Stellenbosch University (SU)’s first gender detour project, which was funded by a gender grant awarded to SU by the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex, recently commenced with the aim of unpacking certain gender issues in society.
The project, which launched on 8 October, involves a group of volunteer participants going on a walk around central Stellenbosch, and having conversations about gender perceptions, roles and behaviours, said Gideon Basson, SU student and a facilitator of the project.
The grant for this detour was awarded to SU by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during their visit to South Africa last year. Two other South African universities also benefited from the grant.
The detour will take the form of a series of guided weekly walks every Tuesday afternoon until 8 December, said Monica du Toit, the project manager and residence coordinator at SU.
This is in order to ensure it is a well-rounded experience for those in attendance, said Du Toit.
“How we plan to carry out the detour is to prioritise small group engagements, co-ed and multicultural learning spaces, to advance gender equality, allyship and address gender-based violence,” said Basson.
Members of SU’s Centre for Student Communities (CSC), along with some positional and non-positional leaders, will facilitate these walks, according to Du Toit. Everyone is welcome to attend, she said.
“We hope that this detour becomes a great complementary tool for leaders to reflect within their communities, and to engage new voices and fresh eyes to help us think of how to build an enabling and inclusive community,” said Du Toit.
The first detour allowed organisers to see how the project played out and what can be improved in the following walks, she said.
“We are still learning how to go about it without making it too big or forced, as it is meant to be a small group activity that could compliment many other initiatives,” she said.
The suggested route that the detour will follow. MAP: Supplied/Gideon Basson
What the project would like to achieve is the connection of these discussions with academic research, visual redress strategy, and teaching and learning, added Du Toit.
A supportive space
According to Basson, it is essential that the activities and discussions within the project are owned by students and other participants.
It is also important for students and participants to learn from each other and share stories that shape and inform participants’ ideas and behaviors, Basson said.
“The idea of coming together, to walk and discuss the issues and experiences of gender that matter to us, is exciting,” he admits.
For Chris Njapha, SU student and participant at the first detour, the walk created a supporting and empowering space for people identify as non-binary, and therefore relate to gender differently, including conceptions about what gender is and should be.
“It was very empowering being around like-minded people who share similar stories to mine. It created a new environment, where we can comfortably discuss gender issues and ideas and still be heard and supported,” said Njapha.