(Mon 6th / 8 pm / £4/3, but no one turned away through lack of
funds)

The film, City of Joy, documents the stories of survivors of rape
in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); showing the progression
of the City of Joy project - from its passionate inception, to the
building and opening of the centre in Bukavu. For more than a
decade, eastern Congo has become infamous as the "rape capital of
the world" and the "worst place on earth to be a woman". The
documentary features the women of the Congo talking about the
brutal violence they have experienced and why it is so vital to
speak out against it, rather than seeing it as the 'woman's shame'.
Upon the opening of the centre, the survivors, dressed in
celebration clothes, dance, sing and drum to celebrate their
accomplishment at beginning to heal their community. The producers,
V day (www.vday.org), is a charity set up by Eve Ensler after she
wrote the 'Vagina Monologues' to raise awareness and combat
violence against women and girls across the world and have been
working in the DRC building hospitals and refuges for women,
helping them rebuild their communities.

The plight of these women and girls does not get the attention it
deserves by the mainstream media and is often shunned for lame
sugar-coated stories, such as 'celebrity weddings'; there is,
therefore, a heightened sense that these stories need to be told.
One of the women interviewed, Jeanne, says "Do you see me as an
animal? Because you are letting animals treat me like one. You, you
white people: if this violence was happening in your country, would
you end it?" It has been advised that some viewers may find some
scenes upsetting, and it may be advisable not to bring young
children. We will also be welcoming Katherine Viner, deputy editor
of the Guardian, and Doireann from V Day to speak at the event.

http://www.vday.org
http://Bristol.Indymedia.org