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By Sara Jerop Ruto
Introduction
Current day society is characterised by strong institutions that have tended to usurp roles previously played by other agencies. The school has emerged as a formidable institution that has slowly assumed educational roles initially played by the family or community. Indeed, the school curriculum is seen as the perfect solution to address societal problems. There has been universal acceptance that one avenue of addressing the HIV and AIDS pandemic is by embracing preventive education. In all this, the school is viewed as the natural place to reach children in their formative years, with the hope that early awareness can offer information that will lead to the right attitudes. It is within this context that I examine the issue of toilet graffiti that is rampant in kenyata university toilets [1]. So popular is it that the university administration has taken to repainting the toilet walls periodically to "clean" them up. Given that there was no graffiti in the female toilets, this paper will analyse what was documented in Male Toilets in Kenyatta University. Graffiti could be said to have two dimensions ; first as a way of expressing anonymously and safely an individual's sexuality and secondly a way of reinforcing conditions that affect or infringe on the realization of sexual rights in the privacy of the public toilet.
Early Schooling Years And Sexuality Education
Not all concerns have been welcome in the School, even when there was apparent need. Attempts to introduce Sex education, to schools in Kenya for example, faced unprecedented opposition mainly from the Church. Due to the historical expansion of formal education, the missionaries were the first to establish schools and have since retained control of many learning institutions. The "voice" of the church could hardly be ignored. The Church has a huge stake on Schools and exercises this control jealously especially when it feels its moral conscience is at stake. The current scenario therefore for the child who goes through public schooling in Kenya is that sexuality education is received in a fragmented way , which is mainly through science related subjects that prefer the less controversial subjects such as reproductive anatomy, physiology, STIs and religious education that adopt a moralistic stand. This is the pupil who is fed into the University.
The University And Sexuality
Dollimore explains censorship , knowledge and discovery based on Oscar Wilde's idea that "More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read" he felt the idea should have been, "More than half of modern culture depends on benign interpretations of what one should read". Entry into the University epitomises the pinnacle of academic success. There is a sense of freedom fed with the knowledge that one has satisfied the societal pressure to reach the highest institution of learning and attain professional training that will hopefully shape their future. Given this certainty and coupled with years of ignoring the self, young university students begin to rediscover their persons. The university often seems to be overflowing with self explorations and indulgences. Relationships are as intense as they are brief. Young people seem to be in adventure with their bodies. A possible reason for this is that the lower levels of schooling are very restrictive. The fact that letter writing across friends or dating is prohibited in many schools (and a reason for suspension from school) and that there are hardly any forums to discuss the evolving bodies attests to sexuality being suppressed. Just like in a general society where sexuality has been tabooed for long in the last few years the censorship has emerged in higher institutions of learning where battle lines have been drawn between traditionalists and diverse others.[1] Perhaps due to such prohibitive and restrictive school cultures, young people revert to private communication, in the toilets for example, as a way of initiating conversation.
Graffiti On Male Toilet walls
Graffiti is one of the way children and young persons express themselves. The drawing on the wall of the neighbour or the tables are all familiar facts. The drawing toilet in the university may be more than child play.
The nature of the graffiti in Male toilets covers the whole spectrum. First, there is graffiti on the subject of "graffiti". A statement such as " Writing of graffiti has been known to be a neuro-psychotic condition where affected individuals strive to write their feelings on walls of toilets. Please if you are affected by this condition please see your shrink immediately. It has been known to degenerate into full madness " seems to express both the desire to use the "toilet space" to express innermost feelings but acknowledges it as a problematic option, hence the advice to see a psychiatrist.
Janssen observes that [in western countries] 'girls produced more graffiti than boys, but boys produced twice as many graffiti with "sexual" content '[2] .This is likely to be the case in Kenya as there was no graffiti in female toilet. The response " Only ladies write graffiti though I am not saying that I am one of them " other than showing how communication evolves on toilet walls introduces what appears to be the best subject in Male toilets which is , Women and sex. Also the graffiti on HIV/AIDs declares in Kiswahili " Don't Fear Aids , ARVs are available!" this to anti-HIV campaigners is a means of passing on the message of "Living Fast" and an open rebellion to safe sex. [3]
Graffiti On Women
Graffiti on women appears in two forms; statements and drawings. While the drawings cannot be claimed to be very creative given that they do not deviate much from the male and female organs as shown below, they elicit many responses. In the box below, for example, ten different people respond to the question and give versions of the "clitoris" in at least five different languages in Kenya.
One individual however has a contrary view and seeks salvation to save the authors. His view is a typical response instilled by overly religious societies and persons who prefer to ignore rather than address sexuality issues.
Graffiti Themes
The vast majority of the comments are preoccupied on the theme of sex. Some fantasise on sexual specifics about women such as positions of sex women prefer. Others seek answers to intricacies of intimate sexual relationships and ask "If you sleep with a girl and she is just silent, what do you do? Yet other statements ponder on women's possible sexual partners. It is mainly in this instance that names of women are mentioned. For example one person lists down seven women who are top names in the media, politics and education in Kenya, and asks who sleeps with them. The response " everybody " seems to want to demean the said women's moral conduct perhaps as a way of undermining their "moral" authority. Another trend of comments names female peers in the university; " even yesterday, Sylvia slept with the Bio-Chemistry Lecturer ". Such a statement could be sexual harassment or actually reflect a phenomenon of "sex for marks" that has been reported to be pervasive in the University. Which ever the case, it is the female, who has been named who will be the brunt of jokes.
In comparison, the male drawing, unlike the female one, denotes action. The writing borrows closely from a political slogan that reads " kazi iendelee " or "let work progress" and aptly introduces another abundant theme in the male toilets; Men, Sex and Power. While most of the comments focus on the male member in reference to top male politicians, there is an entry of women. For example one statement reads:
Question: "_____ cannot be a president because he is not circumcised. Discuss. (20 marks)"
Response: Bring your mother and sister so that he can fuck them.
The issue of circumcision, leadership and sexual performance are explored in the above statement but close female relatives (mother and sister) are thrown into the argument in an uncalled and demeaning way.
The third type of graffiti extol the pleasure of sex; "Like it or not sex is good and very sweet ". Others statements situate the essence of sex within known theory, perhaps as a way of justifying it; " if Darwin's theory of use and disuse is still in place, then those who do not fuck are at risk. This trend of "wall conversation" in its simplistic way, is a new discourse that strongly contrasts with mainstream school education. For example HIV and AIDS messages in the school curriculum subtly associate sex with disease and death. Other models such as ABC calls for abstinence. This graffiti however extols the beauty of sex and equates it to life.
Implications
The graffiti should not be ignored due to both its confirming and revealing nature. First, it confirms that sexist attitudes are still being replayed in young male students thought processes. The objectification of women is evident in a number of statements. Insults to women are resorted to in an unprovoked way. There is an apparent lack of respect for women. It is such a scenario that breeds gender -based violence. On the other hand however, the graffiti reveals a need for more information on sex , sexuality , safety and other issues surrounding sexuality. Since matters relating to sex are not directly discussed which as a result has created a vacuum in knowledge and expectation. Thus the yearning for basic information on dealing with relationships, especially those that involve sex.
Conclusion
Young people need to be equipped with adequate personal information for charting their transition to adulthood. At present , sexuality education to some extent is still either totally ignored or superficially clothed in different school subjects and offered by teachers who in most cases are ill-prepared, over-worked and underpaid. This education especially with the larger picture of HIV and AIDS has focussed on individual morality and self-restraint with obvious exclusion of the discourse of desire and safety. Teachers are often too busy trying to prevent students from doing drugs, getting pregnant or contracting AIDS. As a consequence, learners with any questions on the self find it difficult to approach a teacher and school cultures do not give space for the discussion of sexuality issues . It is time space is given to young men and women to explore sexual issues in public forums as it can offer healthy communication.
Endnote
1 Amos Kaburu, a final year student in Kenyatta University documented the data from the Male toilets
References
1. Dollimore J (2001) Sex, Literature and Censorship. Cambridge : Polity Press
2. Janssen, D. F. (Oct., 2002). Growing Up Sexually . Volume II: The Sexual Curriculum: The Manufacture and Performance of Pre-Adult Sexualities . Interim Report. Amsterdam,
[2] KENYA: Too Drunk To Think - Alcohol Abuse And Hiv http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?Reportid=72461
[3] Tolman, D.L "Doing Desire: Adolescent Girls Struggles for/with Sexuality" Gender and Society. Vol 8, No. 3 Sexual Identities/Sexual Communities. (Sept. 1994) pp 324-342.
[4] Whatley Mariamne & Trudell Bonnie "Sexual Abuse prevention and Sexuality Education: Interconnecting Issues" Theory into Practice. Vol 28, No 3. Sexuality Education (Summer 1989), pp 177-182.
* Sara Jerop Ruto teaches educational science at the Kenyatta University in Nairobi Kenya. She is active in UNICEF with a focus on child friendly schools in Uganda and is also an expert on international and comparative educational science.
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