Invisible People

“A strong voice can only be generated through a collective effort: multiple voices speaking together.”

Many of the world’s voiceless groups end up ‘homeless’ or ‘stateless’, so I want to be able to tell the story of ‘invisible people’. We will then realise how many people are living in silence, and how their stories are suppressed across the world. For instance, in South Africa, white people oppressed black people during the Apartheid. Meanwhile, women have fewer opportunities to make themselves heard when compared with their male counterparts: this endemic sexism is still rife globally. Moreover, in every country, there are individuals who are often ignored and even persecuted by the state. As time goes on, the neglect and oppression of these groups alters their own behaviours and self-perception and the general public internalises prejudiced attitudes towards these groups. We begin to believe that they should not or cannot have a voice.

In order to give invisible people a voice, I think we need to create more legitimate channels for ordinary people to contribute their opinions to the process of democratic decision-making. At the same time, we also need to create the space and time to build their confidence and equip them with the skills and self-belief to speak for themselves, in effective ways. I believe that a strong voice can only be generated through a collective effort: multiple voices speaking together.