The following launch statement was shared by Global Coordinator Nyasha Sengayi:

Listen! Act! RISE!

Zimbabwe once again joins the globe in the biggest campaign against violence on women and girls across the world. In responding to a call to dance, One Billion Rising Zimbabwe has been a FORCE and energy drawing women to show the world what a billion people look like. In regards to this, One Billion Rising Zimbabwe is committed to escalate the dancing and its rising in 2016. The precept for rising for this year is to make it a revolution of women and girls so that they get hold of their dignified future.

Our call is premised on setting women to rise for dignified futures where justice , hope , love , action, advocacy , communication for transformation will ensure that they are a part of a revolution that will dismantle patriarchy  in all its forms. To achieve this, One Billion Rising Zimbabwe is making a call for women, youth, men, artists, marginalised peoples to make a notable stand to rise against any atrocities committed against them.

Listen

As Zimbabwe, We are making a call for the whole world to listen to the voices, audible and inaudible of marginalised women and girls. In particular we are calling to the world to listen to the challenges of women who are facing violence every second of their lives. Adding on, they are voices hidden in intersectionalities, where forms of abuse are hidden and made a part of women and girl’s everyday lives.   The world must therefore not pay a deaf ear to Abuse and any form of discrimination based on age, colour and sex and listen to the progressive voices calling for the security of women and girls, transformation, justice and equality.

Act

We are calling for Action which is visible enough to bring in transformation. In wake of this, we shall respond with our dance and drumming to call for an end in violence against women and girls. Our local action is globally influenced.

·         Our Drumming is our action

·         Our Listening is our action

·         Our Action is active

·         Our Dance is our action

·         Our Voice is our action

·         Our Media and our messaging is our action

·         Our Multi-Media expression is our action

·         Our Revolution is our action

Rise

Rising is the heart beat of our action. Thus, we are rising apologetically with a forceful energy embodying our revolution. We are bringing national and international focus to the pertinent challenges which women are facing.