Students in Brazil share Thursdays in Black stories: “The world needs to see”

Some of the students had sewn panels for the Waterfall of Solidarity and Resistance tapestry that was first displayed at the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly in 2022

In April—one-and-a-half years after the assembly—the students met with Brazilian artist Janine Marja Schneider, who sewed the tapestry on which the book is based. It’s six meters wide and five meters long, with over 180 panels hand-crafted by people all over the world who shared their personal pain and hope to overcome sexual and gender-based violence.

As the students received copies of the book, Pastor Dr Marli Brun and Ms Sabrina Senger, coordinators of the Gender and Religion Program at Faculdades EST, recalled how moving it was to see students working on the tapestry, seeing them unite with women in different parts of the world who were also sewing panels.

“Receiving the book with photos and stories materializes this union, expressed in the sewing of the pieces, which make up the Waterfall,” said Brun and Senger. “We remain committed in Brazil and Latin America to overcoming violence.”

And the “Waterfall timeline” keeps flowing. In August 2025, the programme will host the IX Latin American Congress on Gender and Religion where the book – and potentially the tapestry – will be shared in an even wider circle. “We are very grateful to the World Council of Churches and the artist Janine for the possibility of participating in this project,” they said.

Theology student Roseli Krohn reflected that seeing the book—and the deeply personal stories it carries—is both painful and satisfying. “The world needs to see that these pains are real and bring suffering,” she said. “Our arts tried to translate what the marks on the bodies seemed unable to do." 

Juliana Kupske Itermann, also a theology student, shared that the Waterfall of Solidarity demonstrates that the mobilization to end violence against women is global. “Having contributed to its construction is a source of pride and symbolizes my engagement in this very important movement,” she said. “Seeing art by Brazilian women featured in the book shows our diversity and cultural awareness in organizing the fight against violence against women." 

Waterfall of Solidarity and Resistance: sharing the stories

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