In my country, Bangladesh, growing up as a woman means navigating the labyrinth of a complex patriarchal compass. In doing so, gender minorities constantly come up against various fears. Against this backdrop, Bangladesh sees an average of almost four women, girls and children raped every day, and the numbers are rising. Social scientists, lawyers and criminal investigators in the field have observed that the culture of impunity, the illegal use of power, political failures, the lack of accountability of the agencies involved and the decline of social values all contribute to the formation of a rape culture. In this terrifying manifestation of reality, even our unconscious is pos- sessed by the fear of being raped.
At such an intersection, Zana (pseudonym) and I engaged in an idiosyncratic conversation entitled River Runs Violet, to form a non-violent protest against the roots of rape culture in Bangladesh. Zana’s empirical insights as a rape victim, and my own quest as a woman growing up in the same environment, will dialogue in a multi-voiced visual correspondence.