What’s in Your Bag?

To answer this curiously catchy question, the women of the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) gathered for the much-anticipated Women’s Day celebration. The event was aimed at reminding the women of SBL that they are a much-appreciated stakeholder and as such, SBL is invested in not only the skills that they bring but also in their mental and emotional wellbeing.

SBL women celebrate Women's Day in black to symbolise their strength, prestige, authority and elegance.

Women are legendary multi-taskers, and the many roles and tasks that they juggle daily often find expression in the handbags that they carry. While women’s handbags may come in almost as many types as there are women on earth, they have been known to carry some unexpected delights - and horrific surprises! Women’s Month offered the perfect opportunity for the women of SBL to gather and evaluate what’s in their bags – literally and figuratively. It goes without saying that the event was not just about lipstick, a day-old Mugg & Bean sandwich, house keys and a spare disposable nappy – all items which have been known to co-exist peacefully inside a woman’s handbag. It was about the less talked-about things that women carry in their emotional bags, such as anger, resentment, guilt, hope or aspirations. It was also about empowering women with the tools needed to recognise what they are carrying, how to get rid of destructive baggage, and how to keep and even enhance the things that help them thrive.

Ms Siya Zenani, Professor Pumela Msweli, Ms Phumudzo Malatji and Professor Puleng Segalo.

SBL Women's Day event

Dressed in black, a colour that symbolises strength, prestige, authority and elegance, SBL women were treated to a provocative poem rendered by Professor Pumela Msweli, the Executive Dean and CEO of the SBL. They were also encouraged by an inspirational tale of rising beyond one’s limitations and “breaking barriers” as was told by Professor Puleng Segalo. The icing on the cake was the deep, emotional dive into the topic of “What’s in Your Bag, and Who Put it There?” ably navigated by Ms Siya Zenani. All the above were weaved together into a beautiful tapestry of events by the programme director for the day, the dynamic Ms Phumudzo Malatji. What an impactful way to mark the end of Women’s Month!

Compiled by Thami Kaunda, Communications Specialist, UNISA SBL