Documentary: “I Did Not Ask For This”

The JDI-SA documentary  “I did not ask for this” is powerfully narrated by Tsakane Motshweni, a young man who’s story highlights the horror of sexual abuse behind bars as well as the oppressive and inhumane societal forces that are landing people in prison in the first place. Tsakani’s story references intersections of the historical, intergenerational, and collective nature of violence and trauma – laying plain how these need to be centred in work to address crime and violence. The documentary was streaming  on The Agenda Network’s platforms from the 19 of June, and was later launched in-person in Johannesburg on the 22^nd of August at a symposium titled Rethinking Justice to Create Alternative Global Futures by the Detention Justice Forum (DJF). The DJF is a civil society coalition, comprising of non-governmental organisations and individuals seeking to ensure that the rights and well-being of those who are detained are respected. The symposium, was attended by prominent policy makers, academics and activists from around the world including Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.