STAY WAQE: Recent Episodes
Alex Vink and Yaadein Padiachy
WAQE, which stands for 'Womxn and Queer Empowerment', is a portfolio that forms part of Stellenbosch University's Student Representative Council. The podcast "Stay WAQE" therefore has the aim of uplifting all womxn and queerbodies. It will deal with a variety of intersectional topics which all deeply effect, and are associated with both womxn and queerbodies alike.
Happy International Pride Month Stellenbosch!!
In this episode Yaadein and Zybian discuss what Pride means to them, including reminiscing on their first Pride celebrations. Pride has become more than a month of celebration, it has become a sense of community. The conversation goes on to talk about how Pride can be important in University spaces such as residences and PSO's in the creation of a community, in creating a safe space for Queer students. Not only is it necessary but it should be a priority for the University. Our WAQE team critique the presence of Pride this year, and whether the importance of this celebration and this month is recognized by the University and its various departments.
In the spirit of the International Pride 2023 theme, Looking back and Looking Forward, Yaadein and Zybian also take the time to remind our community why we are celebrating Pride and where it all began: the Stonewall Uprisings. We remind our students that we must always look back and remember that we are able to celebrate today because of the efforts and sacrifices those before us have made.
We wish everyone a beautiful and joyful Pride month, may you all be fulfilled in the celebration of being yourselves.
In this episode Yaadein and Zybian sit down with their guest speaker Nick Baxter (He/Him) and talk about Nick's experience as a trans man since entering Stellenbosch University. Nick talks about his journey with his pronouns, his experience as a Maties Athlete and what his journey has meant to him. In an environment like Stellenbosch, the WAQE team feels its important to spotlight the trans students among us.
This week Yaadein sits down with Equality Unit case workers Larona and Qaqamba to unpack the concept of consent. As case workers for the Equality Unit both Larona and Qaqamba have dealt with countless scenarios in which a students consent has been violated and/or the student has been harassed. Yaadein therefore taps into their professional and experiential knowledge in order to understand exactly what consent is. How can consent be communicated? When do we know we have had our boundaries crossed? When is it "that deep" enough for us to report it. And, who do we report it too?
Sometimes we think, our boundaries are fluid, and the violation of these boundaries isn't a major issue. Is an unsolicited photo really that serious? Listen and find out.
An important aspect of this episode was letting our students know that, there is somewhere you can go to if something ever happens to you. If you feel something happened to you that you did not consent to or feel as if you're being harassed or even if you simply want to talk to someone, the Equality Unit is there for you.
Equality Unit contact details
Instagram: @equalityunitsu
Email: equalityunit@sun.ac.za / unfair@sun.ac.za
Address: 39 Victoria Street
This week Yaadein and Zybian make a small...adjustment to their podcast plans to discuss a recent communication that came out regarding Stellenbosch University's new 60/40 residence plan and what they think of it. Introduced is Masimange Sesanti, a PGCE student with a BA Humanities degree majoring in Political Science. The three of them tackle critical issues that have been springing to the minds of students since the announcement has been made. How will they transform residences structurally to accommodate women? How will they address the possibility of GBV cases? Has the safety of women been considered when this plan was drawn up? How will this really change toxic male residence culture?
This episode was them bouncing of the first red flags that went off in their head...and boy are there a lot. Give it a listen, let us know what you think about this new plan and remember: residences are the front line safe spaces at a university, they are meant to be for students.
Stay WAQE welcomes you back with familiar voice, Yaadein Padiachy as your new host and our new team member, Zybian Anders as our new co-host. This episode plays out like a casual conversation between our WAQE team where we introduce you to our 2023 theme, unpack why it was chosen and where we plan to go with it. Yaadein and Zybian want this podcast to feel like you're part of the conversation too, this is not a lecture or a YouTube video explaining Math. We're all here to learn more about the Women and Queer communities, how we can continue to be inclusive and representative and how we can make Stellenbosch University a safer and more welcoming environment to every, single student. We look forward to the year ahead and can't wait to chat to you in the next episode.
Happy Women's Month!! In honour of this month, Alex and Yaadein touch on women's rights nationally and internationally. Taking off from what the ideal version of a woman...is there one? Our hosts break down the societal expectations of womanhood to remind us that we are ALL valid and we are deserving. The conversation then picks up on one of the most pressing international issues...Roe v Wade. Abortion laws in America become a HOT point of conversation in today’s episode, incorporating what it means to be denied an abortion, the nuances of Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice and the intersectionality of women and queer rights. The topics then come closer to home with a discussion on GBV in South Africa and the fears women face in their own homes. Before we close off for the day our hosts leave us with a reminder for the rest of the month to look at how far we've come from the first Women's Day to where we are now and acknowledge that we still have more to fight for.
We are all valid, we are all deserving, and we are all-powerful.
This month Alex and Yaadein touch on Pride from all aspects. Recording this episode towards the end of June, had our two hosts reminiscing on what it means to be Proud. Reminding us all that Pride is celebrated not only in June, but every single day. Alex and Yaadein talk about looking within ourselves to unlock the true spirit of Pride, and what it means not just to us but those around us. We look at the origins of Pride, Pride where it is today and finishing with our hopes for what Pride may become in the future. The episode then looks at Pride within our student community, and how it has developed over recent years.
This episode is truly a reminder that we are all Pride.
ROUGH, RAW and REAL! This month Alex and Yaadein, along with guest speaker Layla, take on the topic of sex and sexual health. Listen to their first time stories as they take on the impact of sex, the physical and the emotional. Talking you through the stigma surrounding sex, how much sex is too much sex? Finishing with the big O, female pleasure and orgasming. Give us a listen and let us take you through sex in a safe, explorative environment.
For our first episode Alex and Yaadein take on the concept of owning your space and your identity. For many women and queer bodies, identity is something that you may feel like you have no control over. In a world built for heterosexual men, finding your place is something that can be daunting. You're often told you can be one thing, but not another, and we're here to tell you that no one has control over who you are, except for you. In this episode listen to personal stories of how to find ones self, the benefits of living your true life and what it means to OWN YOUR SPACE.