Your MU Diocese of Lesotho aims to create awareness on the negative impact that violence and abuse
Has On Women And Children
* Please note: The video is loud, turn down your volume or click the 3 vertical dots above, then select Mute *
Souls of our shoes exhibition
Souls of our shoes exhibition with stories from those who walked away from abuse and from those who journey with them
Poems Written at the exhibition
I write these letters ... I write these letters to:
To the teenage girl who has made friends with her father's razors,
Whose depression continues to reach new peaks,
But whose voice is too scared of judgement to speak;
I bequeath my arms and veins
Even though I may have scars from accidental knife cuts I got while chopping onions
At least my wrists are unslit,
Tell her I said to stop carving her flesh into bloody fountains
in order for her depression to fade away,
No vampire has ever walked away from blood.
Depression is a vampire.
The more she cuts herself, the more she feeds her depression
And the longer it stays to suck the life out of her.
Glove her scarred wrists with mine;
Replace her sliced veins with mine,
Tell her she's not alone.
Tell her she crossed my mind before I took my last breath.
Tell her I know she can conquer this battle.
I write these letters ... I write these letters to:
To the rape victim who won't leave her room
Or draw her curtains on bright mornings,
I bequeath my virginity and my eyes.
The pain of being forced to give up her innocence
With her thighs pressed to some pavement in the middle of nowhere,
Her screams and cries loud
But her audience deafened by lust,
Is the pain I'm sorry I couldn't protect her from.
I can't even begin to imagine the feeling of watching her world shatter
Broken trust, broken will to live, womb broken into.
Tell her I need her to time travel back to before she got broken
And return to holding hands with the woman she was
In order to replace the victim she believes she is.
" I write these letters ... I write these letters to:
To the abusive, violent and misogynistic men of this planet
I give abundant store of my fears, mine and every woman's.
Fear of walking the streets at night because somebody else
who's also walking the streets at night doesn't like it.
Fear of being alone anywhere any time of day because if "he"
comes no one will hear you scream for help.
Fear of speaking your mind lest he throws you against the kitchen walls.
Fear of dressing up in case he finds the skirt too short
or the shirt too tight and decides to forcefully take them off.
Fear of wearing makeup because he's going to call out that you're fake, plastic.
Fear of not wearing makeup because he finds your acne-pitted face appalling
And dare I say, unattractive.
As if we are magnets bound to attract.
Fear of being yourself lest it triggers his anger or lust, or both.
Fear of existing because he might decide to either
0make your life miserable or end it.
I want these men to have these fears.
Tell them I said God may not be a woman,
but women are gods themselves.
Tell them we know we intimidate them
But molesting us doesn't make them more powerful. If anything, it's a sign of their weakness."
I write these letters ... I write these letters to all women out there.
Gallery of Events
*Moment of silence*
Prayers and praise songs
"Silent Screams” and messages displayed on placards
"Justice in Our Lifetime"
Service of remembrance and a call to action on violence against women and children
Please note: Names shown are created to protect the identity of those involved
