Violence Against Women
Source: Rwanda Focus
The American embassy on Wednesday launched its inaugural poetry contest marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign.
The poetry contest is open to Rwandans aged 10 to 24 years old. Contestants must write a poem of no more than 10 lines on the theme "GBV - We Can Make it Stop!"
Poems must be written in English, and the deadline to submit them is November 19 at 5 pm. Poems may be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line "We'll Make It Stop Poetry Contest."
"GBV is a very seriously issue. Hosting a poetry contest of this nature is one way for the embassy to work with Rwandan youth to draw attention to a grave problem that tears at the fabric of our communities the world over," said Charles Hawley, public affairs officer at the embassy. "One of the points of this contest is that by working together, we can help stop GBV."
Additionally, conducting the program in English allows the participants to demonstrate their knowledge of English as well as creative writing skills. "Poetry requires a certain mastering of a language because choosing each word is so important," observed deputy public affairs officer Ben Roode,
The winning poem will be selected and printed on large posters for distribution to schools and youth centers across Rwanda in order to raise awareness about GBV. Three other contestants will also win prizes. And all participants will be invited to a poetry reading event in December.