Seventy years after thousands of women marched to the Union Buildings to challenge apartheid’s pass laws, teenage girls in Nelson Mandela Bay are asking questions about identity, family, careers and the gender stereotypes that still shape their choices.
Those questions took centre stage at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex (MBTC) on Saturday during the Women in Arts Manyano (WIAM) Imbadu Dialogue, held as part of the complex’s Women’s Month programme and the 2026 Women in Arts Manyano Festival.
The dialogue formed part of the 10th-anniversary celebrations.
It also marked the 70th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women’s March.
MBTC community arts development official Monwabisi Nzimela said the two milestones provided different opportunities.
“These milestones provide an important opportunity to reflect on the legacy of women who have shaped SA’s history while engaging on the contemporary realities and challenges facing women today.
“The dialogue sought to foster meaningful engagement with at least 150 youths, women leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, arts practitioners, community representatives and young people through critical discussions on leadership, empowerment, social justice, mentorship and intergenerational learning.
“The panel at the dialogue consists of Dr Babalwa Magoqwana, Akhona Ndlunguane, Sharon Rother and Aphiwe Taleni and was facilitated by Sesethu Gqomo-Seyibokwe,” Nzimela said.
Among the schools represented was Ethembeni Enrichment High School.
The panel explored issues including sociology, women’s empowerment, performing arts education, youth development, community arts programmes, entrepreneurship, business development, strategic partnerships and youth empowerment.
For the teenagers in the room, however, the discussion became particularly personal.
One of the issues raised was the perception that maths and science are careers better suited to men, with young people pointing to the dominance of men in those fields.
Magoqwana challenged the stereotype by pointing to Rhodes University scientist Prof Tebello Nyokong.
“Cancel stigma by saying it did not match reality.”
Magoqwana said Nyokong had produced more work than anyone on the continent and was the biggest scientist.
The questions then moved beyond careers and into the personal lives of the young women in the room.
One pupil asked what challenges women were likely to face when they started working.
Another asked about the role Lillian Ngoyi played in 1956.
A third came from a pupil who wanted to know how being raised by a single parent had affected her.
Taleni responded by urging the teenager to consider what might lie behind the question before allowing her circumstances to define her.
“Rejection will find you everywhere in life.
“Unfortunately, it starts at home sometimes. Do not personalise what you are experiencing.
“I am a single mother, raising my own child.”
The discussion also highlighted another challenge that can confront women long after they have entered the workplace.
This is trying to reconcile professional ambitions with family life.
Rother told the teenagers she had once considered abandoning her dream job and career because she struggled to balance work and family.
“My children said, how could you do that?
“For them, my identity was engraved in what I did outside of the home.
“As we speak of the women of 1956, there are stories, so what story is your story?
“The arts are where we tell stories.
“Through visual arts, music, dance.
“We express the hardships and challenges.
“Sadly, one of the themes that come up a lot for women is gender-based violence in theatre.
“In the arts, you cannot be of a generation that thinks that it will land in your lap.
“You have to work hard.
“There is no substitute for hard work. You could make a lot of money in one project.
Ndlunguane, meanwhile, encouraged teenage girls to start with themselves, urging them to discover who they were before deciding what they wanted to achieve.
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