Gerty comes to Galway @ituworld - Tumblr Blog

How to get what you need!

Hi again and thanks for making time to read this blog

Today I’m going to briefly write about the research methods that have underpinned my research on climate change, livestock, dairy-intensification and gender. Selecting the right research methodology is important as it determines how one answers the both the key and sub-questions of the said research.

There are many research methods that one can consider in conducting research, these considered to be within the frameworks of quantitative or qualitative methods. Quantitative research methods are mainly statistical and mathematical, so quantitative studies are normally desktop kind of studies. Qualitative methods, on the other hand, are less numerical and are centred on, gathering data through interviews, focus group discussions, observations etc. and developing a solid narrative from which to base your argument. According to Snape and Spencer (2003), the qualitative method locates the observer in the community/area that they work in and is as such flexible in so far as its research design is concerned. As such it is interpretive and requires that one considers multiple variables affecting the main research variable directly and indirectly.

The research questions that I want to answer in this research are the following: 1. How has dairy intensification affected men and women’s adaptive capacities to climate change? 2. How has dairy intensification contributed to the differential control of livestock and resources by men and women?

My research questions as you can see are HOW questions, this meaning that I am interested in perceptions and the social variable that is men and women farmers. As such the qualitative research method fits. Considering that I enjoy talking to people and sharing thoughts and ideas, I find this approach even more fitting because although its work, it’s still interesting.

So my research design included conducting FGD’s and Key Informant Interviews (KII’s) with women and male farmers in two regions in Tanzania namely Morogoro (Madoto & Manyinga) and Tanga (Kibaya & Wena). I conducted a total of eight FGD’s with about 9-11 people in each. I further conducted eight KII’s selected from the group discussions. The research questions were conducted in KiSwahili which is the official language in Tanzania…thankfully because of this I can now say a couple of words in KiSwahili and sort of have a conversation with someone in the language…(Key words in that sentence being SORT OF ) I did this over a period of two weeks, so I was pretty exhausted at the end :P, and had a lot of data that I am still trying to grapple with.

In dealing with the data that I collected I am using a really cool software called NViVO which is so much fun to use and makes the data analysis really interesting and more visual than the hard core, old school way of analysing qualitative data.

I MUST mention though that it is VERY IMPORTANT for the question of consent to be addressed whilst conducting research, as such it was important for me to request permission to speak with the participants as well as to use the content of our conversations for my research. It was also important that I request permission to take and share the pictures that I took while on the field… Unfortunately I will not be posting all of them, but I can assure you with my selfie game being on point, I took lots of pictures and lots of fun was had with some of the people I met on the field. More than anything it was really reaffirmed to me what my passion is, and in one word I’d say; people.

As an aside, I must mention that I was very happy to be in Morogoro as this place shares a deep history with the liberation movement in my home country South Africa, and it was just amazing to finally be in a place I’d heard about a lot since my first year Politics class.

Please like share and post questions or comments to this blog post, and keep your eyes out for the next blog…hopefully in a few days. P.S The above would be considered consent

Asante Sana (Thank you very much) #Tanzania #Morogoro #ILRI #ResearchMissions #ItuMafatshe #Gender #ResearchMethods #NUIG #InternationalStudent ambassador

Please check my latest blog about the International Livestock Research Institute and my graduate fellowship there. P.S I am only good with selfies, so don't have much pics but will upload more real pics in the next blog. ;)

Joining a college society at NUIG...A MUST!

So one of the things about moving to a new place...even worse than that a new continent is making friends...Even the most introverted people miss and long for some of affection and I know now more than before how difficult establishing relationships can be. I am generally a very friendly and I suppose an introverted extrovert...I normally make friends very easily but my experience as an international student made me question that a bit.

The nice thing about college is that there are lots of societies that you can join and participate in and these are normally a good place to make friends. I joined a number of societies at the beginning of college, but realistically have been sort of active in only one of these, this being the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security Society (CCAFS) (which I am also a committee member). Being a part of the society was great for me because I made friends and always looked forward to our meetings on Mondays...this was/is very important because it truly gives a sense of belonging and breaks the routine that so easily develops by going to college and back home every day… as a committee member I tried to take responsibility where I could, I learnt a lot about myself but also about being a student at NUI.

The CCAFS soc is mainly about raising issues related climate climate change and food security and in the first semester was involved in and initiated a number of programmes independently and alongside other university societies, a #WorldToiletDay and screening of the 'This changes everything’ movie adapted from Naomi Klein’s book under the same title.

Among my favourite activities organised by the society was a trip to the buuren in county Clare, an Irish national park that embodies a beauty about the country and nature that I have limited vocabulary to express. Covered by a Limestone pavement, which is rare around the world, the buuren in its entirely exudes a tranquillity that cannot really be described in words.

A few weeks after having been there I was watching a music video of one of my favourite artists at the moment Benjamin Clementine...and you can guess where the video was shot...yes the buuren: P It was absolutely exciting for me to know that I had been to this gorgeous place. Even more so because it’s this very song that had carried me through exam blues...It’s an amazing video and honestly every time I listen to the song I find myself reliving the buuren experience (which deserves a blog of its own). Among the many memories I will take with me wherever I go in the future is that of the tour of the buuren.

You can check out my society on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CCAFSsocietyNUIG/timeline and follow us on twitter @ccafssoc

Please see link to the song here:

#NUIG #StudyInGalway InternationalStudentAmbassador TheBuuren CCAFSSOC NUIG

Take a look at @ItuMafatshe's Tweet:

Hello, I saw your profile on the Canon Collins websites and just had to get in touch. I have applied for the Kader Asmal Scholarship for the same course that you are currently pursuing. And i just became more eager to do the course after i read the blog you wrote on your experience there. I'm curious, how was the shortlisting process for the scholarship? What stages does one go through? How are you dealing with the cold? I hope you can find rooibos in Ireland

Hey :)

Thanks I almost missed this message...That’s great crossing my fingers for you and hope you get in...I really am not sure how to answer the question, but what I can say is that the course itself is still new...we are the second group to be doing it...from what I understand they prefer science students for the course but really also consider other backgrounds because it is interdisciplinary, we are 8 in the class but have few science based students...So all in all regarding that I am saying don’t panic...if you have say a 65%+ average for your honours you should be fine, of course not knowing how competitive it may be this year. Basically had to go through the steps as advised by the embassy, their quite efficient...just make sure you get your stuff in on time and don’t stress if it seems like they are taking time to respond...Lol I did find rooibos thank God! But the first time I went out couldn’t find it!!! But don’t stress you’ll be alright...all the best. Feel free to ask for more information or advise...also specifically about preparing, packing and everything else...I struggled a bit and realised there are things I could’ve avoided and did differently so will be glad to address those concerns as well. All the best.

The MSc. in Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security @NUIG

So I have been exceptionally terrible at blogging regularly and I am disappointed at myself for this. Truthfully, I started feeling like my blog was not really taking the form that I thought it would, and was really stressed out by exams and assignments, the weather and anxiety of spending Christmas and new years away from home and friends :( :(

In the next few entries I would like to spend some time blogging about college life, and actually being a student at #NUIG, this mainly in view of my role as an international student ambassador. I would also like to give some tips to people from #SouthAfrica who would like to apply to study abroad in Ireland and perhaps give some advise regarding that.I hope that this is helpful to some and enjoyable to read too.

In this blog I would like to share with you about the course that I am doing, and how I got into it and my experiences with this course.

So I am registered for a Masters in Science (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) in the department of Botany and Plant Sciences. I got into this course because I am passionate about Africa and women’s development particularly.I have for a long time thought about the intersections of women’s vulnerability and the roles they play in the home as the main providers of food among other things. I was really bothered, and to some extent continue to be bothered by how inaccessibility to land ownership affects women and the stability of their livelihoods. I have a background in Gender Studies and wanted to combine this with an understanding of issues such as food insecurity and women’s resilience to climate change.

In very simple terms this course equips us to answer questions about climate change and how societies can adapt to and mitigate climate change and impacts in response to projected increases food demand by double the worlds current population by 2050. This course focuses on the least developed countries (LDC’s) formerly known as the ‘third world’ considering that it is these countries that are mostly impacted by climate change. This course covers various topics including, but not limited to climate change intersections with gender and climate justice, health and nutrition, risk management, policy scenarios and low emissions and climate smart agriculture.

The course itself is very rigorous and has a heavy workload however, manageable and very exciting. My favorite part about the course is its ability to bridge the gap between theory and real lived experiences of people in the face of changes in climate and the negative consequences associated with this. I personally think this is a phenomenal approach to learning. For example I recently submitted an assignment that looked at biogas digesters in Lesotho and the gender considerations regarding that. My colleagues looked at different practices in different countries and although we may all have a general understanding of tools to dealing with climate change, we also have an in depth understanding of what this means in the ‘real world’ i.e the countries we looked at individually. In most cases courses tend to have general assignments which can be a bit boring and restrictive in how much learning can be done on a specific issue, so addressing a specific area as an assignment pushes you to learn more about the specifics of agricultural techniques as well as how these have been widely implemented. My other favourite thing about the course is that its interdisciplinary and a person with a background in Political Science like myself, or Economics can do the course...I honestly found it a bit difficult at the beginning and had to familiarise myself with the language and being in a new faculty, but after the first term I became a bit more confident, and right now enjoy the course a great deal.

If you are interested in the course or the topics it looks at please go to:

https://ccafs.cgiar.org/

If you are a South African interested in applying for this programme or any other programmes in universities in Ireland please check out:

http://www.canoncollins.org.uk/apply/scholarship/kader-asmal-fellowship

If you want more information about me please go to:

http://www.canoncollins.org.uk/scholarship/current-scholars

P.S I recently started taking random videos (not that kind of random :P)...so please look out for a vlog entry from me soon.

#NUIG NUIGalway StudyAbroadInGalway InternationalStudentsAmbassador MScCCAFS KaderAsmalFellowship

Snow flakes in Galway city! I beleive my facial expression says enough! #studyig

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8)

#GalwayChristmas NUIG StudyInGalway

Written and directed by Mohamed Diab.

#16DaysOfActivism

So the 25th November marked the launch of the #16DaysOfActivism against gender violence. Everyone one who cares and those who simply dare to be relevant have updated their statuses, profile pictures, participated in one other campaign and very much showed their solidarity which is great, and in some ways shows that the issue remains relevant and a worthwhile point of advocacy.

I have for the past few years been a bit disgruntled by the campaign itself, in particular what its objectives are and if these are even met. I am however even more annoyed at the ceremonious attitudes that characterize this period. Coming from a place where there are high levels of gender based violence I recognize that violence against women in particular is on the rise even in the face of these advocacy programmes and campaigns...having said this, these are important and must be intensified.

In the past few months I have seen and heard of women being beaten up and others killed by their loved ones. A particular incident I recall is of a women who was killed by her boyfriend who is a key leader in one of the biggest youth political movements in South Africa today, the ANCYL. Of course the usual suspects, advocates (loud mouths) of gender equality in this organisation were the first in line to shame this incident and call for justice to be served and for the perpetrator to be punished...what is shameful is that the very men who call themselves feminists, pro-women, gender equality activists and all that were quite mum on the matter. This obviously reaffirming my stance that the loyalties of men will always lie with each other, even when this simply goes against the values of justice and equality that they claim to hold dear.

In the student movement known as #RhodesMustFall #FeesMustFall which is driving access and transformation talks in institutions of higher learning in South Africa a similar incident happened. A male activist sexually harassed his comrade...the shame of it all however was in the punitive measures concerning this case. To cut a long story short the state was seen to be less harsh on dealing with this case than it was on dealing with ‘peaceful’ student protestors who intended no harm but sought to fight for their right to accessible education in this democracy.

I can only imagine that the many people who have found an identity in the ways that they have come to see both these ‘movements’as progressive and representing them and the hope for the future they want to see were heavily disturbed...faced with questions of whether the movement was still the same, and if it would ever be the same again. Of course one rotten apple doesn’t spoil the whole bag, but that bad apple certainly makes one question the quality of the rest of the apples in that bag.

Last night I was privy to watching a film called #Cairo678 screened by #ActionAidIreland at the #NUIG #HustonSchoolOfFilm this film pushes boundaries of what sexual violence means in a context of societies that encourage us to preserve our values insofar as these relate to ones culture, the state, religion and other aspects easily regarded as intrinsic parts of who we are. Not only does this film beautifully simplify the politics of violence against women, it also provides lessons for women dealing with the trauma and pain of gender based violence. In many ways this is a story of women from different walks of life who are exposed to rejection, fear and shame simply because they are women...It shows how the safety of women is a constant burden for them and how this is totally disregarded by the very men who are ‘meant to provide safety’.

I was made uncomfortable but also greatly inspired by this film. As a person who is affiliated to a political party, religious and also a product of the working class (this basically referring to my unshaken bias towards the poor and most vulnerable), I was forced to think deeper about my identity and how certain values and expectations may cause me to be against the cause without even being aware. At the end of the day, the status quo of the very institutions that shape who we are and become exist within a context that always privileges men over women...on any given day. To reconcile the deeply socialised self and the ‘WOKE’ self requires far more than hashtags and the support of comrades and allies in the struggle...it actually requires deep reflections about who one is and what one believes and truly aspires for, this is obviously a process and does not happen over a series of twitter storms but could extend to the length of an individuals lifetime.

I strongly encourage those who have not seen the film to actually check it out, and hopefully it will inspire the transition from the hashtag activism of gender base violence towards a real fearlessness and courage to disrupt the very value systems and ideas that reinforce women’s pain...even if this only happens within.

Its not a myth, 1 in every 5 women in South Africa have been subjected to some kind of violence by a stranger or someone that they know and love. I know because I have seen this too many an occasion. The shame of coming out with this is at times far worse than the physical violence itself. Things MUST Change! #Skhathele

https://vimeo.com/54195168

#endgenderviolence #study abroad #nuig #ActionAidIreland Cairo678 NUIGInterNnationalStudentAmbassador

😀So excited for this concert in Dublin! I missed #gregoryporterlive in my home country #SouthAfrica two years ago, I hadn’t discovered him then…He reminds me of my friends and siblings and listening to his music gives so much life and makes me less homesick especially in this cold with exam preps upon us… #SaturdayAfternoonPost #StudyInGalway #NUIGInternationalStudentAmbassador #Studying

Paradise Road by Joy!!!! PROULDY SOUTH AFRICAN!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwBgW8Npb0

This song give me so much life. Thank God for youtube a taste of home is a click away. #GertInGalway #BetterDaysLieBeforeUs #AllLivesMatter

#ChurchMouseFOMO

Coming from a very religious background and considering myself a believer in God and fellowship with other Christians one of the key questions I asked myself before arriving in Galway was ‘will I find a good church home?’

One might regards this question as simple or irrelevant, but it is such an important question for me for a number of reasons. The first being that as a believer it is encouraged not to forsake a gathering of believers because that’s where encouragement and support can be found. Secondly and I suppose even more relevant to moving to a completely different place is the potential for a place like church to shelter you from EXTREME loneliness (Extreme capitalised because there’s no way one can actually escape the loneliness). A place like church is great because it also provides a good platform to socialise especially for those people who are not big on pubs and partying.

So after about 5 weeks of living in Galway and not going to church and realising that I was 'sinking’ into loneliness and just slowly going into spiritual shallowness I decided to go look for a church I’d seen on the internet. This church finding trip on its own was a mission…so I left home at 10:40 and arrived at the church at 12:30…I went on an unplanned 'tour’ of the Knocknacarra residential area simply because of a misunderstanding between Google maps and I. To cut a long story short, I was not willing to go back home without having found the place...and yes you guessed right persistence pays off. I found the church and met really lovely people, some of which are South African which was great! The feeling of speaking isiZulu (A South African language) with someone standing next to you had never been so affirming.

The church has a students group that meets up once a month for dinner (a nice warm meal made with love plus dessert) and a movie. In the session I attended we watched a movie called the good lie which was just wonderful and in some ways resonated with some things I was feeling as a person in a 'foreign' land. I also appreciated the fellowship with the young people present and I felt settled and calmer than I was before. I also learnt that NUIG actually has a Christian society called ‘Dochas’ which means hope and they meet once a week in the evening to discuss selected topics and praise and worship together...and of course free pizza like most other societies at NUI :p. This discovery was refreshing for me as I was actually convinced that there was no Christian student society at NUI...I was clearly asking the wrong people...or maybe even the wrong questions.

Galway City Church is a really great place to be and I am glad I found the church...of course the praise and worship is much milder than what I am familiar with back home...like even His People and GodFirst at Wits is louder or more vibrant in comparison but it'll do for the while that I am here. I think a support network is super important and its critical to establish this as soon as possible...I wish I had done so much sooner, but its all been so ‘grand’ a journey and I appreciate the process.

P.S Blogging is not the easiest of things but will certainly try do this more than I currently do. #Selah

See the links below to the church, society and movie mentioned in this blog <3

http://www.galwaycitychurch.com/GCC/Index.html

http://www.socs.nuigalway.ie/society_profiles/view/489

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2tI5zW3IU8

#@StudyInGalway StudyInGalway GertyInGalway ChurchMousePost :P #InternationalStudentAmbassador StudyInIreland

Don’t be shy, this is a revolution!

I am so overwhelmed by what has been happening at Wits over the past few days. It feels surreal since I wasn't present to witness it myself.As I sat and looked at all the pictures of Black young people who so desperately want to come out of their present realities and really experience a free and equal South Africa, I shed a tear. I shed a tear because I know that these young people are not bored, barbaric, stupid, egotistic populists or whatever else has been thrown at them. Instead these young people are young people who have spent approximately 24 years of their lives in suffering,poverty and constantly fighting, fighting to be better.

Fighting to be better than their parents, and generations before that whose reality considered education a privilege for mainly whites and to some extent others. Better than their peers who daily find themselves in positions of precarity...not knowing whether their coming or going. Not knowing where the next meal will come from, not knowing if they will live to see a better tomorrow.

A tomorrow that is filled with possibility, prosperity, and a full attainment of their rights, but also literally a tomorrow that would be evidence of them having survived the violence that is rampant in this beautiful country. A violence that stems from gender, race and class oppression, a violence that is quite simply put survivalist and bears witness of the inequality and frustration that characterises many Black people in South Africa today.

These young people are the true custodians of what we are to call a just and prosperous South Africa. It is them who will be evidence that South Africa is indeed alive and filled with much possibility. If this generation doesn't stand up like they have, we may not have a good story to tell.

I was challenged as a young Black female South African who has immensely benefited from South Africa's democracy. As I scrolled through these pictures, I was convinced over and over again that as a young, educated and capable South African, I have no business doing any other thing but contributing the development of my home.

#ProudlySouthAfrican #WitsFeesMustFall #RhodesMustFall #OpenStellenbosch #BlackLivesMatter #NotYetUhuru <3

Who is Gerty?

#GertyInGalway

#TheRealGerty #CapeTown

So Gerty is actually a dear friend of mine who I have known for about five years. We’ve actually been friends for less than a year but she’s always been a friend of a friend and when I moved to Cape Town she became a friend who I love so dearly and oftentimes thank God our paths crossed.That being said, this blog is not dedicated to her neither is it about her.

For those of you who are familiar with Johannesburg and its history may be well acquainted with the ‘Jimmy comes to Jo’burg’ idea...for those that may not be let me try explain. Please take note that the explanation herein is based on a specific understanding of this notion from growing up in the township, and not drawn from the 1949 South African film ‘African Jim’ which I have not seen.

So Johannesburg has a long history of being the centre of economic activity in South Africa. It was as such much more developed than the other parts of the country especially during the period of the nineteenth century. As a response to the high demand of cheap labour in the mining sector, as well as the search for employment Black African men (from within South Africa and its neighbouring countries) moved from their respective villages to work in the mines in the city. As these men arrived in this city they were met with much unfamiliarity...and were as such in very simple terms awkward. They were surprised at the developments of the city in terms of infrastructure as well as ways of being and behaviour at a social level, their unfamiliarity was perceived as awkward and not so well integrated with the way of life in the urban Johannesburg. Things like traffic lights and running water were fascinating to these brothers in a way that puzzled the locals. These socially awkward men who were really just trying to make a living and feed their families came to be referred to as ‘Jimmy comes to Jo’burgs’.

So when I arrived in Ireland I felt a bit like a ‘Jimmy’...there was a point where I was somewhere in Dublin city centre, in the rain and awkwardly stopping people to ask for directions to the nearest shopping centre. I received enthusiastic responses with directions from different people whose directions I struggled to follow because it seemed like they were speaking in fast forward mode. So I found myself having to ask many different people at different corners of my journey if I was on track...I had to rely on body language, particularly the direction they would point to to confirm what I had heard. This was the first experience to bring me to the realisation that I too might just be a Jimmy...awkward, lost and definitely not integrated with the Dublin city life (this notwithstanding the fact that I spent years moving up and down the streets of the buzzing Johannesburg city with the ease that many South Africans do not have).

In the week that I arrived in Galway, I met some friends from the beautiful African continent which I call home at an international students orientation session. My newly found friends and I decided to hit the town just to acquaint ourselves and grab some essentials. We had a refreshing walk and managed to get starter packs for what would be a year and four years for some. On our way back home we spotted a shop that sells designer handbags, perfume and make up and the right thing to do as make up liking people was to step in and ‘take a look’. The taking a look ended up in the make up section of this shop being occupied by us...some of us had their faces done, we were testing the different colours of lipstick, perfumes and basically depicted the exact fascination that a ‘Jimmy’ would have upon their arrival to a lit Johannesburg. As I spent money on a lipstick I would be very fine without, it sunk in that I was undoubtedly a ‘Jimmy’. By the way, this shop is basically what Edgars or Foschini is to us South Africans, has the same products at pretty much the same price. Yet here I was excited and just fascinated, with my girls asking for samples, taking pictures and just living life.

As we walked out of this shop with our goodies in hand we laughed at how we would probably never had done this in our home towns...and my one friend said ‘we are like Osuofia In London’ and I responded with a ‘Gerty comes to Galway’ which lead to an uproar of laughter that symbolised the perceptions we had in common but also the sameness with which our journeys had begun.

P.S RESPECT to all those who are constant bloggers. Writing is quite a skill :p #Dead #Fried #GertyComesToGalway #NewFfriendships

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