The Colour of Protest in Liberia
Learn about Liberians fighting violence against women and children through the colour black
Who is Jefferson Krua
Jefferson Krua earned his BS in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and an MS in Transportation Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech before working as a systems analyst with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Krua runs an award-winning high-quality outlet in Liberia, which has set the standard for quality journalism in Liberia. He is directly responsible for bringing the first American food franchise to post-war Liberia.
#WeAreUnprotected (2020) by Jefferson KruaDesign Indaba
In his digital collage, Liberian civil engineer and entrepreneur Jefferson Krua uses various images taken of recent protests against sexual violence against women and children in Liberia. The image, which is rendered in black and white, mimics the protester's garments which are worn to symbolise mourning for the women and children lost to sexual and gender based violence.
For almost two years now, the colour black has been prevalent in Liberian streets. Instead of reserving it for funerals, women have been using black to draw attention to a rape epidemic that is ravaging the country, even as COVID-19 subsides.
Sexual and gender-based violence has always been a problem in post-war Liberia, but in years rape cases have risen exponentially. Several unbelievable cases have served to increase public anger about rapes, pushing for government action.
Outlining the interviews he conducted with protesters, Jefferson states ''The women I spoke to say they use the colour black because they’re mourning the loss and damage caused to so many lives – just under 1,000 raped since the start of the year.''
Jefferson goes on to explain that when the campaign originally began in 2018, the protests happened in a calmer manner. Styled #WeAreUnprotected, it demanded an end to injustice and all forms of violence against women and girls. It arose as a response to a damning report ProPublica and TIME Magazine released on October 11 revealing sexual abuse of underage girls and widespread negligence by an educational charity operating in Liberia.
Since then, every Thursday, women in Liberia have worn black to draw attention to this call for more to be done to reduce sexual and gender-based violence. The calls had been largely peaceful. However, during the August 25-27 protests, the anger was out. Many of the signs were vulgar. Some called for castration as a penalty for rape, while others called for the death penalty. On the third day of the protest, police attacked protesters, beating them and attempting to prevent them from gathering, even drawing condemnation from Nobel Laureate Leymah.
In a way, it’s ironic that the country that produced Africa’s first elected female president struggles with such a key issue that predominantly affects women, as over 90 percent of victims are females. For now, the protests have helped to push the dark issue of a rape epidemic to the forefront of discussions.
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