Photos: Emily de Boey
After a year and a half of gatherings within a safe space, twelve women came together over five and a half afternoons to improvise scenes that transformed their testimonies into artistic pieces. Guided by the Tribunal on Crimes Against Women, they created and presented three public performances of their showcase. These performances took place at Madam Fortuna and at the cultural center Het Oude Badhuis.
During a participatory evening in partnership with Safe Space, Rebelle, and Elegast, the women engaged in self-defence movements, songs, and texts.
In a very light and humoured atmosphere, the participants practiced some postures under the guidance of the self-defence coach Leen Nicolas.
The second part of the evening was dedicated to writing. Guided through the process by Valérie Himschoot, the participants wrote and shared poems to be used in the collective creations.
During the recess between the workshops, the participants spontaneously started to sing ‘Lalla Bouya’ and invited the new ones to join.