The global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. It is incredibly important to highlight this issue and celebrate the progress that has already been made, as well as acknowledging the work that has yet to be done. GBV is not an isolated issue, but an intersectional one that manifests itself in various ways and carries a myriad of symptoms. As such, it is only by working together that we can continue to tackle and challenge GBV. Let’s use this occasion to tell the world that we are still here fighting, and that we will not go anywhere anytime soon.
Bond Street Theatre has done numerous interactive theatre projects throughout the years to provide support, raise awareness, and diffuse information about GBV. In the upcoming days, we’ll be highlighting the different projects we’ve worked on in regards to GBV around the world through blog posts, newsletters and interviews. We hope to not only raise awareness, but also inform everyone about the lessons we have learned in the field.
Note: Applied theatre, or interactive theatre, is the use of theatrical practices in non-traditional theatre spaces to explore issues of interest and concerns of specific communities. As such, interactive theatre allows for a space in which people can speak up and share whatever is on their minds. The experiences Bond Street Theatre has had with interactive theatre have been empowering, especially when people feel comfortable enough to share painful experiences they have kept a secret for a long time.
Background of the Project
Our first interviewee is Zandile Mentjies, who we collaborated with alongside Rape Crisis Trust to conduct a project addressing GBV in Cape Town, South Africa. The goal was to give women and girls in crisis areas the tools and training to speak out for equal rights. The project took place over a two-year period from 2021-2022. With Zandile, BST worked intensely for 3 weeks to train a core team of 8 young GBV activists (male and female) towards the creation of a cohesive theatre group as well as training 4 staff members from Rape Crisis Trust. The result was the formation of the new Blended Voices Theatre Group, which continues to be a valuable outlet for information on GBV in Cape Town and the surrounding areas.
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1. Myth: Girls that wear revealing clothing are inviting rape.
o Fact: Sex without consent is rape; women are raped no matter what they wear.
2. Myth: Men can’t get raped, or only gay men are raped.
o Fact: Rape is about power and control, not sexual desire.
3. Myth: Spousal rape is not rape.
o Fact: A woman has to give consent, every time.
4. Myth: You can‘t be raped by a family member.
o Fact: Most rapes occur between people who know each other, rather than a stranger.
5. Myth: Once a man gets excited, he cannot stop himself.
o Fact: Rapists choose not to stop.
6. Myth: If you rape a lesbian, it will “cure” them
o Fact: Homosexuality is not a disease to be cured.
7. Myth: Getting drunk or going to bars invites rape.
o Fact: Sex without consent is rape; a drunk person is not able to give consent.
Following each performance, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions to the actors and suggest alternative solutions to the problems they faced. The feedback sessions opened up a space for dialogue and encouraged discussion in the community about these difficult topics.
Bond Street Theatre hopes to return to Cape Town in 2024 and continue our collaboration with the Blended Voices Theatre Group. In the meantime, we have stayed in contact with our partners there, including Zandile Mentijes.
Talking to Zandile
How did you first get involved with acting and why did you decide to study it?
My first encounter with acting was with my uncle, my mother's brother. He was a play writer, and his theatre troupe would rehearse at his home, where I grew up. Sometimes I would assist them or come in as an extra. Growing up, I became the stage manager. I fell in love with the stage, with the audiences and live performances. This is why I studied drama. I also did African music and dance, so it worked well with my passion for my ethnicity and where I come from.
How did you begin working as an advocate against GBV, and why this issue?
The reason I focus on GBV is quite personal. I was raised in a domestic violent family, because my dad was very abusive, physically and emotionally. I grew up with a bit of anger. With the help of my grandmother, I surpassed that anger and survived. She got me going to church activities, and I got busy with school as well. So growing up for me, GBV was always something that I had in mind. When I got into university, I studied drama. After I graduated, I was acting for some time, but for some reason I felt like something was missing. I felt like I needed to work more with the community. I needed to be involved somehow, but I didn't know how.
When my mother started an organization here in Cape Town, called Khayelitsha, to support groups with regard to substance abuse, gangsterism or social issues, I would go do some theatre games with them. Everybody would just relax, and open up. I came across a lot of young women, little girls even, who had difficulties opening up. Through the games, and through roleplay, they would come and they would speak. I still didn’t know how to make sense of that, or what I wanted to do – until I came across a friend of mine, Alex. At the time, Alex was busy doing prison theatre. I spoke to her about what I was currently doing, which I didn’t have a name for, and she told me it’s called ‘applied theatre’. So I went back to university and did my honors in applied theatre! Since then I have been using this as a methodology to guide my workshops, because I facilitate group discussions and I am working with a lot of at-risk youth.
Where I am based right now is in the top 30 hotspots in South Africa for GBV. We are forced to speak up, to say something, do something, and a lot of people have been trying. A lot of people are trying to fight GBV. They are holding presentations and working together with the interim churches and community halls, but nothing is changing. I thought that maybe if I could use the work that I do (applied theatre) as a tool, to assist in the fight against GBV, something could change. The beautiful thing about our work is that the community gets to participate, they get to be involved in whatever it is that we're putting on stage. So the performers do not feel the pressure to come up with the solutions because they can be assisted by the audience. It's beautiful so far, but obviously we are still struggling here and there. We are taking baby steps and we're praying that it works out.
How did you come into a partnership with Bond Street Theatre? How did the project go and what was the experience like?
When I was doing my Honors degree at university, I made a good friend named Robin who was also part of the program. We worked together, but parted ways because she was traveling. Less than a year later, Casey, a BST member, called me because she got my contact from Robin. It was so unexpected, but I was grateful. I met with Bond Street Theatre and we immediately bonded. They introduced me to Rape Crisis Trust, who are a group of wonderful young people that I learned a lot from. So the journey was fruitful and it was an eye opener for me, because I could be in touch with the younger generation in the field of applied theatre. At my age, you tend to rely on a certain routine or a certain pattern of doing work, and then you come across these beautiful young minds who tell you that’s outdated and that you need to adapt. They show you their beautiful own ways of dealing with certain challenges, which allowed it to become a wonderful project. It’s something I’m really proud of!
What are you currently working on, and how can Bond Street Theatre and our supporters continue to support the work you are doing?
Currently, I am working with an immunology team from Cape Town University. A professor approached me in July to help them with an annual conference around immunology – he wanted me to assist them with three shows on HIV and AIDS, TB, and the immune system. So I am again working with a group that doesn’t have any acting experience. It’s not easy at all, but it is a very interesting project because it's focused on education and information. That’s what I love about applied theatre, that we’re able to actually use the work in schools to inform others and bridge the information gap we have in our communities. We lack information.
In regards to how BST can support us, I’m not sure where to start! There are a lot of challenges. For example, with the group I’m currently working with, we are only meeting twice a week for 5 hours because of venue challenges. We do not have a venue, so we rehearse in a cricket field center. I’ve also been looking for proposals and grants from international sponsors, because I would like to take my work to other provinces in South Africa and around the continent. It's very important work. It’s needed, because what I’ve witnessed in a lot of communities is that they are not informed about GBV. A lot of people still believe that if somebody is abusing you, then the person is showing affection. So these kinds of projects allow for a conversation to take place and help these communities to open up. However, because of a lack of funds, we can’t do as much as we want to and we have to sit around, wait, and apply for social development funds. These funds cover everything for everyone, so it is difficult for us to move forward and grow.
What advice do you have for other people who are interested in doing work like you're doing, especially around GBV? What are some things that you do to keep your spirits up or to take care of yourself when you're doing this work?
Firstly, my advice would be that you need to get yourself educated and informed in the field that you want to be in, or work in. This kind of work can be very overwhelming, especially if you do not understand what it is you are doing. It involves a lot of community work, so you need to be prepared to deal with a lot of different people and energies. People come from different backgrounds, they have their own stories. If you are uninformed and lack understanding, it can be overwhelming. Also, volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. I still do that a lot. If you get yourself involved with whatever is happening around you in your community, then you will understand the dynamics of where you are and where you come from.
When I started off, I had a ritual that would keep me sane. Whenever I would get into character there would be a kind of ritual I used to do. What I do now is I affirm myself, I speak life into everything that I do before I leave somewhere or before I sleep, and I am always aware that at any moment anything can happen. You can call it a prayer for someone who is religious, but for me I consider it self-affirmation. Whenever I am leading a workshop and do a check in exercise, or an ice breaker, it also helps me to get into the right mindset and get to know the space and the energies in the room. That enables me to leave without any baggage or weight on my shoulders.
End Note
This interview with Zandile not only highlights the potential of applied/interactive theatre practices for community-based solutions in regards to GBV, but also reveals the hard work that it entails. It was incredibly inspirational to talk to Zandile, who has a lot of knowledge about applied theatre, particularly in regards to GBV, and constantly faces and overcomes challenges in her work.
Educating yourself about different issues and diffusing information is of utmost importance in the world we are living in today. As Zandile said, information gaps and access to information remain an issue within – and between – communities. These gaps can be bridged in various creative ways, such as interactive theatre, which can open a space for dialogue and effective discussions. We need more such projects that allow people to speak up, share, and discuss possible solutions in order to collectively grow towards a future without gender-based violence.
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