An Exhibition to Commemorate Gender Awareness and Activism Week at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe highlighting Gender Violence in Zimbabwe
By DR TONY MICHEL MONDA
Speaking on the launch of the Netherland Embassy-sponsored exhibition to mark the national gender activism week, held at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Dr. Michelina Andreucci said: “we as parents and elders have the obligation to shelter, feed, clothe, educate and protect our children.
According to the Zimbabwean indigenous worldview the right of the children is the mandate of the whole village, beyond just the parents, custodians or teachers. Where have we gone wrong today?”
The exposition, which began on 28 November 2023, and runs for a week, was supported by sponsorship, participation and contribution from the Embassy of the Netherlands, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and UNESCO, and was officiated by the Ambassador of the Dutch Embassy, Honourable Ms Margret Verwijk who brought to our attention the realities of gender unawareness and gender violence in Zimbabwe’s society today.
The state of affairs and severity of child abuse were also clearly highlighted during the evening at the exhibition. I was horrified by the statistics of child maltreatment, rape and molestation in spaces and places that were previously deemed to be safe.
The exhibition was held against a backdrop of art works by the late Anthony Bumhira – an innovative Zimbabwean artist who died before his time. The show unlocks in visual terms the complexities and multi-layered abhorrence in our society and unearthed many hitherto unknown statistics.
According to representative from Mbare SGBV Clinic – “From home to the work place; from the bus stop to the market; the sports field to the dance hall, and from the well to the crop fields – young women in Zimbabwe are under threat from violence, indecent assault and exploitation from the male, and sometimes even elderly female predators, cultural and religious leaders.”
The exhibition provides a cogent analysis and visual compass of the nexus between gender and contemporary socio-cultural practices that shape the nature and actions of present day Zimbabwean society.
Such actions as gender-based violence, child marriages and sexual abuse, which are far removed from our accepted traditional norms of Hunu/Ubuntu in Zimbabwe, should not be condoned under the guise of traditional beliefs.
For example, according to UNICEF child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult. Child marriage challenges basic access to education, health, physical protection and development. It can undermine a girl’s ability to make informed and healthy decisions about her life.
Sadly this practice is reported to be prevalent in Zimbabwe with 34% of girls getting married before the age of 18 (ZGC2016). Additionally, whilst the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (no 20) Act of 2013 section 9 (2) mandates the State to take measures to ensure that children are not pledged in marriage and Section 78 of the Act sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 years and prohibits forced marriages and child marriages.
The Acts and laws mandated to protect the girl child in Zimbabwe are not always effective. In fact the prevalence of GBV and child marriages leaves a lot to be desired. The violation of laws pertaining to gender need to be made public taught in schools and aired openly in national media forums.
As a society, our protection of the sanctity of children should not be limited to just 16days of
activism, but should be enforced as a way of life according to the tenets of African Hunu/Ubuntu.
The exhibition was made possible through an initiative of the United Nations funded by the EU in collaboration with Spotlight Initiative, UNDP WHO and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe.
Dr. Tony Monda holds a PhD. in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA in Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. Tonym.MOND@gmail.com
PROVISO: GEMNATION NEWS ZIMBABWE, is renowned for its meticulous research, unbiased journalism and proactive views on gender equality, intolerance of drug abuse, religious and cultural tolerance in Zimbabwe and Africa, healthy living, animal rights activism, and freedom of expression and its unremitting promotion of the arts (design, music, fashion, film, theatre, literature), sports, history, technology, agriculture, medicine, science, heritage and culture, youth affairs and national development.
About Author
