Over the past two months, Amy Hill has conducted Silence Speaks workshops in South Africa with the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa. Participants from seven Southern African countries have learned how to create 3–5 minute digital videos, or “digital stories,” about their experiences as survivors or witnesses of violence.
At this event hosted by OSI's Sexual Health and Rights Project, Hill spoke about the multitiered advocacy strategy Silence Speaks uses to address individual healing and empowerment, community mobilization and cohesion, and global awareness around issues of stigma and discrimination faced by marginalized groups. She shared videos (available below) created by individuals facing homophobia and HIV stigma in Southern Africa and the United States.
Silence Speaks workshops place the tools of production directly in the hands of affected communities across divisions of race, gender, and class. The multilayered narratives they weave together with visual, textual, and sonic elements defy the idea of a singular “victim” identity and celebrate the complexity of how survivors see themselves and wish to be seen and heard. Stories are screened publicly at community events, trainings, film festivals, and on the web, to raise awareness about abuse and promote anti-violence advocacy, organizing, and social justice.
Sue Simon, director of the OSI Sexual Health and Rights Project, introduced the event.