Threads are frayed around GBV

 

Today is a national day of protest in South Africa. 

It is a general day of resistant protest organised by Women For Change. 

The femicide stats are horrendous. This year alone, a women is murdered every 2.5 hours. 

Let that sit for a while!

This morning a friend of mine, who is a professor of Theology, wrote in her social media post , calling the church to be loud, clear and part of the solution to the scourge of GBV in SA. I found myself feeling all sorts of things. 

About 5 years ago, I was part of a panel discussion in our, then church, on GBV. The " series" was called Unspoken. I have just tried to find these online and they seem not to be there. The first 2 Unspoken were on the discussion of racism. The 3rd was GBV and thereafter the things unspoken were rendered silent. No more. When we truly speak the things that are unspoken, it makes people , especially some Christians extremely uncomfortable. 

Similarly, I have searched the website of the same said church to see if anyone has or is saying anything abut this important day. Not one word. Silence. 

The message of Jesus seems not to care about the murdering, raping and abusing of half the congregation represented in these spaces or those outside of the church that they seemingly want to REACH for the saviour they profess. 

Note: At the time of writing this, on the Friday of the shut down protest, the church denomination in this story ( and they were not the only one) had been absolutely silent on this the scourge of GBV , publically that is. At the eleventh hour, both regionally and nationally, a vague and inert social media post was posted. Devoid of any action other than acknowledgement and prayer. Funny that. Once again  the theology of lack and inaction speaks. It struck me that if we were living in times without social media in the way that we are, what, if anything , would be said on the reality that we all experience. 

Threads explained

 

Today I listened again to this extraordinary podcast - Untangling the Narrative- Resisting Colonial Theologies- Christian Zionism  and the follow up Theologies of Hope and Resistance in palestine

The link to the first is shared below. 

INFEMIT -podcast

These are deeply personal and compelling discussions which unearth the reality that the way many reform churches read the bible IS through a lense of the coloniser. This leads us to be extremely complacent and comfortable with land dispossession and of course the slaughter of our fellow human beings as in Gaza and Sudan. The way of Jesus is of course subversif and offers an alternate way to these realities. Many questions are raised and also answered in this excellent series . I highly recommend listening with an open mind and heart of course. What a waste otherwise!

Threads in solidarity

Friday night is Shabbat. I have never been to a Shabbat before and this Friday were were invited to share in the evening with South African Jews for a Free palestine . It took place at Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town. 

We arrived a little late with our food to share. 

The seats were all full and the proceedings had started. I glanced around and saw those faithful Cape Town fellow activists we have shared much time and tears with. 

Faithful justice focused humanitarians who love with shared goals and values. 

Shabbat was really beautiful. A series of almost liturgical outlines and thoughts , sometimes spoken and sometimes sung. Prayers and hopes for healing and remembrances for those Palestinians who have been murdered.  

My dear friend Susan, who is my oldest Christian friend , shared this time with us. 

After Shabbat, we all went inside the Mosque. Shoes off, and settled on the floor who were treated to prof. Steven Freedman speaking to us about keeping focus and hope in this current state of Gaza and the Genocide. It is tough but our spiritual collective values help us in this solidarity and settled focus for justice for the Palestinians. 

The shared meal was largely made by a Palestinian refugee and then , those who also contributed. There were a lot of people and this moment felt like Jesus feeding the 5000. The  simply did not run out. 

The Imam , eho I had met accidentally outside St Georges Cathedral on a terribly rainy day and who had kindly shared his umbrella with me, welcomed us each and all. It was a beautiful experience of community and sharing and one that really touched me deeply. 

I was reminded of when we came to settle in Cape Town 24 years ago. St Georges Cathedral held interfaith services with Palestine as the focus. It seemed strange to be then with my colonial theology and yet thinking back now, I remember being intrigued by these gatherings. The desire of my heart has been settled. Thanks be to God.