Women’s rights activists hold up their hands during a protest opposing violence against women and against Chile's government in Santiago, Chile. Photography: Pablo Sanhueza.
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde.
On October 18th “2019”, millions of people witnessed Chile’s awakening. Massive protests broke out against the political class in Chile. Chile, usually thought of as one of the most stable countries in Latin America, has been paralyzed for months due to protests by those fed up with the status quo. Protests erupted on October 6th, initially against a metro fare hike, which quickly turned into general discontent and repression by the police force; this brought a flood of harrowing memories of the dictatorship and its hardships that lasted 16 years. Chilean protests go beyond just Chile, on November 25th a powerful and inspiring feminist anthem swept the world by storm.
“A rapist in your path.” the name of the influential anthem, was created in Chile by the feminist group “Las Tesis”. The anthem was first performed in Valparaiso, about 120 kilometers northwest of the capital Santiago, on November 18th. On November 25th, 2019, a second version of the song was made by 2000 Chilean women, it was sung as a part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the recording was spread across social media. It became a global feminist anthem. Soon after, feminist movements across the globe started to perform the song as a part of their protest and their demands for the cessation and punishment of femicides and sexual violence against women. The central idea behind the lyrics, inspired by the Argentinian antrhropologist Rita Segat, is that sexual assault is a political problem, not a moral one.
Within two weeks, the chorus could be heard not only in Chile but in Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, Australia, France, and Spain. Women in hundreds of cities worldwide have executed the choreography, protesting against sexual assault, victim-blaming and state violence. So far, it has been performed in over 200 cities on almost every continent, even reaching the UWC movement, including UWCUSA and UWC East Africa (the school in which I am currently studying). "In every place, the patriarchy presents itself a little differently. But the issue of rape is fundamental," said Isaura Fabra, an Uruguayan feminist who started mapping the phenomenon, to Al Jazeera.
The performance is divided into different parts and each one with its own importance: for it represents what women have to go through in their daily lives, facing sexual assault, being subject to gender discrimination and having voiced supressed. The lyrics describe how institutions, police, judges and political structures perpetuate systematic violations of women’s rights: “The rapist is you/ it’s the police/ judges/ the state/ the president.”
The performance begins with a group of women, mostly blindfolded, and an electronic beat singing "Patriarchy is a judge, that judges us for being born, and our punishment is the violence you don't see". Afterward, in one part of the anthem, the performers squat down recreating the position that Chilean female protesters are forced to assume when arrested and carried away by the police. “A rapist in your path” is a powerful anthem, it has a universality and adaptability that allows it to resonate all over the world.
Chile’s largest performance took place outside Santiago’s National Stadium, known all over the country as it was a prison camp and torture center during the 16 year-long dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. People were tortured and thousands disappeared, a human rights report “Chilean National Comission on Political Prison and Torture Report” found out that almost all of the female victims interviewed had suffered some form of sexual violence as a component of torture.
According to statistics gathered by the Chilean Network against Violence against Women, 42 cases of sexual abuse are reported each day to the police. In 2018, only 25.7% of sexual abuse cases resulted in judicial rulings. Moreover, the National Human Rights Institute has documented 194 cases of sexual violence by authorities in the context of Chile’s awakening protests, and has filed 117 legal motions against authorities for sexual violence, including four cases of rape.
These kinds of protests, such as the one started by “Las Tesis” against male chauvinism, come as an answer to the high number of femicides in Latin America and the world. In El Salvador, abortion is illegal and women are tried for suffering miscarriages. Furthermore, an unprecedented Amnesty International investigation of 100 women arrested in Mexico revealed that they are routinely sexually abused by the security forces who want to secure confessions. Regarding India, violence against women and girls is widespread. Despite some progressive legislative measures in recent years, many women continue to experience discrimination and violence in their everyday lives in both public and private spheres. This marginalization narrows women’s abilities to access true justice.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to return to my country after 5 months away, as I am currently studying in UWC East Africa, Tanzania. Returning to Chile and noticing substantial transformations made me realize how much it has changed since October 18th, Chile’s awakening. It made me realize that the voice of the people is far greater than any government.
I witnessed this historical event from abroad. I witnessed the emergence of this powerful feminist anthem in Moshi. The struggle of thousands of Chileans coursed through me but I wasn’t there to confront that pain. Nevertheless, I made my mission to spread awareness and share the remarkable anthem “A rapist in your path” with people from the UWC community.
That is the reason why with a group of students from the UWCEA Moshi campus, we have been organizing activities for the International Women’s Day (March 8th). Among the activities that will take place, there will be poetry, speeches and different performances to raise awareness about feminism, gender violence, powerful women around the world and gender roles. Moreover, we will finish the ceremony with the performance of the feminist anthem of “Las Tesis” to represent cultural unity, female empowerment and the issues that women around the world must face with different focuses, regardless of their origin.
Through studying in Tanzania, as well as getting to know other country’s realities, I have come to realize how gender discrimination against women differs from one culture to another. However, a striking similarity can be seen with the increasing number of feminist movements. Millions of women are taking to the streets to insist on the right to live violence-free lives. Millions of women are taking to the streets to fight with hope. Millions of women are taking to the streets to stand as one for their freedoms. Millions of women are taking to the streets to break the chains that hold them. I feel a profound sense of pride in the women of today, especially the collective “Las Tesis” for creating an anthem that has been able to cross cultural barriers and represent us all.
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