“For me, activism is about actively engaging with — and challenging — societal norms and systems to bring about positive change. It involves speaking out, raising awareness, advocating for justice, and taking action.”
- Onalerona Seane
Onalerona Seane calls himself a creativist, which he describes as being a hybrid between a creative and a activist. He uses poetry to address societal issues in South Africa, focusing mostly on gender-based violence (GBV). The young poet believes that creative work has the power to ignite conversations. But his work is not without challenges. Onalerona says that activism comes with a lot of stress as people feel the need to speak out against you, to target you on social media.
While South Africa’s constitution is founded on the principles of equality and non-sexism, the country struggles with pervasive patriarchal attitudes that extend even to police officers. The South African state is often accused by activists of lacking political will and failing to act decisively with regards to GBV.
When people like Onalerona are able to speak freely about issues in their communities, they can influence social and political decisions, which shows the importance of civic space.
Onalerona is the first contributor to Global Citizen’s Emerging Creatives Program, which provides a platform for emerging creatives in the Global South that are using their art to call for change, shine a light on social injustices, and advocate for the advancement of the Global Goals, while highlighting the need for open civic space worldwide.
MENTOR: Rakaya Esime Fetuga | Poet
WATCH THE VIDEO
Global Citizen’s Emerging Creatives Program provides a platform for emerging creatives in the Global South that are highlighting the need for open civic space worldwide. Through their art, they call for change, shine a light on social injustices, and advocate for the advancement of the Global Goals.
MEET THE MENTOR
Rakaya Esime Fetuga
POET
South African-born Simphiwe Molefe, uses his photography to show the impacts of energy issues in the country. His collection of images titled, Impilo Iyaqhubeka, translates to mean “life goes on” in isiZulu and looks at how every day members of his community cope with South Africa’s ongoing power crisis.
In 2023, South Africa’s civic space rating was downgraded from “narrowed,” to “obstructed” — the third worst rating a country can have. That’s why Molefe believes creatives like himself have a role to play in highlighting the effects of the failure of basic services such as the power crisis in South Africa.