Youth embrace 3rd MDG through Soap Boxing – Women’s Month

Youth embrace 3rd MDG through Soap Boxing – Women’s Month

Africa Unite, in partnership with InkuluFreeHeid, hosted a Soap Box event on 31^st August 2013 to give the community an opportunity to speak about the roles and struggles faced by women in achieving the third goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – to promote gender equity & empower women. The soapbox is a public platform which gives the community an opportunity to voice their opinions and feelings. The event was held at the Gugulethu Square Complex and was part of the Women’s Month celebration .

The event saw a number of young people from different communities expressing their views on the roles women have and the challenges they face. Most of the people present at the event including children were given a chance to express their feelings about women through writing, poetry, singing, dancing, and speeches. The soapbox was open and flexible to any languages that the presenters were comfortable with. Xhosa, Afrikaans, English were some of the languages used by the people to share their sentiments on women’s roles and struggles. We also used this opportunity to raise awareness of the post 2015 MDGs, informing the young people that their voices and participation are crucial in shaping the post 2015 MDGs. The soapbox also paved way for the youth to showcase their different talents in appreciation of women’s month. One of the performances which kept the crowd on their feet was the marimba youth group Amaza from Philippi Township as they showcased their talent in music. Banana a female Gugulethu based artist also used the platform to market her new album with her partner Sausage. The duo showcased their talent in dancing and singing, leaving the crowd with no option but to join them in the dancing.

Africa Unite youth enumerators also used this opportunity to collect the voices of the young people who were present on the day for the Voice Africa Campaign on the post 2015 MDGs. The campaign plans to collect 15,000 voices of youth from across South Africa in response to the question: What is your hope or dream of a better future for you and Africa? These voices collected will be submitted to the high level panel of the Secretary General of the United Nations to shape the post 2015 MDG’s.

The event was a success as it managed to capture a lot of young people and other community members who stopped by the busy Gugulethu complex to get a glimpse of the show. Women’s month might have ended in August, but the struggle to attain gender equity remains important, not only locally but internationally.

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