The Soapbox

Online forum on issues of women and gender in the arts of Africa

Women’s Leadership Centre | Creating ourselves in our own images

A photography exhibition titled Creating ourselves in our own image is currently on display at the Goethe Centre in Windhoek in celebration of International Human Rights Day and Namibian Women’s Day. This exhibition portrays the lives, challenges, aspirations and dreams of young lesbian women in Namibia, including intimate personal moments and public political statements.

WLC - Lesbian wedding (2013)

Produced by the Women’s Leadership Centre, this exhibition was developed together with the many young lesbian women across Namibia who participated in the Building Feminist Lesbian Leadership Programme of the WLC. During 2013 this programme focussed on strengthening the resilience and resistance of young lesbian women to homophobic stigma and discrimination, violence and the risk of HIV and Aids. In deepening their understanding of human rights and women’s rights, participants were empowered to claim and assert their right to dignity, respect, bodily integrity, autonomy and choice.

WLC - Soccer (2013)

Through various art forms, participants were able to increase their self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-expression, pride, voice, visibility, leadership and citizenship as young lesbian women in Namibia. Together, they created new ways of being a young lesbian, and used writing, photography and other forms of creative expression. Through this project, young lesbians further took the lead in their towns and villages to share human rights knowledge and ways of protecting themselves from stigma, discrimination, violence, HIV and Aids. They showed their faces in advocating for their collective rights.

WLC - Crown of thorns (2013)

Two booklets were also produced collaboratively through this project: one for young lesbian women titled Being Ourselves! Being Resilient! and one for their parents, families and friends titled Loving and Supporting our Lesbian Daughters. The WLC will travel to various towns in Namibia in 2014 with this exhibition and the booklets, conducting workshops on women’s rights/human rights for young lesbian women and their families.

Der Beitrag wurde am Monday, den 13. January 2014 um 09:55 Uhr von Melanie Klein veröffentlicht und wurde unter Politics abgelegt. Sie können die Kommentare zu diesem Eintrag durch den RSS 2.0 Feed verfolgen. Sie können einen Kommentar schreiben, oder einen Trackback auf Ihrer Seite einrichten.

Eine Reaktion zu “Women’s Leadership Centre | Creating ourselves in our own images”

  1. ilmu komunikasi

    How did the participants in the program use various art forms to increase their self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-expression as young lesbian women in Namibia? go check our Journal

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