Smashing patriarchy — city’s walls sprayed with feminist slogans

Karachi

Walls are the publishers of the poor, so said Eduardo Galeano, a Uruguayan journalist; and it seemed that while exquisite yet inaccessible art exhibitions were held to celebrate International Women’s Day at galleries for just a miniscule number of people, graffiti to holler out the prevalent gender disparity managed to reach many.

Keeping in view that the message of women empowerment ought to be told to a maximum number of city dwellers, members of the National Students Federation (NSF) Pakistan, were on Sunday joined in by a number of students from various varsities on the final day of their week-long graffiti campaign, held to bring the debate over gender equality out in the open. 

Starting from Karachi Press Club and moving to II Chundrigar, Saddar, M A Jinnah Road and Numaish, the students and members were seen rigorously shaking and spraying away paints while others held stencils for support.

“The campaign indeed managed to stir up a debate as we were approached both by passersby who joined in the activity as well as those who thought the campaign was not in line with the ‘values’ of our society,” stated a member of the party.

A group of men who watched the activity from afar were quick to comment that there was no need for such a drive, while another boasted of an act of ‘honour’ killing committed by his grandfather.

“Such statements by men who felt that ‘women did not need any freedom’ in the light of religion, indeed provided the much needed juxtaposition for such events to take place,” said member NSF district organizing committee, Sauman Saeed.

Speaking of what led to the student organisation to hold the campaign, NSF unit organiser in University of Karachi (KU),

Laila Raza, stated that it was times notions such as women were incapable of becoming leaders, whether at homes, workplace or at the level of the state, were challenged.

“Initiatives such as these definitely have to be encouraged given the male dominance inside our homes as well as on the streets. Events which directly involve public would surely help in making people acknowledge the existence and the importance of women in society.” NSF Central Organiser Karachi Muzammal Afzal opined that to attain gender equality the society had to be jolted out of the deeply embedded patriarchal values.

“This campaign challenges stereotypes attached to the female gender and unless the society is forced to reflect on them will the gravity of the issue be understood and addressed.”

The messages sprayed on the wall appreciated women who had been in the struggle to achieve their rights and also called for more women to join the ranks, while some other denounced rape culture and domestic violence.

A student of Intermediate, Arhama Saeed, said she came because she felt it was high time women spoke up for themselves. 

“We are told to ignore harassment since our childhood and to stay quiet when we should be screaming our lungs out in protest. This very conditioning makes girls docile and when they do manage to defy the odds they are disowned by society. But I believe it is better to be disowned than being taken for granted!”  In a city where walls are mostly used by quacks to guarantee a cure for ‘male weakness’, an initiative proving the strength of women seems like a pleasant change; however, it does make one wonder whether the city could handle such a blatant reality.