Trying To Be Heard

I am incredibly introverted. I have a difficult time just trying to talk in class. I spent my entire high school career not speaking unless asked a question. College is not any different. Not talking is more of social anxiety for me, compared to people who lack any opportunity to speak, like subalterns.

How do subalterns get their voices heard? How do they get heard in today’s mass media? My only answer is it occurs rarely, with great difficulty, and with help.

Ann Jones, the author of A Global Crescendo: Women’s Voices from Conflict Zones, is one of the people helping give a voice to subalterns, specifically South African women. She empowered women in a number of small villages by giving them digital cameras. The intention was to have the women photograph problems within their community. Typically the women were not allowed to have any form of technology, with them having cameras, the power dynamics of the villages shifted. The women took pictures of abuse, unfair treatment, how hard they work, etc. The pictures were presented to the entire village, including the chiefs. Prior to Jones, these communities, women were not allowed to speak in public and then were giving the opportunity to give their perspectives on problems directly to the leaders.

Thankfully, the women’s voices were well received by their communities. It could have gone quote horribly, instead the women changed lives. Problems of violence and abuse were progressing to be solved. Women began to serve on boards dictating punishment for crimes committed. They were apart of a new era of creating equal rights.

I think Ann Jones accomplished a wonderful amount to strategize equal rights for women. However, I think this situation is really rare. The chiefs could have very easily chosen to ignore the women.

The ability for subalterns to have a voice is dictated by aid from others with more power. The South African women would not have be altered the power structure within their communities without the help of Ann Jones. Jones gives power to the women who change their own lives. I’m not taking away from all that the women accomplished and the courage it takes to change their own lives. But they couldn’t have down it without help.