Saturday, March 9, 2013

GlamFurious Activist






I've always been into Human Rights activity, since enrolling to Wits, that is actually. There I joined, Biosoc- which was actually a Biological Society, for the preservation of our fauna and flora, and the ultimate protection of indigenous and extinct animal species, nonetheless, it felt wildly enriching to attach my name to such an organization. Concurrently, I joined the Feminism Society, GALA (Gay & Lesbian Memory in Action), the Disability Unit, as well as Amnesty International, for whom I had subsequently begun performing, during their annual themed, cultural, and human-rights-driven ArtsFests. I performed twice, consecutively, the first time reciting a poignant piece of poetry, entitled, "The Death of Me" to critical acclaim. It felt good to be amid the group of daring performers, exhibitionists, etc that took to expressing their multifarious views toward issues of human tension, prejudice, and subjugation.

The following year, I performed a piece, centered more precisely this time, around violence against women, namely, the then emerging phenomena of 'corrective rape' sheepishly practiced on lesbian women, under the misconception that healing would occur as a result thereof. It was a poem called, 'Medusa', and for once in my life, I could feel the energy I was feeding into the crowd of quiet, attentive, and zealous audience members resonating back to me.


With all that being said, my activism is not only limited to my poetry and other modes of expression, it's greatly innate and associated with a part of my personality- I'm liberal by nature, and it's uniform to find me showing tolerance to all, cognizant of our constitutional rights, and what we had risen from, to be where we presently are. It's not about being grateful, no. It's just about being able to understand that, in order for someone "to be" or to qualify as "normal" by whichever standards, that person needn't live up to whichever ideals are individually or socially harbored. Oftentimes, our expectation and ideals are what taint our propensity to be tolerant, and it's up to us, to question those things.

Moreover, lately I have to come to the conclusion that no matter how hard we try to move forward, we're never going to achieve that, because we haven't dealt, individually, with our sentiments towards certain jurisdictions and systems. I always say, it's okay to be racist, but don't ever think that it's equally okay to project those sentiments onto the people around you, because they just as you do, are bound by a shared ideology- a democracy which deems such mannerisms a criminal offence. It's like that with most of our innate preference and choices, and sometimes they can be lived out and sometimes they can't...not everyone is going to get the chance to live the full extent of their hearts' desire. Understand.



I've signed up to the Amnesty International page, which can be found by simply clicking the following link, as well as the immensely powerful and effective site, Causes on which one can make a difference, by simply signing online petitions and doing sort of virtual rallies, which are then passed onto the respective party members, lawyers, governments, and at times, even Presidents. There's something awe-inspiring about being able to cause change, and participate in some of these activities, that can't usually be reached while sitting in front of your PC.
The world really has shrunk in the digital revolution, and despite all the negative instances by which it is met, it is predominantly and equally, a positive factor...at least so, in the lives of those who don't solely turn to it for leisure and past time activities.
It makes me feel great. You should try it soon, if you haven't already done so.
There are some horrendous human rights violations taking place all around as I type through this post, and I've shared my rejection thereof, by signing various petitions...if you do the same, imagine the difference we could actually make, to the lives of the speechless, destitute, and unprotected human beings, whose redemption could usher in some real good karma. Think about about...give, to get. Get, to give.

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