Canvas for Change – TUT hosts the Second Annual GBV Symposium to explore creative pathways in the fight against GBVF

The Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Arts and Design is proud to host the Second Annual GBV Symposium, a pivotal gathering dedicated to tackling Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) through innovative and creative solutions. Presented by the Research Niche Area, Artivism as a Tool to Combat Gender-Based Violence, the symposium will take place on the Arts Campus from 8 to 9 August 2025.

Under the inspiring theme, Canvas for Change: Creative Pathways to Eradicate GBV, this event aims to foster dialogue, showcase artistic initiatives and ignite transformative change in the fight against GBVF.

This two-day event will be presented in collaboration with the TUT Directorate: Student Affairs and Extracurricular Development (SAED), the City of Tshwane (CoT), the South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH) and the Gauteng Department of Community Safety (GDCS). The symposium will focus on multi-vocality, interdisciplinarity and creative expressions in addressing GBVF within higher education and society.

Recognising the urgency and critical importance of addressing GBVF within the higher education context, this dynamic gathering will explore innovative approaches to activism, healing and advocacy.

Dr Soraya Beukes, Chairperson: Higher Education Resource Services (HERS-SA), will deliver the keynote address on the first day. Her presentation will focus on Exploring the Role of Art Students in Addressing Gender-Based Violence through a social justice lens.

Activist, writer and former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Albie Sachs, will join us online as our keynote on the second day to speak about How the Constitutional Court dealt with GBV in the Carmichele and Baloyi cases.

The GBV Symposium artwork that will be on display is from the Constitutional Court Art Collection, The Kingdom, 2018, photographed by Elisa Iannacone © Constitutional Court Art Collection. Pfunzo Sidogi and Khanyisile Zulu will discuss this work during a guided tour.

As part of the symposium, attendees will be invited to participate in an innovative collaborative ceramic tile project. This project is part of the End GBVF - 100 Day Challenge programme and will focus on accelerating the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) to end GBVF. The project, facilitated by Viola Greyling, lecturer in the TUT Department of Fine and Studio Arts, will consist of 100 hand-painted tiles, each painted by a participant in response to the scourge of GBV in South African society. 

The symposium will provide a platform for multi-vocal perspectives on GBV, recognising the diversity of experiences and approaches necessary to confront this complex issue.

We aim to create a space for rich interdisciplinary dialogue where academic research, creative practice and lived experiences intersect to generate actionable strategies for change.

Please visit  www.tutfadshowcase.ac.za for more information.