The Women for Children project comes to the people

Staff reporter

In an effort to address growing incidences of violence and abuse against women and children, Art for Humanity has launched a national public art initiative. The Women for Children billboard advocacy campaign was initiated in November 2005 and presently involves the flighting of 21 billboards all over South Africa.

The Foundation for Human Rights, South Africa supported by the European Union in partnership with Art for Humanity have sponsored the campaign. The Women for Children advocacy programme aims to raise awareness and inspire ‘moral ownership’ in society of the issues of women and children’s rights and to make the art and poetry contained the portfolio more accessible to the public. Through the billboard campaign Art for Humanity further endeavors to lend greater visibility to the voice of women and the pressing issues related to children’s rights and welfare.

The material featured on the billboards comes from Art for Humanity’s Women for Children project which included the collaboration of 50 foremost women artists and poets, 46 of which are South African, on the issue of children’s rights and welfare. The women involved represent a diverse range of cultures from emerging to established professionals. Some of the artists participating include Ernestine White, Diane Victor, Angela Buckland, Nomusa Makhubu, Judith Mason and poets include Lindiwe Nkutha, Liesl Jobson, Malika Ndlovu and Lebogang Mashile, Finuala Dowling among others.

Jan Jordaan, Art for Humanity director explains that the billboard advocacy campaign is motivated by, Art for Humanity’s “commitment to social development which is based on the observation that societies with a strong history of public art do not struggle with the endemic problems that we associate with the developing world. “

Each billboard features one of the collaborations which include an artwork and accompanying poem. At least two billboards have been flighted in every province and each of South Africa’s 11 official languages are represented in the poetry translations.

Art for Humanity is a non-profit organization based at the Durban University of Technology, South Africa and has coordinated other projects involved in advocating human rights through art. For more information go to: http://www.afh.org.za

For more information please go to : Art for Humanity Contact: Bianca Bothma - 082 329 3380 afh@dut.ac.za http://www.afh.org.za 031 203 6610 (tel)