So cry the abused mother and child.Domestic violence is one of Namibia's most widespread and pressing human rights issues. The Combating of Domestic Violence Act has just been passed by Parliament, but it will take more than a new law to prevent this form of violence in Namibia Namibia (nämĭb`ēə), officially Republic of Namibia, republic (2005 est. pop. 2,031,000), c.318,000 sq mi (823,620 sq km), SW Africa. .[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As part of our overall efforts to develop a human rights culture in Namibia, the Legal Assistance Centre has utilised various forms of media, including video and radio productions. Creating a culture of non-violence similarly needs to involve a range of approaches, if we are to reach people's hearts as well as their heads. These poems, written by local author Petrus Petrus caretaker of Heaven; makes sure moon shines on whole earth. [Ger. Opera: Orff, The Moon, Westerman, 115–116] See : Moon Hakskeen, powerfully depict de·pict tr.v. de·pict·ed, de·pict·ing, de·picts 1. To represent in a picture or sculpture. 2. To represent in words; describe. See Synonyms at represent. the violence perpetrated against women and children in Namibia. They bring home to us the vulnerability of the victims and the resulting destruction of society. The work is a compelling expression of empathy empathy Ability to imagine oneself in another's place and understand the other's feelings, desires, ideas, and actions. The empathic actor or singer is one who genuinely feels the part he or she is performing. for those who suffer from violence, and we hope that Petrus's words will inspire empathy in others. Because the youth of Namibia are one of our major target group for purposes of changing attitudes about violence, we decided to involve secondary school children in creating illustrations for this book. Workshops were held at Daweb Junior Secondary School, Maltahohe; Otjikoto Senior Secondary School, Tsumeb Tsumeb (ts  `mĕb), town (1991 pop. 16,211), N Namibia. It is the commercial and distribution center for a region where copper, lead, and zinc are mined. ; and Hage G Geingob Secondary
School, Windhoek Windhoek (vĭnt`hk), city (1991 pop. 147,056), capital of Namibia. It is Namibia's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center. . These workshops combined an intense discussion of
domestic violence and possible solutions to the problem with instruction
in art techniques, thereby involving the students in an active and
creative exploration of the topic. The students were challenged to
depict solutions to domestic violence rather than acts of violence, and
they rose enthusiastically to this challenge [as evidenced on the
following pages.]
The book will be distributed free of charge to all Namibian secondary schools for their libraries, as well as to interested organisations. We hope that the poetry will point to the need for change, while the artwork will suggest ideas for positive action. (From the foreword fore·word n. A preface or an introductory note, as for a book, especially by a person other than the author. foreword Noun an introductory statement to a book Noun 1. by Dianne Hubbard) |
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