Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Mission to highlight GBV
AFTER witnessing how gender-based violence (GBV) affects the country, Cally Silberbauer will cycle from Cape Town to Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of the issue.
She will start her journey in May, and when she arrives will summit Africa’s highest peak.
Silberbauer said cycling to and up Mount Kilimanjaro had been her dream for a while.
“A little voice also told me that this one should be a solo mission, and even though it scares me, that’s what I’m doing,” she said.
“So often women had to suppress their adventurous natures because of the ‘natural’ life trajectory that society enforced – find the right guy, settle down, marry, have kids, the end.
“I’m not saying that this isn’t a beautiful way to live, and it is an adventure in its own right, but it’s not my adventure. I’m taking a step out of my comfort zone for all the adventurous ladies who missed the chance, or haven’t been as blessed as I have been with opportunities and parents that support my wild ideas,” Silberbauer said.
She said she had seen and experienced the hurt and damage GBV was causing in the country.
“It is a beautiful country that I will always call home, and I can no longer sit back and watch, Silberbauer said.
“It would be foolish to think that one endurance event like my cycle to Mount Kilimanjaro could solve GBV, but I am hoping it will make a difference,” she said.
Silberbauer plans to show women that they can still embrace and live their dreams.
“Women are told more often than not that they shouldn’t do things for many different reasons.
“The world is changing and women are getting many more opportunities, but I’m not about to sit around and wait for things to change; I want to be part of that force that pushes for change.
“I hope women will see my journey and realise this is something they are capable of,” she said.
Silberbauer said all journeys started with one small step, and she wanted to inspire more steps of power.
“Not necessarily a bike-packing mission or a trek across mountains, but perhaps out of an abusive relationship or a personal struggle. I will be riding for Blocktober, a movement that is close to my heart,” she said.
Jean du Plessis, founder of antiGBV movement Blocktober, said Silberbauer would show us what could be done to understand, confront and dismantle fear, and take on the scourge of GBV in the world.
“In my view, if humanity cannot solve the problem of GBV, then there is not much hope for us in successfully tackling the many other challenges facing us,” he said.
“GBV affects everyone around the globe, and it cuts across race, class, nationality, belief, culture and religion. To end GBV requires all of us, men in particular, to change how we see and behave towards each other,” Du Plessis said.