BCN using ISJA in the informal settlement

The Intersectionalized, See, Judge, Act, (ISJA) tool is an action-focused religious issues analysis tool. It is used to interpret religious texts to identify and analyze issues from a religious perspective, to facilitate personal and social transformation.

Enactment of the Skit by Mappet Abwajo from Big Africa Network.

To mark last year’s 16 Days of Activism, whose theme was ‘Unite! Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls’, The Black Coffee Network (BCN) used the ISJA tool to raise awareness and the need for action to end violence against women and girls in Nakuru county. BCN contextualized ISJA in the informal settlement of London in Nakuru. In the informal settlement, most young people don’t have reading skills and there is also a language barrier, for example, not everyone understands English. So instead of reading the religious text, BCN in collaboration with one civil society organization that they work with, Big Africa, enacted a skit on the rape of Tamar from the bible. The story is in II Samuel 13:1-22, and was acted out by thespians from Big Africa Network. Big Africa Network is a group of youths that uses art to share SRH information and to lobby and advocate for adolescents and youths SRHR. The role play and use of Kiswahili made it easier for the participants to understand.

Presentation of Group Work by Florence Muigai

BCN was thus able to use ISJA tool but from a different creative perspective of using theatre and art. The skit was contextualized to enable full participation by young people in the informal settlement. After the enactment of the skit, the young people were divided into groups whereby they were able to have in-depth discussions on sexual and gender-based violence, the need for action to end it, and identifying steps for intervention.

Chris Matagaro with the team from Netherlands and Kenya Embassy

The activity was supported by The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, Kenya, a consortium partner in the Make Way Programme and have engaged BCN as collaborating partner.