprive women and girls of personal, social and economic fulfillment and health: physical, emotional and mental. All countries at the centre of this project - South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, UK - are impacted by GBV/I but in South Africa and Lesotho, which have among the highest rates of reported rape worldwide, the situation is particularly acute. In all of South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana, moreover, GBV is compounded by high risk of HIV infection, with socio-economically deprived women and girls particularly vulnerable to both GBV and the hardships procured by HIV and Aids.Expertise and resources from the Arts & Humanities (A&H) alongside targeted international collaboration can go a long way to providing sustainable support and development in innovative and effective ways. The A&H expertise focal to this project focuses especially on two disciplines: - biblical studies, because the Bible is highly influential and unprecedentedly available (in all indigenous languages) in all project countries, which all have Christian-dominant populations;- gender studies, because GBV/I perpetuates damaging gender stereotypes which must be fully understood first to be effectively detoxified and resisted.Another area of A&H expertise applied in the project is music and performance arts, in order to foster a creative, interactive and sustainable media of resistance. Outputs in this area - such as photographs, songs, survivor stories and live performance - also lend themselves to self-representation, allowing persons vulnerable to GBV (foremost girls and women but also members of the LGBTQ community) unfiltered media of expression, aimed at all of healing, empowerment and solidarity.To address especially UN sustainable development goals pertaining to gender equality (#5), quality education (#4) and peace- and justice- building (#16), the project will: 1) Harness energy, expertise and support of A&H academics in the three southern African project countries as well as in the UK and direct these towards social activism in the area of GBV through working together with relevant NGOs and community groups. The project's three core facilitators (one based in Botswana, two in the UK) are all biblical scholars, with each contributing also distinctive expertise in the areas of sexuality, HIV-theology or ethnicity. All have associations with NGOs and community groups active in addressing GBV/I, as well as passion for social justice.2) Facilitate existing resources and create also new ones that will in a series of workshops explore the relationship between the Bible and GBV/I. Southern African NGOs and community groups are doing fabulous work in demanding circumstances but this is not always effectively shared due to inadequate networks. The project's facilitators will train at an established centre of socially engaged Bible study, the Ujamaa Centre in South Africa, and disseminate tried and tested resources as well as devise new ones to be trialled in a series of workshops in both Botswana and Lesotho.3) Produce collaboratively artistic and self-representational media that actively resist GBV/I. Alongside educational and information resources produced in and for workshops, the project will facilitate also creative ways promoting personal expression and healing as well as community mobilization and solidarity. 4) Disseminate information and resources in academic and popular forums, including on the open-access project website.In diverse and innovative ways, the project seeks both to infuse academia with social justice, as well as creative outlets and social justice endeavours with high quality information and education. This will both strengthen and diversify existing and form also new networks and take a big and promising step towards sustained social betterment and justice.