By Zoleka King
We don’t need another song about ending the scourge of gender based violence. I know that
as we approach the annual campaign for 16 Days of Activism against GBV, artists,
companies and organisations are getting ready to put on a show.
I describe this as a show because all we have is a form of performative activism, unless there
is concerted effort to effect real change through policy and laws. I agree that music and art
has played an important role in supporting social courses however this has to extend beyond
the actual music or art piece.
The music and entertainment industry has proven to be one of the worst offenders when
coming to the oppression of women. The very same producers and record label owners who
help to record these socially conscious songs are in some instances the same characters who
perpetrate the violence.
They can literally put on a mask for the public eye and claim to be drivers of social change
but once the curtain drops and there is no audience, they become violent monsters to women
and children.
For young female artists such as myself, pursuing your dream involves a headache of being
asked for sexual favours and being undermined by your male counterparts. The so called
‘casting couch’ is still a reality in the entertainment industry because male dominated
structures continue to control the system, leaving women vulnerable and exposed to all sorts
of human rights violations.
Another song or campaign ad with messages encouraging men to be less violent and women
to be more vocal is not going to change the situation. What we need is real reform and
transformation that will ensure that more women form part of the key decision making
structures within the industry.
Issues relating to GBV are prevalent across society and different industries. However, I
choose to address the music and entertainment industry because we take part in empty
performances in support of anti-abuse campaigns while we hide the rot that happens
backstage.
We need to ask ourselves what happens after we have released the song and we have held
the marches. What happens from a systematic point of view? Where are the industry leaders
and the people that actually should be making real policies and laws that will protect women?
I’m so tired of meetings about meetings, with no real action.
The outrage and calls for musicians who have been accused of sexual abuse to be cancelled
can also be fickle and misplaced. While I agree that withdrawing our support from a musician
who is found to be guilty of such abuses is important, more should be done to protect women
beyond these hashtags.
In the first three weeks of South Africa’s level 5 lockdown period government’s GBV and
femicide command centre recorded about 120 000 victims. Shocking as they are, these
statistics represent a small percentage of the country’s overall GBV dilemma.
All I’m saying is none of the countless songs and showy campaigns that were made before
2020 stopped that level of violence from happening. If the structures don’t change, then the
songs are empty.
Zoliswa King is a South African singer/songwriter and social activist
