The Consent Workshop TCW Art Exhibition 2019

TCW Art Exhibition 2019

Cynthia MbalaNo Comments

It was a success! On Saturday, May 25th, 10 months after our pilot workshop, The Consent Workshop had its first art exhibition. A gathering of talented diaspora artists who explored the themes of rape culture, policing bodies and black identity in their work. Artists included Ugonna, Bahatii, Nelson, Morenike, Tamar and Deji. Facilitated by Mary Asekome of the Canadian Federation of Students and Funmi Taiwo of ThriveM, our art exhibition had an engaged audience of over 150 gathered and eager to learn about consent. The workshop included a host of activities and discussions that dissected rape culture, attitudes and body shaming. It was a perfect space for necessary learning.  Included… Read More

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The Consent Workshop #EndWarOnNigerianWomen

#EndWarOnNigerianWomen

Cynthia MbalaNo Comments

The Consent Workshop in partnership with sister organizations, is launching a campaign to protest the harassment of women looking to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, and organizations that offer these services.#EndWarOnNigerianWomen On Tuesday, May 21st, Police officers raided a Marie Stopes Clinic in Lagos, harassed the health workers and patients and took away confidential client information. Marie Stopes offers free and affordable family planning services to women and men, pregnancy tests, pre and post-natal care, treatment and services for sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV testing and ultrasound and laboratory services. They have trained staff who offer counselling and treatment especially to those who cannot afford the costs at… Read More

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TCW Chat: Olutimehin Adegbeye

Cynthia Mbala1 Comment

This month, we at The Consent Workshop are engaging in conversations with some interesting people as part of our #TCWChat campaign. We kickstart this conversation with Olutimehin Adegbeye, who was really pleasant and interesting to talk to. We spoke about Consent education, how society should get involved in the process of obtaining and teaching consent, and sexual assault including the role the government plays in it currently. Olutimehin is a writer, speaker and advocate; her work focuses on rights, inclusion and justice in the areas of Gender, Sexualities and Urbanisation. She has worked with several political, cultural, civil society and corporate organisations, and has been invited to speak at events… Read More

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The Consent Workshop The Bystander Approach

The Bystander Approach

Cynthia MbalaNo Comments

Society does not do a great job at condemning sexual assault publicly. This is especially in moments where we are not directly affected. We know it should not be happening, but we are slower to respond when it does not happen to us, a friend or a family member. We should not be waiting to be directly affected by tools of the patriarchy, to understand that the urgent need for it to be dismantled. Jackson Katz describes a Bystander as anyone who is not involved in the dyad of abuse but is embedded in peer culture relationships with people who might be in that situation. The general idea with this approach… Read More

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The Consent Workshop Becoming Better Allies

Becoming Better Allies

Cynthia Mbala1 Comment

The journey towards ending sexual violence requires going against norms that have been ingrained in us unconsciously and, in some cases, consciously. It is important to remember that we cannot apply technical or routine solutions to a problem that has proven to be outside our current strategy.  The eradication of sexual harassment and assault is an adaptive challenge that needs to be tackled with an adaptive solution. Sexual harassment has been woven into our social and cultural fabric by its normalization and even its legalization, resulting in generations of individuals who have had no knowledge of consent as a right or a responsibility. Simply put, we need to move beyond… Read More

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