Exposición: Mujeres que rompieron el silencio

The Convention to Show Solidarity with the Peoples of Africa and Latin America (ESPAL) organised by the Santa Lucía Town Council in collaboration with the Island Council of Gran Canaria is celebrating its 29th year in 2019 with the theme “Women fighting for their rights”.

About thirty events including exhibitions, concerts, conferences and charity activities are part of the Espal programme held from 22 March to 21 April 2019.

Casa África is collaborating with this important event for the second consecutive year and is contributing with the photographic exhibition Women who broke the silence which is a project which came about as the result of a collaboration between Spanish photographer Concha Casajús and the Congolese journalist Caddy Adzuba. Thanks to Caddy’s support and protection, Concha could carry out her project on women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the heroines with whom Caddy works daily.

The work that this photographer did independently in the DRC is now collected in Santa Lucía in Gran Canaria. The DRC is a country that accumulates wealth from coltan, diamonds, gold, oil and gas while a large part of the population, mainly women, live in conditions of misery and extreme violence.

Casa África produced and hosted this photographic project in its headquarters. The project was carried out in the DRC, a country that accumulates wealth from coltan, diamonds, gold, oil and gas while a large part of the population, mainly women, live in conditions of misery and extreme violence.

The fight for control of the territory has never ceased and the images that make up this exhibition echo the testimonies of women from Bukavu, in the province of South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They have learnt how to survive the extreme violence they have suffered, picking themselves up and moving forward with a strength and courage that deserves great admiration and deep respect.

This exhibition aims to bring together the stories of these brave women who have managed to survive, free themselves from suffering and finally move forward, with dignity. 

These women, who have survived sexual violence used as a weapon of war, want to use this exhibition to show their determination to confront the suffering and say definitively NO to their status as victims. Real progress towards victory against sexual violence.

Another objective of this exhibition is to denounce before the United Nations that UN Security Council Convention 1325 is far from being implemented and that the protection of women remains a crucial issue.

The exhibition can be visited from 4 to 21 April 2019. For more information and other activities within ESPAL 2019, please consult the Town Council website.