A common space with a message to all

The “Say No Together” exhibition which opened on December 1 will continue until December 10 at Independence Arcade

The spotlight falls on Gender Based Violence (GBV) from November 25 – December 16 with many organisations running workshops, social media campaigns and other awareness initiatives. Considering this and the United Nations theme “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, Advocacy and Communications Consultant Shanuki de Alwis decided to curate an exhibition which would offer a common space to exhibit their work to end GBV.

“I realised that many organisations would be doing a lot of good work which would only be seen by their social media followers and people who knew their organisations so I felt that offering them a common space to exhibit their work would help spread their message to a wider audience and offer the public one space they can visit to learn about many of the initiatives taking place in Sri Lanka against GBV,” Shanuki explains.

The 10-day exhibition will take place inside two converted containers with spaces for a gallery of exhibits, live sessions, performances and forums on the theme of ending gender based violence. A supporting social media campaign was launched on November 25.

Collaborators include both national gender rights organisations, from Women In Need, the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka, Center for Equality & Justice and Yeheliya Foundation, to performing groups like Mind Adventures and Prajadiriya Padanama, among others.

There has been enthusiastic support from volunteers who are working hard to make the exhibition a success by helping the public by translating content wherever possible (including into sign language) and helping with the logistics of the event. Manushi Rathnayake explains that she volunteered because she has been personally impacted by GBV and wants to help end it. “Having gone though it and witnessing it happen before me, empowers me to make sure that no one else feels the way that I do as a result of it,” she says.

The exhibition is supported by the program Strengthening Social Cohesion and Peace (SCOPE) co-financed by the European Union and German Federal Foreign Office. To find out more follow scope.srilanka on Facebook and Instagram. The “Say No Together” exhibition will be open from 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 12 noon – 8 p.m. on weekends until December 10.