5 MINUTES WITH CANDICE CHIRWA MINISTER OF MENSTRUATION

SA's self-appointed Minister of Menstruation, Candice Chirwa began working in menstrual health in 2017 through a UN consultancy, which led to her master's research. She went on to found Qrate – a nonprofit that runs workshops to advocate for menstrual equity. Since then, Candice has spent years combining research, advocacy, and community engagement to challenge period poverty and shift public perception through what she calls “pracademic” work – merging academia with practical action.

- WORDS: CLAUDIA DA SILVA

Despite the emotional toll of advocacy, Candice honours open conversations as well as small actions that create powerful, lasting change for the communities she works with.

What are some of the misconceptions around periods?

I think the way religion and culture express their opinions about period blood, depicting it to be dirty and calling people who menstruate impure, carries a lot of weight on what one can and cannot do on their period. So many people believe that they shouldn't exercise during their period, go to church or cook during their period. I also think there's a combination of the patriarchy at work, trying to ensure control over women's bodies through period myths.

Why should more people view menstruation as a basic human right?