Cape Town - Remember the face before the number of gender-based violence (GBV) victims.
This was the aim of the 20 cast members from Delft who performed a play titled Faces Before Numbers this week at the Delft Civic Centre.
The play was inspired by Themba Nqinileyo, a qualified performer and social worker who is completing his Master’s degree at UCT.
For the past six months, Nqinileyo has seen the reality of GBV while working in the trauma room at Delft police station as a social worker.
He and assistant director Qhamisa Jama, who is also a community worker, decided the narrative needed to change as the dialogue was always led by authority figures such as ministers and never the community.
Nqinileyo said people often looked at statistics and not the faces of the victims and that was what the play also focused on.
“The production unmasks the stories of gender-based violence. We often refer to the victims of GBV as numbers and sometimes we forget the faces before numbers. Those faces and names had dreams and aspirations until the second pandemic called GBV took everything away from them.
“The story highlights how wrong use of power and toxic masculinity perpetuate the culture of violence in our society. The story expands by not limiting GBV to emotional, physical and psychological factors only, but it goes beyond that by including other neglected factors as well, such as the violation of human rights.”
He said they approached the story from the perspectives of a united community towards reaching justice and speaking truth to power.
“The social norms that perpetuate GBV made us believe that the scourge is not only about the individual that perpetuates but it's about the whole community. This production gives power to the people to mobilise themselves and seek solutions to their problem instead of them waiting for the government, NGOs and the private sector to assist them.”
Jama said it was about the community rising up against GBV, not just government departments.
“We decided to create an intervention with GBV instead of an expert who always comes and speaks and now the community can speak and be listened to.”
Khanyi Dlelapantsi, 21, plays the role of a journalist who writes about GBV cases, while Siphesihle Jama, 22, is the activist who creates awareness and Mecailin Petersen, 13, fights for the rights of the community.
Dlelapantsi said: “My character is a journalist and the member of the community and she covered many stories of GBV and when she sees the MEC, she asks him questions and highlights the stories.”
Jama said she’s the community's voice. “I fight for the people’s rights to be heard.”
Reginald Maart, the chairperson of the Delft Community Police Forum, said the play showcased the reality of the streets of Delft.
“The CPF, we have partnered with the trauma centre, and the Delft and Blue Downs Cluster CPF chair and I have witnessed their work in our challenged communities.
“The play showcases the reality of what happens on a daily basis.
“The drama group took me back with the play and I would like to share it with the whole province. I acknowledge and salute the trauma centre and the drama group. The message was clear that we need to speak out so that we can have justice. Real man don't rape and abuse.”
Nqinileyo said they hoped to extend the production to other areas.
Weekend Argus