South Africa is burning from the scourge of violence towards women and to help fan the flames, the Soul City Institute For Social Justice is unapologetically speaking out with its talk show “It’s a Feminist Thing”.
The Institute’s CEO Phinah Kodisang said the eight-part TV show is a means to say that gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide are absolutely unacceptable.
“We were trying with this show to make sure that everyone who's part of the problem knows that as a movement of women, as a feminist movement, we've had enough and we want action to be taken,” Kodisang said.
Kodisang said this while presenting a case study at the frayintermedia and fraycollege of Communications “Claiming our stories, Raising our voices” conference. She joined over forty international women leaders amplifying the voices of women across the globe.
GBV is rampant around the world where 1-in-3 women experience it in their lifetime according to World Bank statistics. Additionally, 35% of women worldwide have experienced intimate partner violence.
“It feels like there’s impunity. People are not being held accountable for this violence that is perpetrated on women,” said Kodisang.
Kodisang highlighted that patriarchy enables the injustice of GBV and femicide to run wild, often scot-free.
“This system not only benefits men – it also destroys men,” Kodisang said.
The talk show creates a space for people to talk about what is happening in everyday South Africa. This includes the extra precautions many women have to take in everyday life.
“When men wake up to go and jog, all they care about is just dressing up to go and jog. But women have to take time to check that they've taken pepper spray and check that they've let someone know,” Kodisang said.
Kodisang hopes the show will get picked up for a second season to continue tackling women’s issues in South Africa.
“[There is] feedback we received from people saying, ‘oh, my, we've never realised just how difficult our lives are as women’”.
Watch the “It’s a Feminist Thing” case study here.
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