Adv Thando Gumede ZA

𝗔 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀?
What an absolutely powerful Human Rights Month it has been!
To experience the moment of addressing the religious sector from across the African continent is not something I take lightly. This moment carries immence weight.
I am truly humbled that The Methodist Church of Southern Africa and the Africa Methodist Council Youth Movement invited me to provide knowledge, insight and expertise on the subject matter of achieving gender equality and dismantling patriarchal violence in our lifetime.
This topic was not easy to navigate.
How do you unpack misogynoir, colonial patriarchy, sex, incels, rape culture, the red pill, the manosphere and feminism in the church? All at once?
At some point, I asked a very serious question and made a very serious assertion too:
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐱 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐎𝐏𝐄, 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬?
𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐝𝐯, 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐆𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭.
The room exploded.
Not with negativity, but with curisotiy and thoughfulness about this posture being presented before them.
This engagement is not meant to force a specific type of action. Instead, it needs to inspire change that is intentional and retains the integrity of spirituality, that is healing. Faith has always been about healing. However, it has been weaponised to be about harming people.
The likes of Donald Trump have stolen the interigity of faith and used it to push the agenda of warfare, harm and pain across the world. Others haves used faith to force control over women's bodies. Oh, and remember when faith was used by Europeans to excuse slavery, colonisation, apartheid, killings, rapes and unfair discrimination against black people. Remember that?
If we remeber the pain of colonisation and apartheid under the guise of the bible, why do African men do it to African women? Why?
If we know the pain of harming, why do we take the same bible and use it to harm others?
More than anything, I hope that the young people and leaders from across the continent will go home and spread the message that:
"𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻.
𝗜𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺. 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝘁! 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀.
𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹."
Thank you once again for this profound moment to transform a very critical space, not just in South Africa, but across the continent. I hope all of the leaders travel safely back to their various homes. Stay blessed.
PS: videos and official pictures coming soon...

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Adv Thando Gumede ZA

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Adv Thando Gumede ZA

*🚨 URGENT CALL TO ACTION | DISASTER RELIEF – SOUTH AFRICA 🚨*

Severe *floods and fires* have displaced *families* across Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.

We are urgently mobilising *IN-KIND DONATIONS ONLY* to support affected communities and restore dignity.

*🧺 ITEMS NEEDED:*
• Non-perishable food
• Clean pre-loved clothing (all ages)
• Diapers & toiletries
• Sanitary & dignity packs
• Bottled water
• Baby formula
• Basic first-aid kits

*🚫 NO CASH DONATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED*

📞 Coordination Details are on the poster.

🙏🏽 Please *donate, share widely, and mobilise your networks.*

*When communities unite, recovery begins.*

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