FEMINIST FRIDAY: Chilean Protest Song About Rape Culture Becomes Global Feminist Anthem

Women participate in the intervention ‘A rapist in your path’, popularized by the feminist movement to denounce the abuses and violence suffered by women in Chile, in front of the IST Clinical Hospital in Santiago, Chile, 29 November 2019. (EPA-EFE/Alberto Valdes)

Welcome to another edition of Feminist Friday! That time of the week where we share 3 of our fave videos of the moment, centered around a feminist theme or helping to expand and shape the definition of intersectional feminism – a core mission of our site!

First up this week is a video that has been making its way around the globe, beyond just a video, in fact. In late November/early December 2019, a large number of Chilean feminists took to the streets to protest sexual and gender violence, organized by the feminist group Lastesis. They created a chant and choreography to go with it, which has been imitated by similar marches and protests around the world. In Spanish, the chant is titled “Un Violador en Tu Camino,” which translates to “A Rapist in Your Path.”

More recently, the English version of this chant was used outside the New York courthouse where Harvey Weinstein was on trial which was altogether fitting. It’s a powerful reminder to the solidarity of women’s voices as they are rising to the mainstream to expose those who have gotten away with systemic abuse and sexual assault for far too long. Power dynamics are changing, and it is thanks in part to chants like these that are impacting wider culture:

The second video this week is a CNN highlight about The Serengeti Girls Run, which is a three day, 63 km, race through iconic African wilderness and wildlife for a local cause — the empowerment of women. The Tanzanian event began in 2018 through the Grumeti Fund (GF) who partnered with BRAVE, a South African non-profit organization, to host the inaugural run.

“This all-women run across the Serengeti wilderness raised funds and awareness for the GF’s girl and women empowerment programmes which are specifically aimed at providing opportunities for women in conservation, local commerce and community leadership. Runners of all levels joined this once-in-a-lifetime event that demonstrated the strength and determination of the women involved as well as the capacity for all of us to achieve more when we work together,” says the Singita.com website, a a conservation and ecotourism brand and lodge where part of the run takes place.

With environmental issues being closely linked to economic issues, which can disproportionately impact women and girls in a number of places in the world, the focus on female empowerment makes total sense and should be highlighted:

The final video this week is a short new feature on feminist artist Andre Veloux, whose work we have had the pleasure of featuring on our site previously. Dedicated to profiling and highlighting iconic female badasses through his multimedia work, the British artist was recently featured on Art Insider who showcased how he creates masterpieces using Lego. And we mean LOTS of Lego! Our personal fave is the portrait of US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who recently announced she is cancer free and ready to continue fighting for equal rights and feminism from the bench!

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