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We all have the potential, we can do what can be done by men, provided we are given the same resources: Interview with Juliet Gwenzi
Varaidzo Tagwireyi, Kubatana.net
April 26, 2012

Read Inside/Out with Juliet Gwenzi

With so many male-dominated professions in Zimbabwe, and indeed, throughout the world, it is inspiring to find a woman who has broken new ground. Juliet Gwenzi is one such woman. She is the only female lecturer in the Physics Department of the University of Zimbabwe, and is hard-pressed to find other women in her chosen field of meteorology. Her work with the Ministry of Environment has seen her be involved, time and again, in the climate-change conversation. She has done hands-on work with Zimbabwean farmers helping them adapt new farming practices as well as developing some indigenous knowledge-systems in forecasting. Others might remember her as the weatherwoman on the TV programme "Murimi WaNhasi". Read on to find out how this woman did all this, and more.

Please begin by introducing yourself and giving a brief outline of your educational and work history.
My name is Juliet Gwenzi. My maiden name is Marume, from Buhera. I went to Bonda Mission for my secondary schooling and then came here (University of Zimbabwe - U.Z.) for my bachelor's degree. I did a Bachelor of Science, Physics and Mathematics. I joined the Department of Meteorology, and am now concentrating on meteorology. In 2002, I had a chance to do a Diploma in Meteorology, which I did in Australia, for one year. I came back and continued work as a forecaster and it was during that time, I think 2004, that I also did a number of programmes with farmers, working with the National Early-Warning Unit, and in the Agro-Meteorology section within the department of meteorology. I also featured a lot on the ZBCTV programme, 'Murimi WaNhasi', presenting weather in the vernacular, which is in Shona. I only stopped in 2008, because I had to go for my Masters, which I did in the Netherlands. I then joined the Physics Department at the University of Zimbabwe in August 2010, and this is where I am now.

A lot of women tend to shy away from the sciences. How did you decide on meteorology?
Well, I would say it was an inspiration seeing those people on television. They usually talked about the weatherman. We never heard about the weatherwoman. I got to interact with these people because I also had my sister who was also working there, but mostly in Agro-Meteorology. She never featured as a forecaster. All we would see on television were these men presenting. So, I wanted something that was different. And then it seemed like it was a very technical field, which was meant for men. But I just thought to myself, with the way I grew up, my father would always tell me that if you want something and you strive for it, there's no limit. You can get it. Actually, there were a few women who had been employed by the Met. Department, and I remember at the time when I went there, there was actually one woman forecaster. So I did a few presentations in English. And I remember one day, the guy who was doing the Shona programme, had a sore throat and his voice was hoarse. Then they said, "That programme has to be recorded". I said, "Okay, I'll give it a try". And I was on that TV programme from 2004 until 2008.

What were the challenges along the way and how did you overcome them?
Being in a field that was dominated by men, you would get comments that would put you off. So somehow, you always feel inferior, when you are among the men. And we were only two ladies who were doing the forecasting then. The good thing was that I now had colleagues with whom I was in the same class, here (U.Z.) in physics. But if I also remember correctly, in the physics class, we were only three ladies, and yet the class had more than fifty in it. To say physics, or anything that has to do with physics, you feel mentally challenged. You say, "Why are we so few?" You don't get the sort of mentoring that you would expect. You're thrown in the deep end and then you have to discover things on your own. Those who had been in the department for a long time, who also tended to be a bit friendly, you go there, you ask, "How do I do this?" but for those who were my age and a little bit older than me, they tended to say "Ah, as women, you cannot do much, compared to what we can".

What shaped the person you are today? Where did it all begin?
I am the fifth in a family of nine. There was only one boy. So, you can think of the society then. They also tended even to look down upon the girl child. And what I remember hearing from my mum, is my aunt coming and saying, "What is this?" when she delivered a baby girl, because it was three girls in a row. So you are coming from that setup where the girl-child gets to grade seven, and not much comes after grade seven. And if I would remember the girls in my class, most of them did not proceed in their education. By the time we got to form four, most of them were married.

My father would say, if you want to be a 'somebody', you really have to stand up. And he was a no-nonsense man. He wanted to see results. So growing up in such an environment, I realized that for you to be a 'somebody', you have to stand for what you believe. If I don't agree with things, I don't just keep quiet. I speak out, or I look at avenues, where I'll say, they will realize I have done something. So I would look at options for being innovative, come up with something that someone has not done. I know at the end of the day you will appreciate.

What are your views on climate change and its impact on agriculture in Zimbabwe?
We may run away from reality; we have different names like variability or change. It's now becoming extremely difficult to know when the rains start. And even if I look at the time when I was young, we would know that by October, we've planted and by December, crops are above knee-height, but that has changed. It's becoming really unpredictable. So many extremes, which you cannot deal with. I'm looking at the use of indigenous knowledge systems in forecasting. We tend to look at the "real" science that can be done in the laboratory. But we are saying, these people know what affects them. They know how to adjust to those changes. They will tell you, we had some rivers, which were perennial, but now flow only a few days in a year. And they have got plants that they talk about, which have become extinct. There used to be waterlogged areas, but now they are dry areas, which is just a clear sign that things are changing.

Even within the seasons, we usually knew that when systems changed, we would get a dry spell which would last about 10 or so days, that is around Christmas into early January. But now the frequency of these dry spells has increased, and you cannot even predict how long they will last. And by the time we get rains, the crop is gone. For the season ending 2011, I know some places, which last received rains on the 24th of January. And it's happening for years in succession. Can we still look at that and say things have not changed? So we have to look at it with a different eye and try to understand what is happening.

What are some solutions/measures that can be taken to alleviate the impact of these climatic changes on farmers and, in fact, our economy?
For now, what farmers have to understand is rain-fed agriculture is failing us, and we just have to focus on irrigation. I know, we may say "How about the communal farmers?" They would benefit if those that have got irrigation would intensify their work, and then they can feed the whole nation. And if we also look at the communal farmers, we find that most have very few resources. They have to do intensive agriculture, concentrating their effort and resources on smaller areas. Also, we are just appealing to the seed houses to look at such options as developing very short season varieties, which would allow the farmers to have some options.

What is your advice to young women out there who may want to follow in your footsteps?
Lack of information is one area that hampers the development of the girl child. They hardly get information, no career guidance. And the moment you start talking physics, they cannot even think of this 'animal'. They look at it as something that is impossible.

People need information to find where their strength is. Then they look around them and say, "Who has walked along that path?". Even the bible says "Walk with the wise and you will grow with the wise," You look around you. Who has walked along that path, how did they do it? How did they get where they are? Get information from them. And you get mentors in you life, and then you also have got time to weigh the options that are available. But without that information, people continue to look at it [physics] and say, "Well! It's not possible." If I look at the first year students right now, I think there are five or so girls, but right now it's only three who are left, the others have already dropped [out]. Last year, there were two female students in the physics class, and when it came to second year, one was actually given an honours, but she opted for other subjects, and said, "I cannot do it." So I think also as women, we still have this mentality where we say, this is a man's area, this is a woman's area, but we are now looking at equal opportunity where we are saying, we all have the potential. We can do what men, can do, provided we are given the same resources.

Apart from her work, who is Juliet Gwenzi? What are the other roles that you play and how do you strike a balance between all the things you have to do?
It's not easy, but it's about time management. I've got a husband at home. I'm a mother of four kids. The eldest is in Form 2 and the youngest is in Grade 1. They all need attention, especially the young ones. They want the homework to be parent-assisted, so you have to be there, and also play with them too. I also do a lot of work in the church. It's time-consuming working with the youth. They need their time with counseling sessions, but you have to plan your work. Sometimes I also do a lot of travel, and I'm not at home, so the time that I am there I try to maximize so that I give to family issues. When I am away, of course they miss me, but they know we also have our time.

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