The First Large Scale African It Gets Better Project Launched in Cape Town
Resource type: News
It Gets Better – Cape Town | [ View Original Source (opens in new window) ]
Messages of Hope and Solidarity for Gay South Africans
Watch the videos of several Atlantic grantees who participated in the project.
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| Equal Education, It Gets Better | Gender DynamiX, It Gets Better | The Inner Circle, It Gets Better |
October 11, Cape Town – A small group of University of Cape Town (UCT) students and staff have teamed up with civil society organisations and high profile individuals to create It Gets Better – Cape Town, a collection of 18 videos.
The team, ranging from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to the UCT Rugby Team Captain, lets Cape Town know that It Gets Better.
The It Gets Better Project is a global video campaign targeting sexual minorities who experience discrimination in secondary schools and beyond. The videos explain that their lives will “get better.” A wide range of high profile individuals and organisations have created videos, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Prime Minister David Cameron, Anne Hathaway, Adam Lambert, Ke$ha, Facebook, and Google.
The It Gets Better – Cape Town team shares unique messages of hope and solidarity for sexual minorities.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu states that “if you experience discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, I want you to know that It Gets Better. There are people and organisations throughout this wonderful land that will support you. We should support one another as an act of true Ubuntu.”
Charlie Keegan, an actor in the South African film Skoonheid, an Official Selection at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, reminds young people that “the greatest people who ever lived were people who had to fight their way through times of pain and suffering and a feeling of hopelessness. What made those people great was their ability to overcome obstacles that brought the most pain and the most fear.”
Nokubonga Yawa, the Head of the Grade 9 Khayelitsha Youth Group at Equal Education, tells young people that “we have the Constitution protecting us… We have a right to sexuality and no one has a right to discriminate.”
Nick Fenton-Wells, the UCT Rugby Team Captain, states that “we look to encourage sexual minorities who’d like to play rugby to approach the UCT Rugby Club. They are more than welcome.”
On October 11, It Gets Better – Cape Town was launched on a Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/itgetsbettercapetown. Any individual or organisation can view or screen the collection free of charge. Later this month, part of the collection will be screened at Out in Africa: South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
The collection was conceptualised by director and producer, Andrew Barry, a Master of Philosophy in Education student at UCT. Andrew Barry says: “I want sexual minorities who experience discrimination to know that there are individuals and organisations in Cape Town that will support them.” He adds: “I hope It Gets Better – Cape Town will motivate other individuals and organisations in Cape Town and the rest South Africa to create similar videos.”
IT GETS BETTER – CAPE TOWN CONTACT:
Andrew Barry
Mobile: 076 538 9174
Email: itgetsbettercapetown@gmail.com
IT GETS BETTER – CAPE TOWN YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
www.youtube.com/itgetsbettercapetown
INTERNATIONAL IT GETS BETTER WEBSITE:
www.itgetsbetter.org
It Gets Better – Cape Town, Equal Education, Gender Dynamix and The Inner Circle are Atlantic grantees.