Instead of a day of silence, Carleton Journalists for Human Rights raised their voices, awareness, and almost $1,000 for victims of sexual violence in the Republic of Congo at the first annual HollerDay! Nov. 4 at Oliver’s Pub.
Roughly 170 people showed up to the event, which raised around $900, almost doubling the original fundraising goal of $500, said Yaelle Gang, an event organizer.
HollerDay! participants were invited to contribute to the 16 hours and hollering in honour of the 1.6 million sexual violence victims in Congo, said Mashoka Maimona, an event organizer. She said participants “hollered” around campus as a collective efforts across the country.
“[That’s] 100,000 people every hour essentially we’re standing up for. What we’re trying to do is raise as much sound and noise as we can to get awareness around the issue of systemic rape in the world’s rape capital,” she said.
The night started off with a screening of The Greatest Silence, a documentary on rape in the Congo, before getting louder with music, dancing and drinking to support the cause.
A large group of people crowded around the stage as BoxFull of Groundhogs, an indie band made up of four Carleton students, started setting up.
The band warmed up the audience with a few of their original songs, “Child,” “New Luggage,” and “I Know You Weren’t Getting Ketchup.” When the band played “Feel Good Inc.,” a Gorillaz cover, the energy in the crowd picked up as people started to sing along.
BoxFull of Groundhogs bassist Avery Zingel said the band is always looking for opportunities to help out.
“We love playing music and we love bringing about social awareness,” she said.
The audience cheered for an encore but the band left the stage, making room for The Red Carnations followed by DJ Sutty, who rounded off the evening.
Music is a great way to get audiences actively involved, Maimona said. Another way she said organizers reached out to more people was by hosting the event at Oliver’s, which often attracts students with events like Thirsty Thursdays.
“That was the best and most ideal way to communicate the severity of the situation,” Maimona said.
