Rights of ‘passage’ and contested land use: Gendered conflict over urban space during ritual performance in South Africa

Kepe, Thembela; McGregor, Gillian; Irvine, Philippa Margaret

doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.12.021

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Management of municipal commonages focuses almost exclusively on the creation and management of small-scale livestock farming activities and support for local livelihoods. The focus on livestock farming often comes at the expense of the needs of women and youth (Kepe et al 2015;Kleinbooi 2013;Vetter 2013). Similarly, the high importance accorded to male initiation should not override the need for women to access natural spaces for utilitarian and other purposes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While some of the activities signifying ''proper'' womanhood-such as collecting firewood (Figure 5) or watertraditionally take women into the forest and to rivers, activities associated with male cultural identity, especially initiation, take precedence when these activities are in conflict. Around urban areas, for example, lack of space and the need for seclusion of initiates commonly results in women being forced to avoid areas within sight of the initiation lodges (often under threat of violence) during the times that initiation occurs (Kepe et al 2015). Ntombi becomes anxious and angry during these times: This is a huge inconvenience and it is often problematic for us as according to our custom, women are not allowed to be seen anywhere near the initiates' lodges.…”

Section: Gendered Forest Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Ways of Belonging: Meanings of “Nature” AMong Xhosa-Speaking Township Residents In South Africa

Cocks¹,

Alexander²,

Mogano³

et al. 2016

Journal of Ethnobiology

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The concept of biocultural diversity, originally used to describe indigenous people and their ways of using and managing natural resources, has more recently been applied within the urban context to understand the variability of interactions between humans and nature. Significant progress has been made internationally in acknowledging the need to preserve and maintain green spaces in urban environments. Current efforts to address the need for greening urban areas in South Africa primarily focus on the establishment and maintenance of botanical gardens and parks as well as various green belts within the urban landscape. South Africa's urban areas are overwhelmingly shaped by the historical segregation of space and stark disparities in wealth. The distribution, quality, and extent of urban green spaces reflect this. Many township dwellers do not have access to these amenities and their interactions with nature are thus usually constrained to access to municipal commonages. This article explores how areas of natural vegetation in municipal commonages on the outskirts of urban centers in South Africa continue to offer places of cultural, spiritual, and restorative importance to Xhosaspeaking township dwellers. A case study from Grahamstown, an urban center in the Eastern Cape with a population of around 80,000, illustrates how ability to access and move through such places contributes to people's well-being, identity formation, and shared heritage. A case is made for adopting a biocultural diversity approach to spatial planning and urban development within the South African context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gendered Forest Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Ways of Belonging: Meanings of “Nature” AMong Xhosa-Speaking Township Residents In South Africa

Cocks¹,

Alexander²,

Mogano³

et al. 2016

Journal of Ethnobiology

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“…Informal green spaces may also be sites for collection of particular plant species used in traditional or spiritual rituals (Davenport et al, 2011;Cocks et al, 2012). Amongst some ethnic groups in South Africa informal green spaces in or on the periphery of urban settlements are the main sites for coming-of-age male initiation ceremonies (Kepe et al, 2015). The informality of these green spaces also fosters some grazing of livestock, although most urban authorities attempt to exclude livestock from the urban core, and seek to restrict them to the urban periphery, not always successfully (Shackleton et al, 2017).…”

Section: Suitabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Legacy Effects of Colonial and Apartheid Imprints on Urban Greening in South Africa: Spaces, Species, and Suitability

Shackleton

Gwedla

2021

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Colonialism is a significant legacy across most aspects of urban form, the nature and distribution of public green spaces, and tree species composition in many cities of the Global South. However, the legacy effects of colonialism on urban green infrastructure and the uses thereof have only recently come under scrutiny. Here we collate information from South Africa on urban greening and interpret it through a colonial and apartheid legacy lens in relation to the distribution and types of urban nature found and their resonance with contemporary needs as an African country. The analysis indicates marked inequalities in public green space distribution and quality between neighborhoods designated for different race groups during the colonial and apartheid periods, which continues to be reproduced by the post-colonial (and post-apartheid) state. Additionally, in the older, former colonial neighborhoods non-native tree species dominate in parks and streets, with most of the species having been introduced during the colonial period. Such colonial introductions have left a burdensome legacy of invasive species that costs billions of Rands annually to keep in check. Lastly, the forms of nature and activities provided in public urban green spaces remains reminiscent of the colonial norm, with little recognition of African worldviews, identity and needs. We conclude in emphasizing the necessity for urban authorities and planners to address these anachronistic legacies through adopting a more inclusive and co-design approach with respect to the extent, location and types of urban nature provided, as well as the types of cultural symbols and activities permitted and promoted.

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“…Institutions reflect historical and contemporary power relations, and also influence the relative power between different social groups, often resulting in inequity in the distribution of benefits and costs from the use of ecosystem services (Berbés-Blázquez et al, 2017). In South Africa, Kepe et al (2015) found that initiation into manhood, which requires seclusion in undisturbed wooded areas, took precedence over women's access to firewood and led to conflict in urban areas where wooded areas were scarce. Institutions and agency therefore influence access to resources and potential benefit baskets at both the individual and collective level.…”

Section: Conceptual Model: the Feedback Between Ecosystems And Well-bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the relationships between human well-being and ecosystems in dynamic social-ecological systems: Implications for stewardship and development

et al. 2019

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Non-technical summary We argue that the ways in which we as humans derive well-being from nature – for example by harvesting firewood, selling fish or enjoying natural beauty – feed back into how we behave towards the environment. This feedback is mediated by institutions (rules, regulations) and by individual capacities to act. Understanding these relationships can guide better interventions for sustainably improving well-being and alleviating poverty. However, more attention needs to be paid to how experience-related benefits from nature influence attitudes and actions towards the environment, and how these relationships can be reflected in more environmentally sustainable development projects.

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Rights of ‘passage’ and contested land use: Gendered conflict over urban space during ritual performance in South Africa

Cited by 15 publications

References 19 publications

Ways of Belonging: Meanings of “Nature” AMong Xhosa-Speaking Township Residents In South Africa

Ways of Belonging: Meanings of “Nature” AMong Xhosa-Speaking Township Residents In South Africa

The Legacy Effects of Colonial and Apartheid Imprints on Urban Greening in South Africa: Spaces, Species, and Suitability

Revisiting the relationships between human well-being and ecosystems in dynamic social-ecological systems: Implications for stewardship and development

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