There are lots of images in my head
On an international mission for gender equality
We spoke to Nicole Grenz, a German participant at the Gender Academy, and Gabriele De Bona, Director of the Gender Academy, and asked them about their experiences at this year’s Gender Academy in Malawi.
A memorable journey
Editorial team: You’ve been to Malawi and back – how are you both now?
Nicole Grenz: A lot of things are still resonating and echoing in my mind, and I still have so many images in my head.
Gabriele De Bona: I’m fine. The most powerful impressions and experiences are gradually coming back to me – like in a film.
Editor: What were the most striking impressions and experiences?
Gabriele De Bona: For me, the most striking thing was that we’d come together from seven different countries. We have different backgrounds, are of different ages, are both women and men, and are active in the Church in different ways. And we’ve gathered a great deal of material to work on some rather challenging gender issues.
Nicole Grenz: It felt wonderful and impressive to actually be in Malawi. Above all, the vibrancy of the church congregation we visited.
Editor: What was it like interacting with people from other parts of the world?
Nicole Grenz: Our interactions with the local people were very friendly and respectful. They were very helpful towards us. We were in a different culture, in a different country, where you sometimes aren’t quite sure how to behave appropriately. I felt safe both at our accommodation and out on the streets.
Gabriele De Bona: I can relate to Nicole’s experiences. In fact, that was the deciding factor in why we chose Malawi when it came to hosting the Gender Academy in a country served by our partner churches. And I feel that everyone felt safe.
The Church in Malawi
Editor: What were your impressions of the Lutheran Church in Malawi?
Nicole Grenz: The church in Malawi is considerably more vibrant than the church in Germany. That’s partly because the pews are full and the church is packed during services. What’s more, people have no hesitation in reading Bible passages aloud when called upon.
Gabriele De Bona: Demographics make a big difference. In Malawi, there tend to be fewer older people and, in contrast, a great many young people. Young adults and a great many teenagers and children. That alone gives church services a completely different dynamic. I also had the feeling that the worshippers genuinely felt a need to turn to God and to do so in a church. This shows that the church is highly relevant.
Gender Academy
Editor: Gender equality was the theme of the Gender Academy. Gabriele, what prompted you to choose this topic?
Gabriele De Bona: Gender equality is actually the core theme of all Gender Academies. The motto of this year’s Gender Academy was that all are equal before God. This is loosely based on Galatians 3:28. It is about breaking down social barriers that might exist on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, class or educational background. The Bible passage, or rather the theme, was chosen by our host, Bertha Munkhondya, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM).
Here there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Editor: Nicole, how did you find working on the topics?
Nicole Grenz: The topics were very diverse and stemmed from the personal situations of the people from the various countries who took part. Much of it could be applied to all countries, such as the topic of gender-based violence. Other topics, however, were more country-specific, and I wasn’t able to incorporate those into my own context. Nevertheless, it was very interesting to hear about them and to learn about the differences between the countries – and how differently the concept of human equality is approached.
Editor: What was it like for you to bring your own topic to the table?
Nicole Grenz: I found it exciting. It was about sexualised violence, or violence in general. This is still a major issue in Germany, as there are a great many unreported cases. And in this respect, Germany is very, very similar to other countries.
How has the trip affected you?
Editor: What are you taking away from the trip?
Nicole Grenz: Apart from three new scarves? Let me think. I’m taking away the realisation that I definitely want to continue working in an intercultural context. I love any work that involves intercultural aspects. The trip has reaffirmed to me just how important intercultural contacts are for the future.
Gabriele De Bona: It’s enriching to work on topics together – especially with people who aren’t from our immediate circle. It also repeatedly highlights nuances that are culture-specific or have developed from particular traditions. One ‘aha’ moment for the group was realising that cultural aspects have evolved over time and are subject to change. It was also a bit of an adventure to hold the Academy in a completely different context.
In future, we’d like to further strengthen the participants’ sense of ownership, and we’re well on the way to achieving that. (By ‘ownership’, we mean that the partner churches are increasingly identifying with the Gender Academy format and viewing it as a joint project – Ed.)
