What: "Neda Wants to Die"
When: 6-7 p.m. April 15
Where: Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Building
Free to the public. Recommended for adults only due to strong language
Sexual and gender-based violence are some of the most predominant global issues worldwide that can sometimes be silenced by a negative stigma and victim blaming.
The David Owsley Museum of Art has recognized these issues and has made an effort toward spreading awareness and education through the exhibit "1 in 3: What Does It Take for You to Be Outraged."
In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum hosted the play "Neda Wants to Die" on April 14.
See more photos from the play here.
The play was commissioned by the World Bank Art Program in 2014 as part of the "1 in 3" gender-based violence multimedia exhibition.
"Neda Wants to Die" is the story of a United Nations refugee case officer named John who must hear the stories of those seeking international asylum, according to DC Metro Theatre Arts. It looks at the destructive nature of hatred and violence and is centered around two case studies: a woman named Neda who survived unspeakable acts, and a man named Laurent who survived and perpetrated unspeakable acts.
Playwright and director Luigi Laraia wrote that the play was meant to spark change in an effort to end sexual and gender-based violence.
“A play is a shared experience, a visual distillation meant to affect the viewer more profoundly than watching television or reading the news,” Laraia wrote. “My ambition is for 'Neda' to be preformed worldwide in an effort to inspire dialogue and solutions that will bring this violence to an end. This play is not so much about violence as about how violence multiplies and deepens when we look away.”
After the performance, the actors and director joined a board of university and community members for a panel discussion about the play itself and how big of an issue sexual and gender-based violence are within the world and at Ball State.
The panel discussion was co-sponsored by the Multicultural Center and featured Katie Slabaugh, associate dean of students/Title IX coordinator; Jim Duckham, university police chief and director of public safety; and Teresa Clemmons, executive director of A Better Way, a non-profit organization that provides shelter and services for victims who have experienced cases like domestic violence and sexual assault.
Slabaugh said as Title IX coordinator, many students have come through her to report violence and sexual assaults.
She said she had personally witnessed the same struggles that Neda had gone through with reporting what had happened to her.
“[The main character John] asked her to start from the beginning [like] she would systematically — in a neat, tidy, chronological order — tell what happened to her,” Slabaugh said. “The longer I do this work, the more I realize that just does not happen in one setting. … It may take several conversations to do that.”
This is due to the self-blaming victims go through after an assault, she said.
“[Neda] talked a lot about self blame and being ashamed for what happened to her. The most important comment she made was, 'Why didn’t I scream,' and that just showed how much our cultural implication to do victim blaming is very much alive,” Slabaugh said. “I have had complainants say to me, ‘Why didn’t I scream, I couldn’t move, I was frozen’ so those feelings that these women go through and the blaming and shame they feel within themselves is very real.”
Clemmons said though the issue is happening, not much is being done to stop it.
“I’ve seen many victims and spent a lot of time with them, and I can tell you that they are not all the same and it is not the same experience every time, and it makes you want to cry,” Clemmons said. “I am so frustrated that we haven’t solved the problem.”
Just because you may not be the victim, it doesn’t mean others aren’t, Clemmons said. She said teaching victims or potential victims to not dress a certain way or not go to certain places makes it so that it doesn't happen to you, but it doesn't stop it from happening to someone else.
One of the questions asked by an audience member was what causes these assaults to happen.
While there are so many studies being done, Clemmons said there is not one specific cause behind the problem, and these acts of violence have been more associated with people who want control.
“I believe that a lot of this has to do with people who want control over something in their lives,” Clemmons said. “They don’t feel they have control and they want it, ... so they try to take it from someone else. How you solve that is the question in my mind.”
While there is no right or wrong answer, there are still ways to make a difference and spread awareness. Slabaugh said that is being done at Ball State by educating students on how to be effective bystanders.
“The people who have the biggest possibility in impact and reducing sexual violence on our campus are our students,” Slabaugh said. “Through programs like like Step In. Speak Up., students are being taught what to safely do if they or someone else was in trouble or at risk of assault. Will you participate, or will you step in and speak up and help someone when they need your help?"
The play will be performed again on April 15 in the Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Building and is free to the public.
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