Lost in Translation

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Mothusi Soloko

Location : Gaborone

Event : Celebrity feature

Sir Ketumile Masire once said “in an apartheid system, both the oppressor and the oppressed are victims”. Narrow this to the level of a patriarchal society and suffice to say both men and women are equally victims.

Perhaps, in the case of poet Berry Heart, gender activists and human rights advocacy groups would agree, the prize to pay for fighting gender stereotypes in such as society is never too small.  It is a situation whereby the hunter becomes the hunted.

Heart`s unorthodoxy and somewhat crude approach to issues of gender has not won her many hearts. Not even from the very group whose rights she is fighting for - women. 

Heart has not had it easy. She has been villified, scorned and ridiculed especially on social media where many of her critics argued her art bordered on the immoral. Her sin - sacrificing her body to lay bare horrors that men visit upon women.

Instead of society practically sharing in her, the inherent trials and tribulations women go through in a patriarchal, conservative and traditionalist society, she has become an instant victim of the very cause she is fighting for.

Professor Maude Dikobe of the University of Botswana is quick to concede that Heart is advancing a very difficult aspect of performing art that not many people may be willing to accept and appreciate.

Prof Dikobe argues that while Heart is a performing artist who pushes boundaries, compounding her situation is the fact that Botswana is predominantly a Christian country.

However, Heart`s may not be a lost cause, not just as yet. The university`s Department of Education has incorporated her art in its syllabus in the study of popular subversion. 

Prof Dikobe says they use her art in their English and African Diaspora classes.

“We use her work together with the work of other artists to look at performance as a way of liberation,” she reckons.

In addition, the poet prominently featured on CNN`s African Voices coming across as a voice for women whose voices are conspicuously absent from public discourse. 

While back home she may have rubbed many the wrong way, her courageous efforts seem to be slowly gaining recognition elsewhere as she continues to catch the eye of international organisations. She is almost a regular in many UN events and looks set to cut music deals in quite a number of African countries. 

“I have been invited for collaborations in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria,” reveals Heart.

Meanwhile, Heart vows that no amount of suffering or pain will deter her from advocating for a group whose voice is rarely heard in a broader spectrum of society. 

“The way you see me in those pictures is the way men look at women in a society they dominate. We have to change and give women equal freedom with men,” she reckons almost fighting back tears.

“Women are treated like second class citizens. If a woman is not educated, she is three times trampled upon to the extent that some have accepted these injustices as a normal way of life. Many women still scorn me and tell me that a man is the head of the family,” regrets Heart.

She adds “I`m not only fighting for women. I am also fighting for men trying to make them see the other side of life they are scared of. Men cannot live their lives to the fullest if the woman is still oppressed. Once men free themselves from oppressive belief systems, the woman will also become free”.

However, Heart says she is aware that she is swimming against the tide. Being the daughter of a Khoisan and Mokgalagadi, adds salt to injury. 

“Some when they learn that the blood of the Khoisan and Mokgalagadi flows in my veins, they get the shock of their lives. They still think I should be in the bush chasing after wild animals,” she laments.

 “It`s a tall order for me. What I`m fighting for, may not happen today but I know I`m planting a seed that will grow into a big tree the fruits of which will be enjoyed by the girl child,” says Heart looking into the future with a good measure of optimism. 

Meanwhile, offstage, Heart is a kind woman who dedicates her life to helping the girl child realise her dreams. 

She donates part of proceeds from her shows to Springboard School in Molepolole. The aim of the school is to empower the girl child. She also works with the African Women Leadership Academy on gender issues.

Teaser:

 

"What I`m fighting for, may not happen today but I know I`m planting a seed that will grow into a big tree the fruits of which will be enjoyed by the girl child."