In July 2022 the authors had the opportunity to facilitate, observe and participate in a community colloquium of civic organisations based in the Northern Areas of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). The main purpose of the colloquium was to bring together civic organisations to discuss the challenge of gang subcultures in the Northern Areas, and how to address it. This article is a reflection on the colloquium, and the insights gained. Besides being the first time that a colloquium of this nature had taken place in the Northern Areas, it was also the result of the authors’ ongoing research on gang subcultures in the community since 2013. Thus, while the discussion is a reflection on the colloquium, it is also a part of the research. Hence, through the use of participant-observation and focus group discussions, the article provides some of the results that the colloquium contributed to the study. Utilising an engaged participatory action research (PAR) approach, the authors present what they consider community solutions for the community challenge of gangsterism in the Northern Areas of Gqeberha.

Authors:
Theodore Petrus, University of the Free State, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Theodore Stephen Petrus is currently Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of the Free State

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