Ritchie community workshop empowers voices against gender-based violence

A writing workshop in the Northern Cape town of Ritchie is using personal storytelling as a way for residents to engage with issues of gender-based violence and social inequality.

The Write to Rise workshop, scheduled for February 21, will bring together 36 participants from the community for a day of guided writing led by author Godwin Taweni. The project is aimed at helping participants document lived experiences through poetry, essays and short narratives.

Taweni, who founded the initiative, is working in partnership with She-Art Motion and is volunteering his time to facilitate the programme. He said the focus is on creating a space where participants can work through personal memories and experiences that are often difficult to articulate.

“The goal is to show that every person’s memory is a testament to resilience,” Taweni said.

Gender-based violence remains a sensitive and deeply personal issue in many communities, including Ritchie, where residents often lack platforms to openly reflect on its impact. Organisers say the workshop is designed to help participants shape their experiences into written form, both as personal reflection and as a record of community realities.

The project is supported by funding from the National Arts Council of South Africa, which will enable the production of a printed anthology featuring the participants’ work. The Write to Rise collection will bring together the voices of all 36 contributors in a single publication.

Beyond the workshop itself, organisers say the initiative may also create opportunities linked to editing, printing and distribution of the anthology, offering limited but meaningful local economic spin-offs.

The Ritchie workshop forms part of a broader effort to use arts-based programmes as tools for social reflection, particularly in smaller communities where access to creative platforms is limited.