An unusual topic was proudly and boldly spoken about in The Neelsie on Wednesday afternoon. Non-profit performance campaign, The Platform, addressed menstrual hygiene, a topic that is normally left out of public conversations, according to founder Kirsten Adams.
The performance combined original music, dance compositions, even visual art. All in an attempt to praise the female reproductive system as well as raise sanitary pads for The Lalela project.
The event was organised by Adams (25), an assistant at the Africa Open Institute for music research and innovation in Stellenbosch and former Stellenbosch University student. She founded The Platform in 2017 because of a desire to see more collaboration between the various arts departments at Stellenbosch University.
“Basically it started as a vision and the will to get the different arts departments together,” Adams says. She further explains that the arts include music, visual art and dramatic art.
The aim of The Platform is to use artist collaboration to raise awareness and funds for causes that aren’t normally spoken of.
“It is used to give the unheard voices a platform, so people that are in need or facing some form of adversity,” she explains.
Kirsten Adams, founder of The Platform, wanted to create a space where there was a collaboration between the different art departments at Stellenbosch University. Photo: Lucian Van Wyk
For the 2019 performance, Adams chose to focus on The Lalela project, an educational arts program aimed at teaching life skills and developing creativity in communities across South Africa. Lalela runs female empowerment classes, where the need for female hygiene products, such as pads, were identified.
The Platform’s performance wanted to raise pads for the Grade 8 class, as well as start a conversation about menstrual hygiene and the female reproductive system.
“We are joining the forces of all the arts avenues to be able to communicate it (the female reproductive system) without words. We have original compositions about it. We are merging artistic expressions about this cause, to get the conversation going,” Adams explained before the event.
Performer, Robert Marlor, tying a ribbon to the artwork representing the female reproductive system displayed at the event to show solidarity to the cause. Photo: Lucian Van Wyk.
Wednesday’s hour-long performance proved to be just that, a merging of different art forms. Original compositions were accompanied by two dancers and a movement artist. The performers wore or performed with an item of bright red clothing to honour the female reproductive system.
For Adams, it was important for the performance to start conversations about the reproductive system.
“There is a lot of stigmatisation around the female body. We (females) get sexualised, only when people want to sexualise us. But they don’t want to acknowledge the natural traits of the female body, and those traits need care,” Adams explained.
Movement artist Tebogo Radebe performing at The Neelsie. Photo: Elri Voigt
“Until we start talking about this stuff, we are going to keep viewing the female body as less. This is an angle we have chosen to promote female gender equality,” she adds.
One of Lalela’s program administrators, Dominique Olivier, was very happy with the response to The Platform’s performance.
“It was a huge turnout, much more people than I thought would be here,” she says.
“I’m just blown away by the talent in Stellenbosch and that all these talented musicians and artists are willing to donate their time to a cause like this,” she adds.
The artists involved in The Platform’s event were very vocal about their support for the theme of the campaign.
The Platform’s performers were all very passionate about this year’s theme. From the back left: Tebogo Radebe, David Wolfswinkel, David Jones, Owen Dalton, Robert Marlor, Mark Lynch, Portia Holmes, and Josie McClure. Front left: Brent January, Cornèl Engelbrecht, Lireko Qhobela, and Kirsten Adams. Photo: Elri Voigt
According to movement artist and PhD drama student at Stellenbosch University, Lireko Qhobela (29), she decided to get involved in The Platform‘s pad drive campaign because she is a woman.
“I understand the challenges that can come with menstruation; as an artist, it felt important to give expression to some of those challenges, so it was easy to say yes to the project. I believe personal hygiene is a right that belongs to everybody,” says Qhobela.
For Lireko Qhobela performing to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene was an easy choice. Photo: Elri Voigt
Pianist and third year BMus student, CornéI Engelbrecht (20), says he wasn’t aware that menstrual hygiene was a problem.
“And for that reason, I think it’s great to use The Platform to inform people on a big problem that many people often don’t think about or realise,” says Engelbrecht.
Claire Röntsch (26), music composer and Masters student in Jazz Composition at the University of Cape Town (UCT), adds that the piece she composed for the event, titled ‘Twisted’, was written specifically for the theme.
“The mood I was trying to create with my piece was eerie and almost trance inducing with the repetitive rhythmic cycles present in the piece while having the harmony change constantly to still add interest through the rhythmic cycles.
“I wanted to communicate how ‘Twisted’ it is that pads are not made free and readily available to so many girls in our country,” says Röntsch.
Dancer Jocelyn Solomons performing to the musical composition ‘Twisted’ by Claire Röntsch. Photo: Lucian Van Wyk
According to Firdous Hendrick, programme manager for Lalela, the girls in the Grade 8 female empowerment classes need a supportive space because of the harsh realities they live in.
“We recognised that there was a need for a space in Grade 8 just for girls to talk about the issues they face and develop their self confidence and self-esteem,” she says.
“We noticed that a lot of girls don’t have access to female hygiene products like pads and it is a cause for girls to stay absent from school,” she adds.
According to Hendricks, girls can miss up to a week of school because of not having access to pads.
The Platform’s performance is one of several initiatives aimed at raising pads for the Grade 8 classes.
“It’s an ongoing thing (collecting pads) because it’s every month forever,” Hendricks says.
“Our aim is to have a more sustainable solution where we can provide the girls with reusable pads,” she adds.
Written by Elri Voigt and Lucian Van Wyk.
Anyone who would like to contribute to this pad drive can take a box of pads to the SRC building or donate to:
LALELA BANK DETAILS:
Lalela Project Trust
Bank: Investec Bank Limited
Branch: 100 Grayston drive
Branch Code: 58 01 05
Type of Account: Current Account
Account Number: 10012171480
Reference: Female Empowerment OR The Platform