Students from the College of the Arts  recently painted a mural on the walls of the gender-based violence protection unit at the Katutura Intermediate Hospital to convey a message of strength and create dialogue around GBV. The mural was done as part of the 14th National Youth Week, which ends today. 

The theme for this year is ‘Youth ignites zero-tolerance against GBV’. COTA arts lecturer Fillipus Sheehama told VIBEZ! despite the urgency of the situation, there is still a lot of noise drowning the real issue of GBV, adding that GBV is still rampant and limiting the quality of life of many, especially women. 

“With this painting, we hope to create awareness and fight the scourge that is GBV,” said Sheehama. During the opening of National Youth Week Tuesday, COTA SRC president Teopolina Matheus said art is more than just merely painting or taking pictures. 

“People and artists use art to express how they feel, either at the moment or how certain past events have affected them. They also use art to cope with different situations,” she said, adding that this is also an indication that art brings to life all things locked up in people’s minds and emotions. She thus urged people to start capturing moments of violence and use them as leverage for  advocacy against GBV. “When we speak of visual arts and how we can use it to curb GBV, we need to go as far as dark art to understand it. This is using artists who are victims of GBV to express how they feel,” explained Matheus.

- ashikololo@nepc.com.na