The Circle of Feminists

August is synonymous with National Women’s Day and, increasingly, Women’s Month. The rationale for National Women’s Day commemorates the 1956 Women’s March when more than 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the Pass Laws. Yet, in current commemorations of National Women’s Day there is extraordinarily little meaningful engagement on the significance of that march concerning contemporary struggles. Instead, we are bombarded with the commodification of National Women’s Day that relies on static, rigid definitions of ‘women’. Institutions, including higher education institutions, promote the same commodification and shallow representations of ‘women’ in acknowledgment of the day. We call this appropriation of protest the institutional capture of National Women’s Day. Join us as we explore this meaning through dance and poetry.

The feminist urgency and the state

The election campaigns across the country have largely neglected to address the pressing issue of gender-based violence and femicide in their manifestos. In fact, for the past thirty years, this critical matter has been largely absent from campaign discussions. Dedicated to the countless women who lost their lives, we have initiated a campaign called "Whose Democracy" asking ourselves, the people we are voting for, and adding the hashtag #VoteintheirHonor. The tragic loss of one of our students' sisters, who was murdered, has deeply affected many of us and leaves us with questions of what now. 
On Thursday the 23rd of May 2024 from 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM, we will be distributing “Vote in their honor” mini cards and posters across campus and convening at the Plaza to promote the campaign further. Those who wish to add their voices or pay tribute to someone are also encouraged to add names on the day.