Unmasking Violence

The Real Stories of Peace: Unmasking Violence through Make-Up.

Meet Rose from Nepal. Rose, a passionate artist, uses creative make-up art to vividly portray the violence experienced by queer people in her community.

As a child, Rose found joy in make-up and enjoyed putting make-up on her friends. As she got older, she started using make-up art to release the trauma and anxiety she had developed from widespread homophobic abuse in Nepal.

In 2019, Rose went to the District Administration Office with a transgender friend who was seeking citizenship. She realised the bitter truth of the governance system. Though the law of Nepal is considered liberal among many, the reality is far different. Often, those who seek to be represented as they identify, face dehumanizing scrutiny.

‘When the Administrator started asking silly questions like…”Were you born this way?” I felt so angry, and when I tried to stand up for my friend, the administrator retaliated with abusive language and exerted his legal power to deny her citizenship.’

This incident not only shocked Rose but also increased her self-determination to combat the systemic violence and discrimination faced by her community.

Rose started looking to be part of the LGBTQI+ activist community that fought to defend the violence and assault faced by queer people.

In 2023, Rose was accepted into Freedom Studio’s ‘Media Activism Fellowship’. Here she was able to further develop her work in peacebuilding. This programme equipped her with strategic thinking and creative non-violent resistance skills.

‘The ‘Media Artivism Fellowship’ was transformative. It taught me how to channel my make-up artistry to highlight and protest the violence against our community’

Since then, Rose has engaged with and trained multiple queer activists to use their creative skills to raise the voices for justice and freedom in the Lumbini province of Nepal. She works as a programme associate in a queer community led NGO that defends rights and secure dignified living of queer people.

‘Through my make-up art, I transform my pain and the trauma of my community into a powerful protest, forcing the world to see the violence we live through. Creative resistance is our weapon, and with every artistic tool, we fight for justice and dignity.’

For Rose, peace starts with embracing true identities and using creative expression.