In celebration of Women’s Month, Stellenbosch University is shining a spotlight on the exceptional women of our institution. As we celebrate the remarkable achievements of female academics with this series of profiles, we also illuminate the transformative power of mentorship. Through their own experiences with mentors, these distinguished staff have not only excelled in their fields but also embraced the vital role of mentoring, guiding and inspiring younger colleagues and students towards success, fostering a more inclusive and empowered academic community.
If all goes well, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) March graduation next year will be a very memorable occasion for the Lourens family. Marna, who is the de facto Deputy Director at the Centre for Social Justice at the Law Faculty, will be awarded an LLD and her daughter Caterina will get a master’s degree in Public Anthropology. A shared passion for social justice and championing the rights of women underpin the dynamic duo’s academic interests and personal bond.
During the week mom and daughter share a flat in Stellenbosch and over weekends they head to the family home in Betty’s Bay. Although their work strategies and mechanisms to deal with stress differ, they have established an effective routine to support each other through the difficult final stages of their studies.
Marna likes to get up early to get a head start, sometimes focusing on her dissertation or making lists of priorities for the day. As a right-hand woman to Prof Thuli Madonsela, her days are filled with a multitude of appointments and organisational challenges to manage research projects, courses and training, policy briefs and various academic and public engagements to promote social justice.
“When I’m working, I focus all my energy on the task at hand. Once I get going, I work fast and effectively and block out all distractions. Luckily, we’ve got a very good project management system at the Centre for Social Justice to keep track of everything that needs to be done,” Marna explains.
Unlike her mother, Caterina is not a morning person. She motivates herself with a carrot-and-stick approach. “When I have a lot to get through, I make sure there’s a reward at the end, something fun to look forward to like a night out with friends or going to an art exhibition. I suffer from anxiety so I sometimes feel overwhelmed, but what gets me through when I’m really stressed (apart from medication) is knowing I’m not alone, there are friends and family who understand and are there for me through thick and thin,” Caterina says. The support of friends is also of academic interest to her as her master’s thesis focuses on female friendships as a space of refuge for women.
Staying with her mom means her life is more organised than last year when she shared a flat with two friends, Caterina admits. Although mother and daughter’s time together is mostly focused on academic endeavours, some nights they end up with their laptops in front of the TV binge-watching Criminal Minds on Disney+.
Marna usually cooks, but she’s not judgmental about her daughter’s limited contribution in the kitchen (mostly toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches). “I was the same at her age! My husband Max taught me how to cook. The men in our family are better cooks than us.”
Both Marna and Caterina credit Max and other male role models in the family for making space for them to help them succeed. “Max is kind and gentle, a women’s man,” says Marna. “My father was like that too. Caterina’s brother Max also has a very strong sense of justice.” Max junior is also a student at SU and will complete his degree in Biodiversity and Ecology at the end of next year.
Although she’s part of a generation that grew up with exposure to critical views of gender, Caterina says her mother’s research also inspired her feminism. “Sometimes I would be criticized for being too opinionated or too vocal about women’s rights, but luckily I had someone at home who backed me up and encouraged me. I was still in school when mom started doing research on transformative justice for sex workers and it opened my eyes to the exclusion and oppression of people.”
Marna shares a memory of Caterina that still informs their relationship. “When she was in Grade 1, she brought her school report home. She did quite well, and I asked her how the other children in her class did. She looked at me and said: ‘Life is not a competition.’ That’s been her attitude since she was born.” Marna smiles proudly at her daughter who’s always marched to her own drum.
She adds that one of Caterina’s best qualities is her empathy. “She cares for the underdog and always stands up for what she believes in, sometimes to her own detriment.”
Caterina says she’s fortunate her parents allowed her and her brother just to be themselves growing up. “We always knew we’re loved unconditionally. My mom doesn’t have the attitude of other parents from her generation of ‘I’m the adult and I know everything’. Which doesn’t mean she won’t tell us when we’re being stupid or unreasonable. But she’s always very forgiving and accepting,” Caterina says gratefully. She also admires her mom’s ability to constantly transform and grow.
Doing research on transformative justice for adult consensual sex workers through an intersectional lens has given Marna an appreciation of the complex dimensions of repression and the vulnerabilities especially women face in our society. It’s made her more tolerant, but also more protective as a mother. “Caterina and her friends know they can be completely open with me. I always tell them if they ever find themselves in a difficult situation during a night out, they shouldn’t hesitate to call me. I’d rather come and pick them up from a ditch than not know where they are.”
Marna credits Prof Madonsela, Director of the Centre for Social Justice and Law Trust Chair at SU, for being the most important influence over the past five years. “She and my colleague and friend, Diane Gahiza, the project coordinator at the Centre, have been incredibly supportive of my LLD studies. Prof Thuli has given me guidance to develop. I admire her single-minded pursuit of social justice and also the way she’s always trying to help and uplift people in all spheres of her life – as an academic and in her personal capacity. She’s helped me find my voice. She exudes grace and fairness.”
Caterina says she’s been fortunate also to have excellent mentors in her anthropology tutors. “Matthew Wingfield and Mukisa Mujulizi were not only supportive academically, they also informed our activism. They’re socially conscious and aware and the least toxically masculine men I’ve met. They became almost brother-like figures to me.”
When it comes to advice about men, Marna has only one pearl of wisdom for Caterina: “Spot the kindness. Kindness is what keeps relationships strong. And being able to listen.”
Both Lourens women are appreciative of the supportive SU environment. “It’s a place where women are empowered to feel confident and express themselves, academically but also within other aspects of the institution,” Marna says. Caterina highlights the fact that there’s a turning tide in terms of gender on campus. “We’re in the fourth wave of feminism and although there is a backlash from some men who feel threatened, people are speaking out about injustices and we’re building a new dynamic.”
As graduation day approaches, a dual celebration of achievement and companionship awaits this extraordinary pair. They plan to spend the big day with their tribe and lots of champagne at a local wine farm. As Marna says: “It takes a village…”
PHOTO: Stefan Els