Activists Lucy Campbell and Melissa Britz shared insights on gender-based violence, colonial trauma, and community healing through their work with OPPIEYAART and the Queer Food Growing Collective.
Lucy Campbell, who conducts Healing of Memory Tours in Cape Town, emphasizes that today's gender-based violence has deep historical roots. "A lot of the gender-based violence comes from a history of violence, a history of trauma, of torture, actually a history of genocide," she explains. Campbell argues that truly understanding today's social problems requires acknowledging colonial history's psychological impact on communities.
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The discussion highlights how the colonial enterprise began
with military occupation, with women being the first to experience its effects
as they were forced into domestic service, sexual exploitation, and
objectification. This historical trauma continues to manifest in contemporary
social issues.
Melissa Britz offers a compelling perspective on how
different forms of violence are interconnected: "When we speak about
violence, it's so interesting how we separate different kinds of violence...
but life doesn't occur in isolation. Everything is connected."
This interconnection extends from personal relationships to
systemic issues. The capitalist system itself is described as a form of
violence through its exploitation of people and natural resources. Similar to
how COVID-19 impacted already vulnerable populations most severely, systemic
violence disproportionately affects women, children, LGBTQ+ individuals, people
with disabilities, and rural communities.
At OPPIEYAART in Elsies River, healing begins with reconnecting to the land. Indigenous herbs and plants surrounding the space, representing a return to cultural identity that was disrupted by colonialism.
"In indigenous cultures, the land is always one of the
central parts of our identity," Brits explains. "Identity is in
relation to our relationship with land. And I think that's why colonialism was
so damaging because it broke that identity."
Language loss has further disconnected communities from
their cultural heritage, making land connection even more vital to healing
processes. Working with plants offers a pathway to emotional processing and
improved relationships with others.
The Queer Food Growing Collective operates on the principle
of taking control through community food production. As Britz urges, "Let
us build our own things... Let's build community in order to give ourselves the
things we need because nobody else is going do it for us."
The politics of food extends into household dynamics, where research shows women often eat last when resources are scarce, leading to long-term health consequences. The collective's work in communities like Elsies River, Mbekweni, Bokmakierie, and soon Delft, creates spaces where marginalized individuals, particularly queer people, can support each other while growing nutritious food.
Safety emerges as a crucial theme throughout the discussion.
The Queer Food Growing Collective partners with organizations like Triangle
Project to create safe spaces for queer individuals who may face rejection from
their families due to religious or cultural beliefs.
Click on the video to hear more.
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