Interview with Pearl Buyanzi
Written by: Neema Mazonge
@neemamazonge
Photo by: Pearl Buyanzi
I had the pleasure of sitting for an interview with Pearl Buyanzi, the only female member on the newly elected Board of Directors. I was excited to pick her brain on the ideas she has for the Board and all that it encompasses.
1. Neema: How does it feel to be the only female elect on this year’s Board of Directors?
Pearl: It feels scary, I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t expecting to be the only female. I ran with my friend Vimbayi Handara and I was really expecting her to get it, and I was shocked when she didn’t. It’s disappointing to have six guys running and only two girls running, that was kind of sad. So yes, I am terrified.
2. Neema: What do you feel and think about female representation on the SMUSA board and all-over campus?
Pearl: Most girls I was asking why they were not running, say they don’t feel qualified and confident and I was telling them that they are qualified and can do it. You can see the guys that are running don’t seem to have that problem, once they decide to run for a position, they don’t second guess their qualifications. When I was talking to the Chief Returning Officer (Mitchell Archibald) about my qualifications, he told me I was the first person to go ask him if I have the right qualifications to run because people never do that. He told me all I had to do was pick up a form and have people sign it. But girls need to know they are just as qualified and should be confident.
3. Neema: What motivated you to run for board of directors?
Pearl: The same reason as mentioned earlier, we need more women on the board.
4.Neema: What are some of your goals when you step into office?
Pearl: I want to help societies, especially diverse societies like the African Society to get back up on their feet and the Rainbow Committee too. I want to make sure they have enough funding they need to host events. I also want to have needs such as tampons and sanitary towels at the C-store and to have them at affordable prices that students can afford and have easy access to.
5.Neema: During your campaign and BOD forum, you talked about creating a sex education group to safely guide students mainly first years when they join campus, what do you think of the current state of sex education on campus? Do you feel like enough is being done to teach students about safe sex measures?
Pearl: I feel like the current state of sex education on campus has improved a lot. When I first came there wasn’t the RES concerned project so I feel like the university is taking steps to improve it, but it's still not where it should be. I feel like just teaching people that consent is “no mean no” leaves alot of other things, it’s not wide enough to encompass all the things that go into it, such as silence and coercive rape. Simply giving students buttons of “no means no” is simply not enough and that is something I would like to improve on.
6. Neema: What are some of your prior leadership experiences that you believe have qualified you for this position or how are you already involved in school life?
Pearl: Currently I am an RA, I have gotten to interact with first-year students who are new to university, trying to adjust to university life, so I think that is something that might help me relate to first- years, especially because we want to do sex education programs for welcome week events; like the sex bingo night where you get a bingo sheet that gives you information such as the sexual assault manager on campus and self-sex practices, saying no etc, and you play the game and win prizes such as safe sex kits.
7. Neema: Do you have any worries or concerns about joining the board that could prevent you from performing your duties?
Pearl: Most of these things cannot be done alone, I definitely will need the support of fellow board members. To even form a sexual health committee, I will need other BOD members who have the same vision as me, so what scares me is what would happen if no one else has the same vision of dealing with sexual health and coming from a female perspective, we might not have the same concerns.
8. Neema: How important is transparency to you and how do you plan to keep transparency open with students during your term?
Pearl: Transparency is very important, we had only 26% of the student body voting and it was quite upsetting and most people who I asked weren’t voting, they said (because they did not know what SMUSA does and what functions they perform). So, I think transparency is very important and I feel like one of the main ways to be able to do that is through social media and having events where students can submit their questions and concerns to SMUSA and get to know what issues are currently being worked on.
9. Neema: What makes the students’ needs meaningful to you and how will your purpose align with their needs?
Pearl: They are meaningful to me because I am going through the same things as a student myself, which puts me in a position where I can relate to them. Going into the board, I have my own ideas, but I plan to include students’ voices and ask them for their opinions because, for example, I might be thinking having tampons in the C-Store is the best thing to do, but no one really needs that or students might have more pressing issues than what I think.
10 .Neema: I imagine being on the BOD comes with a lot of challenges, balancing personal life, school and work. Can you fully commit the time needed for this position?
Pearl: I feel like I will be able to do it. I start next semester and this semester I have been working two jobs and doing four courses and it’s been a lot trying to balance it, but I have been able to do it almost successfully. Next semester I won’t have one of my other jobs so I will be focusing on SMUSA and my studies.
11. Neema: How will students be able to hold you and your fellow BOD members accountable while you are in office?
Pearl: One of the main ways we can be held accountable is by checking our minutes, everything that is talked about is usually posted online on the SMUSA website. I would encourage students to check that and see what is currently being worked on and how. I would also encourage students to come to talk to us, even if it’s through social media. Ask us if we are doing what we said we were going to be doing and what the progress is.
My interview with Pearl Buyanzi was a pleasant one, she is a woman that has dared to dream and achieve her goals. I cannot wait to see the great things she does once she begins her new role. Also, as we go through this terrifying time with the COVID-19 virus, I hope everyone is safe and taking care of themselves. Have a lovely week!
The interview has been edited for clarity.