"Ododo Wa" Community Dialogues

Transnational Organizing and Future Directions

"The pair are not shy about sharing their experiences -- they want to let the world know what happened, and what is still happening."
- Carol Sanders, Winnipeg Free Press

The Ododo Wa exhibit and the news media responses show the intertwining and overlapping of important issues and themes for addressing sexual violence in conflict. In the news media we have analyzed, there is a connection between survivor-centred approaches, advocacy through storytelling, Acan’s and Amony’s personal stories, as well as the broader experiences of women and girls in war. 

News media have contributed in creating an additional platform for Acan and Amony to share their message. Canadian news sources, such as The Winnipeg Free Press or CBC Radio, function as an initial platform to bring issues of conjugal slavery in war to the Canadian mainstream. In response, Canadian news media questions what their viewers and listeners can do. As CMHR curator, Isabelle Masson, responded, it is important to listen to survivors and their stories, and pay attention to their leadership and direction when considering how to support them (Masson in Tshikudi, 2019). Meanwhile, Ugandan news media focuses on the stigmatization of girls in their communities for having been captured or victims of armed forces. 

Given the place-based tensions that emerged in some news media sources, it is also likely that transnational organizing and movement building will continue to bring forward such tensions. As the exhibit continues its journey, it is likely that these issues of stigma, breaking the silence among survivors, and seeking justice will continue to emerge. Likewise, as the travelling exhibit brings forwards these tensions, it will also function as a tool for conversations about conjugal slavery in war and girls’ experiences of war in a broad sense, and in particular contexts. 

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