A growing number of female university students in Zimbabwe are joining karate clubs on campuses as a self-defence strategy in case they have to face gender-based violence or other dangers such as armed robberies.
Some of the students who have taken up karate highlighted that, during self-defence lessons in their clubs on campuses they are taught how to protect themselves in situations in which there is the threat of rape or being stabbed or injured by another person.
According to the students, karate also enhances their self-confidence, discipline and concentration, which is handy as they continue their university studies.
The instructor at the University of Zimbabwe’s Jindokai Karate Club, Sensei Knowledge Chikondowa, said that, at present, there are karate clubs at eight of the country’s 14 state-run universities.
The clubs are at Midlands State University, Lupane State University, the University of Zimbabwe, the National University of Science and Technology, the Great Zimbabwe University, Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Technology and Harare Institute of Technology.
He said the membership of the club he leads at the University of Zimbabwe has a ratio of 6:4 male:female students, but teams that travel for games would be 50:50 male and female students.
Why the growth?
The President of the Zimbabwe National Karate Federation, Sensei Joe Rugwete, said the federation provides university clubs with instructors, and karate is becoming increasingly popular among women. According to him, this growth can be attributed to several factors, including an awareness of the importance of fitness and self-empowerment.
“Women are seeking activities that promote physical health while also building confidence and discipline. Karate offers a supportive community and an avenue for personal growth, attracting more female practitioners who appreciate its blend of martial arts and self-improvement,” he said.
He said the importance of self-defence for women cannot be overstated.
“Beyond physical techniques, self-defence training fosters mental resilience and awareness, helping women feel more secure in their everyday lives. This empowerment contributes to a sense of independence and strength, which is vital in today’s society,” added Rugwete.
Why karate?
The women say their karate skills help them to study – and to protect themselves.
Persistance Mafuratidze, who is pursuing a bachelor degree in information management and technology at the National University of Science and Technology, told University World News that, in a society in which girls are considered weak, she decided to join the karate club on campus to prove that women do not necessarily need men to protect them.
“I started karate in August 2022 … I want to stand up for myself against GBV because, how can I trust a man to protect me when [it may be a] man who [may be] raping me,” said Mafuratidze.
She added that karate, as a sport practised on campus, has brought focus to her studies.
“We do katas … they help with concentration and focus because they allow you to let all the tension out,” she said. A kata is a sequence of body moves against an imaginary enemy consisting of kicks, twisting and blocking, among other manoeuvres.
Adella Michelle Tevera
Standing up for the girl child
Another student, Adella Michelle Tevera of the Midlands State University Karate Lion Club, who will be graduating later this month with a BSc honours in Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology, said she started self-defence lessons at the age of 10 and continued at university after seeing how men take advantage of the girl child.
She said some girls and women are helpless and some are ‘silently abused’ in relationships, communities and, at the end of the day, some are even maimed or killed.
Tevera said when she was in primary school she was a bully who grew up challenging men and fighting in school. She said her mother took her for karate training so that it would instil discipline in her. She now sees the benefits of self-defence, even in university.
“As a girl child, it is necessary to do martial arts, because it promotes self-confidence and independence. You are taught how to protect yourself in situations like rape or robbery. You will know what to do when you encounter a person holding a knife or any harmful weapon. It doesn’t mean that, during the fights, you won’t be hurt, but you will be assured that you won’t be killed or badly injured,” said Tevera.
Tevera said what they learn during karate lessons has been handy in her studies and everyday life.
“I have benefited through having composure. I am able to control my anger, be calculating in situations, stay unemotional be practical. I have the seven virtues of Bushido with me, wherever I go … Gi, Yu, Jin, Rei, Makoto, Chugi, Jiritsu, which is translated as rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, loyalty, self-discipline,” she said.
Tevera said that, as a university club, members compete against other universities during the Zimbabwe University Sports Association Games.
Chiedza Dziva, a University of Zimbabwe water and waste management systems student, who is also graduating later this month, is a member of a karate club on campus.
She said that she was motivated by her best friend to join the university’s karate club when they started to study at the university.
The friend registered both of them as members of the University of Zimbabwe Jindokai Karate Club during orientation and, since then, she has not looked back and is enjoying the benefits.
Dziva said that, as a Christian, she deeply depends on God for protection but she has been very much equipped to defend herself. She said she applied the lessons she learned during training when she came under attack in a public space.
“It was one of those moments where I was mishandled by a bus conductor at a bus station in Nyanga. I simply got out of his grip and that was it. Our teachers took us through lessons on how to get out of grips and I used one of those.
“I guess my attacker was just shocked. I’ve seen a girl struggle out of one of those grips to no avail and so I guess they expect all girls to be like that. I wasn’t going to hit him unless he attacked me again,” Dziva said.
She said being a member of the karate club has made her travel outside the country, competing in Botswana and Zambia.
“I got to compete at the Union des Fédérations Africaines de Karaté Region Five championships in which seven countries participated, and I got a bronze medal. I’ve won a couple of medals, but I think the gold medal I got in Zambia last November was my best yet,” she added.
Dziva said some of the individual benefits for her as a karateka are physical resilience, discipline, teamwork and general fitness.
She said the ratio of male to female members in their university club is about 3:1. “There are usually more guys than girls, probably because you have to toughen up to make it,” she said.
Upenyu Stuli Mudzingwa
Upenyu Stuli Mudzingwa of the Harare Institute of Technology Karate Club said she started karate when she was about six years old so, when her university finally opened the karate club in August last year, she was thrilled to join.
“l do it because l genuinely like it as [a] self-defence [mechanism]. It just adds an advantage in any dangerous situation [because] l may be able to protect myself. It has also helped in strengthening my mind,” said Mudzingwa, who is on a fundraising and equipment collecting campaign for the club at the moment.
“My father introduced me to karate, and we would watch a lot of action movies and martial arts movies so l just fell in love with the sport. I think he was connected to karate, because he just liked it,” she said.
Source: Clemence Manyukwe
