Gwanda artist uses photography to highlight GBV

By Jonah B Moyo

Models: Franklin Kondwani (male), Andile Ntini (female).

A local photographer and model in Gwanda recently used photography to tell the story of a young woman’s struggle, exposing the harsh realities of abuse and the emotional trauma that follows.

Brian ‘Casanova’ Nyathi, the creative mind behind Exclusive Studios, teamed up with Gwanda model Andile Ntini and Franklin Kondwani to produce unique artistic photographs that portray love intertwined with the realities of gender-based violence.

Through their distinctive and highly creative photography style, Exclusive Studios depicted the complex reality of gender-based violence and love, an experience many young women face today.

Andile Ntini said that during the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, she urges young girls to speak up about the abuse they are facing.

“I was abused in a relationship that I once believed was my future and my forever love. But because of the level of abuse (I was being beaten and then told ‘I love you’ afterwards) I eventually walked away. This shoot we did with Casanova tells my story and highlights what many young girls are going through. They remain silent in toxic relationships, believing the abuse is love, but it is not.” she said.

Andile and Casanova are close friends, and when Andile approached him with the idea of creating a storytelling photograph, the two sat down and researched the best way to produce an image that would be powerful and informative.

Andile broke down as she explained what inspired her to take part in the photo shoot.

“I felt deeply connected to the shoot because of what women are going through today, not only physical abuse, but also verbal and emotional abuse. I realised a message needed to be voiced. With men killing, beating, and harassing women so frequently, I felt compelled to do a GBV-themed shoot. There are so many haunted souls and disturbed minds out there, silenced every day, not because they don’t want to speak, but because they fear for their lives.

“All in the name of love, they tend to lose themselves to the same men that vowed to be beside them, imagine dying in the hands of their so called “lovers”. When we saw this concept we never hesitated an inch because we knew a lot of unheard and unspoken voices will be heard,” Ntini said.

Andile a survivor of GBV who chose to share her story with the world through art, had this to say about being caught between love and abuse.

“It is one of the hardest experiences anyone can go through. Being caught between love and GBV leaves a deep trauma that never truly goes away. Even when you try to escape, the experience continues to torment you. The worst part about GBV is that leaving is never easy. In those moments, the same person who is beating you manipulates you into believing they love you, making the cycle even harder to break.

“They give out an emotional blackmail that makes women think that they deserve all those beatings and cussing, they would be convinced that they couldn’t be with anyone else better than those men. Many get out early some will be too late and lose their lives in the process, the least we can do is speak out for them maybe the society will understand, maybe men will stop. With this shoot we hoped for the better for anyone who’s experienced gbv and we opted for validation and closure,” she said.

“This is exactly what i went through from 2021 to 2023—believing i was loved when, in reality, i was being abused. That is why, in the picture, the man holding me has ‘Sorry I love you’ written on his hand. I was going through so much without even realising it,” she said.

Young women often carry the trauma of GBV from before marriage, and it continues to haunt them into their married life. As a result, many struggle to enjoy their marriage, constantly fearing abuse due to past experiences with former partners.

Brian ‘Casanova’ Nyathi highlighted that their goal was to spread awareness and shed light on the abuse that many young women are facing.

“We created this shoot to portray both strength and vulnerability, and to challenge the myths that allow violence to persist. I have seen many people close to me experience GBV, and this inspired me to transform the issue into an artistic yet storytelling photograph. The aim is to raise awareness and make people realize that there is no honor in abusing someone you claim to love, treating them like a punching bag while professing affection,” he said.

He added urged man to stop abusing their loved ones even on digital.

“We must stop abusing our loved ones, as they may be the parents of our future children. Continued abuse can destroy love and leave lasting trauma that lasts a lifetime,” he said.