I took part in the Slutwalk in Johannesburg today, and walked amongst the few thousand people who marched from the Zoo Lake Sports Club to Rosebank and back again (a 3.7km walk).  It was an amazing experience.  Firstly, to be doing something on a Saturday for me, and not working… and secondly supporting my friends who had taken so much time and effort in organising this event that meant so much to so many of us. You could see that although some of the posters and placards were straight statements, there was a story behind the way that every person dressed… some dressed in short skirts and others covered from head to toe on purpose (and not just because of the cold).

I know that some of you are wondering about what it means, and I think the best explanation was tweeted this morning by Fiona Snyckers.  If this isn’t enough for you, then read about it on the Slutwalk website

Sandi Schultz was the main organiser of the event, and she opened the speeches by talking about her experience… wearing a similar pair of pyjamas to the pair she was wearing on the night she was raped.  She then impressively changed in front of everyone into the outfit that she walked in.

This hit close to home for me too, because I was attacked when I was at varsity and on holiday in Ballito. Thankfully my story ended well because I was able to fight him off and I ran home.  I was glad to be a part of this, and I hope that the message behind the protest is now understood.

The one thing I didn’t take a photo of, is the rape survivor handbag that I collected and donated for victims of rape.  It was quite a thought process that actually goes into selecting the simply items that are included in the handbags, but every single item made me think twice about why they were included in the bag.  If you didn’t take part in the walk, make the time and get a rape survivor kit together to donate… it’s the least you could do.

I’ll be posting all these images and more on Flickr and on my Facebook Page so you can tag yourselves if you took part.