Transforming
Masculinity
An innovative African YMCA S2C programme
This report reflects the programme development
of Transformative Masculinty in Zimbabwe. It is an
innnovative programme, based on the Subject to
Citizen (S2C) model. S2C enables youth to transform
themselves from subjegation in various forms
– in this case moral – into citizens who play an active
role in community and current affairs and who influence
decision making for positive change. The programme
was developed through a consultative process
involving:
• Baseline survey in 2009
• Participatory action research in 2010
• Qualitative research in 2011
• Continual desktop research
• Programme development workshop in August 2011
Along with the Africa Alliance of YMCAs (AAYMCA),
which is managing this programme, we are excited as
we now move into project implementation. We invite
you to read this and partner with us to make this very
needed programme a success.
August 2011
Harare, Zimbawe
organised by the Africa Alliance of YMCAs
As youth, we participated and played an active role in
every step of this process and thus it reflects our youth
views, our challenges and our ideas. Most of all it reflects
our commitment to transform youth masculinity.
f o r ms
ue tbc j
Boy meets girl
If I talk to him, my parents will beat me,
just like they beat my older sister when they saw
her talking to her friend from school, who is a
boy. She ran away after that...
She looks like she has money.
This means she is going to be all like ‘I am
better than you’. I am going to have to have to
hit this one to show her who is boss
play
So much noise and confusion...
We as the youth population in Southern Africa are in crisis.
And this is a crisis of dignity, identity and despondence. The
crisis of moral values in Southern Africa has many manifestations. In a baseline survey conducted by the AAYMCA, it
was found that critical amongst these is the prevalence of a
‘subjugated masculinity’. Under this, young men are socialised
to indignify others in order to gain significance and social
relevance. Rape, crime and banditism are obvious outcomes.
In the case of Zimbabwe, defilement and child rape are on the
increase. In our country it was estimated that 110 women are
raped daily, and of these, the majority are girls . Most of the
rape cases are done by young men. And a majority of them are
gang rapes. The boys argue that this is a form of male bonding.
This distorted masculinity is also about hegemony, dominance
and power. We have decided to tackle the root causes of these
symptoms by re-ordering youth masculinity in the project sites
of Kadoma and Bulawayo.
Gender is about the perceived differences between women
and men, and those within and between cultures that are socially and culturally constructed and change over time. These
differences are reflected in: roles, responsibilities, access to resources, constraints, opportunities, needs, perceptions, views,
etc. held by both women and men. Gender is most definitely
not about women only, but considers both women and men
and their interdependent relationships.
Gender equality entails that the underlying causes of discrimination are systematically identified and removed in order to
give women and men equal opportunities in every sphere
of life. However, we must remember that identical treatment
does not always lead to equal results. In some cases then,
achieving equality may be achieved by differentiating treatment of men and women, which means gender equity
Masculinity is a social construct aimed at providing the male
gender with a lens through which to sift societal roles and expectations. Masculinity is not only in relation and in opposition
to the female gender. It is influenced by a compulsion to act
and behave in ways that call for recognition and reinforcement
from the male gender too. There are various forms of masculinity. And each form produces a varied expression of ’maleness’.
Youth Masculinity is increasingly defined using defiant modes.
Most common include violent crime, rape and allegiance to
grotesque religions . By the time the youth reach adulthood,
this distorted masculinity becomes part of the ‘male culture’.
Hegemonic Masculinity - In Africa, the male gender is socially
constructed to be hegemonic. If it is not dominant, it is not
male. As a result, even male weakness is understood to be
superior to femaleness. The female has to be caricatured for the
male to ‘happen’. And this is why in Southern Africa, rape is seen
as a way of asserting male hegemony. Similarly, the young man
is socialised to believe that having multiple sex partners is a
symbol of ‘hegemonic power’.
pause
We imagine gender equality
In rejecting a dominant and harmful masculinity, we imagine
real gender equity. We plan to re-define, re-order and re-orient
youth masculinity. We see a Transformative Masculinity (TM)
which celebrates positive young men as role models engaging equally with young women as they exercise human rights
common to us all.
We plan to challenge and change:
• Structures, norms and cultures that create hegemonic masculinity by targeting individual youth and using various models
of mentoring, including peer mentoring
• Male notions of social power by promoting mutual dependence between young men and women
• The social structures that distort masculinity by engaging
with family, community/ethnic networks and religious institutions
• Youth culture and norms that perpetuate distorted male
dominance by using popular culture and youth mediums
If hegemonic notions of masculinity are about male domination over females, we expect to change this. By so doing, youth
‘maleness’ will not be used for dominance or be defined by
what it dominates. It will be a transformative force in society; a
force that will empower rather than indignify women.
We will target the individual youth (male and female), the societal and social structures that define their identities, and the
norms/cultures that perpetuate them.
This approach, as conceptualised by the AAYMCA, is unique.
Instead of empowering women to fight for their entitlements,
we will empower young men to be sensitive and responsive to
women. At the same time, we will empower men with a set of
rights that enables them to be proud of themselves.
Our Subject to Citizen (S2C) initiative informs the approach
and methods we will use. We recognise that both young
men and women are subjects to hegemonic masculinity. This
programme enables both to become citizens where a positive
youth masculinity transforms and empowers us all for true
gender equity and mutual dependence. We imagine a state
where a different youth masculinity will be celebrated.
rewind
What are the root causes of the problem?
After participatory research, further qualitative research and
desktop research, and our consultative planning workshop
involving us youth and some of our stakeholders, we have
a very clear understanding of the challenges we are dealing
with in both our country and in the two focus areas of
Bulawayo and Kadoma.
Socio-cultural constructions of gender roles:
• Constructions of femininity and masculinity require
creations of multiple identities to suit different social
contexts and expectations without providing space or
learning for a common value and moral system. Without
a common moral and value system, multiple identities
can work in contradiction and opposition to each other
which creates physiological confusion and frustration
and can lead to an inherent identity crisis which increases
aggression, isolation and negative behavioural patterns.
• Cultural practices promote male dominance over women.
Women are socialised to be passionate and accepting
of male dominance and to need to be physically
disciplined by men. Some men perceive traditional
practices as allowing for the ownership of women,
such as male perceptions of lobola payments. Women
are further constructed as baby-making machines, and
their community respect is contingent on their ability to
produce boy children, especially as first-born children.
• Men are traditionally constructed as breadwinners, and
feel threatened when women make more money or enter
positions previously associated with men such as politics
and the business sector.
• Women are typically constructed as care-givers and as
such are limited professionally and in the education sector.
As women must take care of children during the day, they
are often incapable of securing work or education during
this time.
• Cultural ownership of property tends to privilege men
and perpetuate men’s dominance over finances within
the home, family and community. This leads to further
dependence by women on men and an expectation that
women should be dependent on men.
• Women who have been able to secure their own
independence through employment are often seen as
a threat by men, as it is perceived that they are taking
positions men should have access to.
• There is little communication and understanding between
generations, often caused by cultural generation gaps,
migrant labour tendencies and pressure on youth to take
care of younger children. This lack of communications
makes it difficult to develop a moral/value system or
choose from a variety of appropriate role models. In
addition there are few opportunities for leadership
training.
• Current gender-interventions or gender-mainstreaming
strategies have not incorporated a masculinity
empowerment approach and as such is not only one
sided, through the exclusion of men, but also perceived
to be an “attack” on men, by men. In this way, there is
little male buy-in into gender based social development
improvement strategies. In many ways, gender-initiatives
have exacerbated the problem they are attempting to
address.
Youth realities and behaviour:
• Young men and women are socially isolate from each
other with women tending towards spending time with
female friends and family or child-rearing and male youth
tending toward spaces that include alcohol and male
only engagement such as bars, sporting events and pubs.
Women in bars and pubs tend to be socially ostracised
as having lost their ‘purity’ and are thought of as ‘loose
women’ who do not deserve respect.
• Youth show increased misuse of alcohol as a coping
mechanism to the economic and social pressures.
Women who drink alcohol or spend time in pubs/bars
are perceived to be sexually promiscuous and do not
deserve sexual respect. Alcohol abuse increases incidence
of gender-based physical and emotion violence by and
against men and women.
Sexual realities and gender-based violence:
• Male sexuality is constructed in terms of experience,
power, virility and the number of women he “conquers”
while female sexuality prices purity, inexperience and
virginity. Male sexuality highly prices the conquering of
virgins. Male sexuality is also constructed as aggressive
with terminology framing men as “hunters” and women as
the “hunted/prey” thereby creating cultural justification
of GBV and rape. Masculinity does not allow for the
expression of weakness, including emotions that are
perceived to be “weak” such as, insecurity, hurt, fear, love,
vulnerability, loneliness.
• Traditional, religious and cultural constructions of female
sexuality perpetuate women’s vulnerability through the
idea that men must pursue and execute sexual encounters.
These same spaces perpetuate the idea of male sexuality
as forceful, aggressive and domineering.
• Women often cannot negotiate safer sex practices in
high-risk sexual activities such as transactional sex and
prostitution and within regular relationships. Condom
usage typically is determined at the will of men and is not
open for negotiation with women.
• Men typically do not get tested for sexually transmitted
disease and will often be tested in private and wait for
their partners to have their HIV+ status made public,
so that they can blame women for their status. This
perpetuates the idea that women are disease carriers.
• High levels of gender-based violence by and against
both men and women. Understandings of genderbased violence and rape, tend to be narrowly defined
as violence perpetrated by strangers and do not include
understanding of sexual, physical, economic and
physiological violence.
• Absence of alcohol frees youth recreational spaces that
encourage young men and women to socialise and
engage in a non-threatening un-sexualised way.
Economic challenges:
• Unemployment leads to high competition for income,
which leads to aggressive behaviour amongst men and
increases incidences of corruption.
• High unemployment rates lead to high-risk income
generating activities that are often illegal and exploitative
of women, as well as increasing rates of labour migration
to cities and neighbouring countries.
• High risk and illegal income strategies such as crime,
prostitution and transactional sex are unsecure and
physically, emotionally and psychologically harmful. High
risk income strategies receive little support from the civil
service sector such as health care and police services and
often work directly against these service sectors.
Media Influence:
• High risk income generating behaviours affects traditional
understandings of relationships and suitable, desirable
partners. Young men and women often date much older
financially secure men and women making competition
for partners defined by income status.
• Few localised media platforms and a tendency towards
the importing of media from South Africa, Nigeria and the
USA/UK result in the import of youth cultural and social
expectations and a disconnect with the local realities and
traditions.
• Media tends to perpetuate invisible, negative or limited
stereotypes of women: sexual promiscuity (sex workers)
or sexual victimhood (rape victims); care-givers and childbearers; with little interaction in business and politics.
Imported media tends to deploy images that are in
contradiction with local cultural models,
i.e. Free female sexuality.
Highlighted in Bulawayo:
• Economic situation often leads to sexual exploitation
of women within the work sector, commonly known as
“carpet interviews”.
• Perceived generational competition as older, financially
secure men and women are dating younger financially
insecure youth.
• Ethnic tension within the business sector leads to the
perception that the Ndebele in Bulawayo are inferior
to the Shona in Harare and the Shona who have been
employed in Bulawayo. This leads to aggressive models
of masculinity between the Ndebele and Shona and the
perception that the Shona “steal” Ndebele women.
• Economic situation has led to increased homosexual
prostitution within a climate that is inherent homophobic
thereby further associating homosexuality with
perversion and criminal behaviours.
Highlighted in Kadoma:
• Limited models and opportunities for employment and
limited income generating resources, opportunities and
skills.
• Lack of publically available information on the lived
realities of youth in Kadoma which are produced by
a variety of sources that include youth perspectives
produced by youth.
• Gold-panning as a highly attractive income strategy
increases incidences of transactional sex and prostitution
and sees a particular conflict with security service
providers.
Media tends to perpetuate invisible,
negative or limited stereotypes of woman
fast forward
Our planned programme
So here it is! After participatory research, further
qualitative research and desktop research, and our
consultative planning workshop involving us youth and
some of our stakeholders, we have now designed our
programme.
In doing so, we looked at perceived risks and solutions.
Risk One: Community resistance to the programme
as a result of tradition, culture and religion which
privileges masculinity and discourages discussions and
engagements on sexuality and gender. Community
resistance could also result from decreased trust in
government and civil society interventions because of a
history of miscommunication, hypocrisy, failure and topdown intervention designs.
Solution One: The programme design was generated
by community youth in consultation with programme
designers to ensure a bottom up approach. Community
buy-in through engagement with community leaders,
including traditional, political and religious leaders in
a forum which is open to community members. The
implantation strategy is consistent and transparent at all
levels and provides regular feedback and reporting to the
community and takes into account community responses
within the programme adaptation.
Risk Two: Resource scarcity which includes a lack of
financial support, capacitated staff, volunteers and
infrastructural availability.
Solution Two: Financial and in-kind resource mobilisation,
training and capacity building of programme people and
volunteers and a creative and flexible identification of
suitable infrastructure.
Risk Three: The programme intervention may
inadvertently be associated with a particular political
party of political strategy because of a hypersensitivity to
political associations in the current Zimbabwean context.
Solution Three: Awareness and avoidance of political
charged or associated language, and engagement with
key political players in a balanced and transparent way.
Invited guests and speakers are political neutral or space is
made to include political representation from key political
actors in the region.
Our target group is male and female youth between 13 to
35 years old from Kadoma and Bulawayo and surrounding
rural regions.
And the programme is as follows:
Gender Change Catalysts (GCC)
The Gender Change Catalysts are key to the TM
programme. They will be selected from participating R
and Y Clubs in Kadoma and Bulawayo. They will be trained
through workshops and then:
• engage in peer mentoring in the Y and R Clubs
• coordinate the database and networking initiative
• manage and facilitate the community forums
• coordinate the celebrate life events
The following workshops are anticipated:
• Social Construction of Gender; Peer education; network
development with social agents i.e. church, schools, ect.;
Profile development and reporting
• Gender-based violence; traditional, religious, economic
and cultural influence on GBV; Sexuality and seduction;
male domination; youth leadership
• Community development, gender mainstreaming,
advocacy and change, inter and intrapersonal
communication, thought leadership
• Monitoring and Evaluation reporting, youth and peer
mentorship for second phase
Partnership database directory
We are going to develop a partner database for
networking with corporates, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs,
community/traditional leaders, policy makers and
implementers, and civil service providers such as police
and health services. This will include individual contacts
for all members.
Information Library
Information resource archive will be developed and made
available to partnership and community and added to
on an ongoing basis. We will also provide info sheets on
youth masculinity and gender issues and include articles
and reports that we produce during the TM programme.
Community Forums
Intergenerational community forums for dialogue between
male and female community members and leaders on
gendered issues will be organised. These forums will be
attended by civil service providers from police, health,
ministry and the media. The Gender Change Agents will
play a key role in organising the forums, and in facilitating
dialogue. As the gender issues are different in Kadoma and
Bulawayo, the themes of the community forums will be
different.
• Holistic understandings of gender-based violence and
rights with a fuller definition of GBV to include the
pledging of girl children for family gain, economic,
emotional and physiological violence and how those
violences are perpetuated against men;
• Cultural, social, individual and biological causes and
effects of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/
Aids, and the long-term impact this will have on the
individual, family, community and social context.
In Kadoma:
Celebrate Life Programme (CeLi)
• The causes, risks and consequences of high risk income
generating activities;
• Legal and cultural understandings of property rights;
• Constructions of femininity and masculinity within the
individual family, local, community, societal and global
context;
• Traditional versus modern understandings of courtship,
seduction and sexuality within the framework of male
and female rights; economic realities and gendered
expectations
• Holistic understandings of gender-based violence and
rights with a fuller definition of GBV to include the
pledging of girl children for family gain, economic,
emotional and physiological violence and how those
violences are perpetuated against men;
• Cultural, social, individual and biological causes and
effects of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/
Aids, and the long-term impact this will have on the
individual, family, community and social context.
Aimed at a younger age group, CeLi is a youth celebratory
event which provides space for male and female youth
to socialise. Proceedings will be attended by and opened
by community leaders, civil service providers from police,
health, ministry and the media. Celebrate programme
includes events such as:
• drama and plays
• music and song
• art, photography, poetry
We do imagine that we could also record in studio the
songs and poetry and run competitions for all the arts
and drama elements involved.
In Bulawayo:
• The causes, risks and consequences of high risk income
generating activities;
• Legal and cultural understandings of property rights;
• Constructions of femininity and masculinity within the
individual family, local, community, societal and global
context;
• Traditional versus modern understandings of courtship,
seduction and sexuality within the framework of male
and female rights; economic realities and gendered
expectations
Men and Women Communicating for
Justice Project (MWCJ)
MWCJ participants will be selected through participating R
and Y Clubs in Kadoma and Bulawayo. Primary tasks of the
MWCJ participants are the ongoing profile development of
the TM programme, its activities, and the Gender Change
Agents and their initiatives and success. In addition, MWCJ
participants are to generate ongoing discussions on
gender in the press by reporting on gendered issues within
the communities.
This will involve two workshops for skills training, and
mentoring throughout the programme. Products will
include articles, radio broadcasts, poetry and photography.
Kadoma YMCA masculinity drama
record
We are now gearing up to begin implementation of our
planned programme. We have a detailed programme
activity schedule in place and it is available to those who
are interested. This is an ambitious programme for the
funding we have. We are very grateful to NORAD through Y
Global which has provided funding. In order for this project
to be a success we now move into vigorous resource
mobilisation and are eager to engage new partnerships
in this regard.
connectivity
We thank those who have been engaged in
this process:
• Youth from Kadoma, Bulawayo and
Harare branches of Zimbabwe YMCA
• Noosim Naimasiah
• Christine Davis
• Ezra Chitando
• Stakeholders from NGOs, Gender Ministry, business
sector, religious and faith-based organisations
Tel: +254 20 2714644
2724804 Fax: +254 20 2725909
Website: www.africaymca.org
AAYMCAs Building, State House Crescent, Nairobi, Kenya
P O Box 60856,00200 Nairobi, Kenya
Empowering Young people for the african renaissance
Compiled by: Gil Harper
rapping his way to
active citizenship
Popular Zimbabwean afro-jazz musician Josh Meck wrote
a special song on masculinity during the workshop. A
true S2C Champion, he left room for us to introduce some
rap into the song, in between the catchy chorus tune of
‘Masculinity is not about abuse’. Some of us went into
studio with him to record the song and it will be available
on YouTube soon.
Rapping his way to active citizenship Upcoming
Zimbabwean rap artist Admire Mike Chiparaushe (aka
Mike Chibbz), aged 19, came up with a brilliant S2C song
during the recent Transformative Masculinity programme
development workshop.
“I like music because I feel it’s right for me, it is part of me,
and I believe I’m music. I write songs because that’s the
way I can get rid of all my pain and stresses and share my
experiences with a lot of people who experience similar
things,” he said.
Mike was born second in a family of four children. He
faced various challenges because of the decisions that
his parents made when he was young. He grew up in
his uncle’s house and was ill-treated and deprived of
his rights as a child, yet he still managed to attain his
Ordinary and Advanced Levels. Because of the situation
and the vision for his life, he made a bold decision to
move out of his uncle’s house and look for a room to rent
but he could not afford to pay. He ended up sleeping in a
garage until Zimbabwe YMCA under the concept of S2C
(From Subject to Citizen) assisted him.
Mike’s dream is to be a famous rap artist. “I have seen
young people suffering and I am a victim of poor
governance. So I have a dream to speak for my people
who are living in this same generation with me,” he
said with confidence. He said that S2C is more than a
program; rather it is a valid initiative which should be
learnt even by elders and he believed that people can be
transformed by it. “As someone who wants to speak for
the people it is more like a platform to air out grievances
and identify cross-cutting issues,” Mike said.
S2C has worked for Mike and he has dedicated himself
to be mindful in everything that can make this world
a better place. He believes that he is the Y-Generation
and has the solutions to the global challenges. “S2C is
a stepping stone in my life as an active citizen and a
musician; I now know what it means to be a real citizen
taking responsibility,” said the upcoming politician.
- Miriro Chakauya, S2C Ambassador
S2C My Dream for Africa
Mike Chibbz, Harare YMCA
WHY, why people why these massive tragedies?
With the situation in the streets isn’t even impressive
Come on people lets be ecstatic
Nature and our lives are basic
Turn sand in to unique pearls
Stop living life fairytales
Be change agents boys and girls
Learn from the past, plan for the future
To your present life you got to pay attention
Work you own life, destiny doesn’t need a teacher
You don’t need a preacher
Make the change a Zimbabwean dream
Make the change an African dream
Let’s work as a team and we go beyond the limit
And that’s the spirit… S2C
CHORUS
This the time, I‘ll never let it go
Keep dreaming for my life anyway
I dream… for my life, your life, AFRICA
Respect all humanity, in all capacity
Mind transformative masculinity
No wars, no hates, no intimidation
This is vital in each and every nation
Continental and global peace requires youth participation
What is globalization and global citizenship?
Come on people this is real please don’t sleep
Don’t disturb the peace but live to keep
Keep it on your small finger tip
Transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly
I’m sure you people won’t live to cry
Ask why, the reason why it’s economic renaissance
Make money, make sense
Unfold your hands, transform your lands
Be citizens
CHORUS
This the time, I‘ll never let it go
Keep dreaming for my life anyway
I dream… for my life, your life, AFRICA
Give me a med notebook and a bic that click
I want to write about my African child
Preserve your pride and stop being wild
Civic engagement, you understand me
So consistent
Want your commitment
Advocate for the change, participate and
anticipate for the change
You understand
Execute duties and responsibilities towards
building strong kids
And happy families
Productive modern communities
Democracy, value it on human rights
Know your rights, no fights
A brand new day with YMCA
Keeping the law is everyone’s service
It’s not only for the police but keep it a
personal policy
Everybody say YES
CHORUS
This the time, I‘ll never let it go
Keep dreaming for my life anyway
I dream… for my life, your life, AFRICA