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19 September 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Unsplash
“Shattering Academic Barriers for Gender Equality"

As we reflect on the significance of Women's Month, which occurred last month, it is worth noting that the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office (GEADO) at the University of the Free State (UFS) organised a thought-provoking seminar titled, "Bridging the gap: Exploring the Intersection of Traditional African values and Modern Perspectives in Achieving Gender Equality." This event, featuring distinguished guest speakers Prof Nokuzola Mndende and Dr Munyaradzi Mushonga, delved into the historical context of traditional African values and their impact on gender roles and norms. Their primary objective was to discern strategies for fostering dialogue, understanding, and collaboration between traditional and modern stakeholders, all in the noble pursuit of advancing gender equality in Africa.

Tradition versus Modernity

Prof Nokuzola Mndende, an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Nelson Mandela University, as well as the President of We Come Back Spirituality and Founder of Icamagu Heritage Institute, emphasised the importance of African scholars embracing their roots. She stated, "It is important that young African scholars must be bold and change direction and start from home using African tools. In their endeavour to decoloniality, they must not forget their past." She also stressed the need to discard Western theories and spectacles that have been imposed, highlighting the scarcity of literature that portrays the positive aspects of African customs.

Dr Mushonga, the Programme Director for Africa Studies at the UFS Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, drew attention to the impact of modernity on a global scale. He referred to the 1500s when the world was pluricentric, as opposed to the current Eurocentric world order. Dr Mushonga cautioned against the seductive allure of modernity, which tends to cast African traditional perspectives as regressive while promoting Eurocentric ones as progressive.

Fostering equality in Africa

Siyanda Magayana, Senior Officer at the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office, shed light on the webinar's purpose. She explained, "the webinar intended to critically engage whether there is a gap between African traditional perspectives and values of gender equality against modern perspectives. In addition, we wanted to examine the emergence of modern perspectives and their influence in challenging gender inequality in an African context." She further highlighted the need for African institutions to adopt context-specific approaches to gender equality, rather than relying on Eurocentric models.

Magayana also echoed Prof Mndende's preference for the term "gender equity" over "gender equality," as the latter can inadvertently reinforce a perception of male superiority. Magayana emphasised that achieving gender equity in African contexts should deviate from Eurocentric perspectives, considering the unique histories, understandings, and people in the Global South.

Breaking the glass ceiling

As a prelude to the seminar, GEADO also hosted a webinar in honour of Women’s Month titled "Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Higher Education.” This webinar shed light on the unique challenges women face in academia, addressing implicit biases, stereotypes, and gender-based discrimination. It provided a platform for women to share their triumphs and experiences. Together, these initiatives propel us towards a future marked by diverse leadership and empowered strategies, ultimately promoting gender equality on the continent. 

News Archive

UFS provides sign language skills to locals
2016-02-12

Description: UFS provides sign language skills to locals  Tags: Sign language

Susan Lombaard teaching at one of the sessions
Photo: Valentino Ndaba

The public and private sectors are becoming more aware of the need for effective communication between employers, employees, and clients who use Sign Language. Given that Sign Language is the first language of approximately 600 000 people in South Africa, competence in the language means taking the first step towards more inclusive service delivery.
 
Shout Out Loud - a project that promotes Sign Language - has signed up Bloemfontein Celtics, Centlec, Beyond Boundaries, and the Mangaung Municipality on a Basic South African Sign Language course at the University of the Free State.
 
No miscommunication
 
Susan Lombaard, the Acting Head at the Department of South African Sign Language, was one of the lecturers who presented the 40-hour accredited course every Friday from 15 January-12 February 2016. Other lecturers who were responsible for training were Emily Matabane and Tshisikhawe Dzhivani.
 
Lombaard believes that learning Sign Language bridges the gap between the hearing and those who have impairments. “The benefit is that there will be no miscommunication. It happens that a deaf person walks into a bank or municipality offices and there is no communication. They need to write which is humiliating for that person.”
 
Towards a promising future
 
According to Goodwill Mokoena, Project Manager at Beyond Boundaries, the project will continue annually, and a larger intake of government departments and non-governmental organisations is expected in 2016.He also indicated that Shout Out Loud has achieved substantial success in its involvement with the Bartimea School for the Blind and Deaf.

Shout Out Loud selects one pupil every month, and flies them to Johannesburg to interpret on Bloemfontein Celtics’ magazine show. It is the only magazine show in South Africa that has a sign language interpreter. “The school has been achieving 100% in matric results because the pupils are selected on merit. This has enhanced their academic performance in such a marvelous way,” said Mokoena.

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