Case-in-Point: The Najali Project

A Different Kind of Conversation.

Most conversations about Gender-Based Violence (GBV) begin with a script. They are well-intentioned, data-driven monologues that speak at men, outlining their role as perpetrators and prescribing solutions. But what if that very approach, however logical, was part of the problem? What if it created a wall of defensiveness that prevented any real conversation from ever starting?

This was the question at the heart of the Najali project. It began not with a predetermined message, but with a hypothesis: perhaps the only way to truly engage men in this difficult dialogue was to first stop talking and simply listen. To create a space where they could speak their own truth, unvarnished and without judgment.

The initial objective was straightforward: to create a campaign that raised awareness about GBV among men. But after our first encounters with the community, the project’s ambition deepened. It was no longer about awareness; it was about excavation. The real challenge became clear: we needed to hold space for an emotionally fraught conversation, to understand the weight of the socialisation men carry, and to help forge a new language for masculinity, allyship, and care.y could speak their own truth, unvarnished and without judgment.

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Our Practice: A Journey in Three Acts

Our methodology is designed to be adaptive, allowing the story to reveal itself through a process of deep engagement.

1. Listen (The Foundation of Trust)

Our work began where it had to: with men in their own communities. We conducted eight extensive Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) in the urban settlements of Kibera and Mathare. These were not interviews; they were carefully held containers of trust.

In these male-only sessions, we heard the profound and often contradictory realities of modern masculinity. We heard stories of pressure and pain, of the cultural expectation to be tough, and the lack of emotional tools to navigate conflict. We learned that the stock phrases used to dismiss violence - like "mambo ya watu wawili" (a matter for two people) - were not just excuses, but deeply ingrained cultural reflexes. This listening phase was the most critical part of the project; it provided the soul and the vocabulary for everything that followed.

2. Gather (Building the Narrative)

With a new, more nuanced understanding, we began to gather the threads for a public conversation.

  • Authentic Environments: We chose our locations with intention. We filmed not in a studio, but in the texture of everyday life: under the shade of a tree, inside the close quarters of a moving matatu, and amidst the casual intimacy of a barber shop.

  • Credible Messengers: Our research pointed us toward trusted voices. We brought together influencers like Njugush and King Kaka, not as actors reading a script, but as peers ready to engage in a real dialogue.

  • A Deliberate Arc: Guided by what we heard in the FGDs, we designed a four-part structure for each discussion: Highlight the Broken Paradigm, Analyse the Impact, Fix the Paradigm, and a clear Call to Action.

3. Weave (Crafting the Final Story)

The editing process was an act of honouring the conversations we had witnessed. Our goal was to preserve the raw, unpolished, and sometimes hesitant nature of the dialogue. The visual style is candid and grounded, making the viewer feel like a participant rather than a spectator. The titles of the episodes themselves—"Pride ya mwanaume", "Mambo ya Watu wawili", "Mambo ya Wanawake"—were drawn directly from the language used by the men in our initial listening sessions.

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The Output: The Najali Mini-Series

The result was a three-part YouTube mini-series that felt less like a campaign and more like the beginning of a crucial, long-overdue conversation.

Episode 1: “Pride ya Mwanaume”

Focus: Deconstructing the link between intimate partner violence and prevailing concepts of a man's pride.

Episode 2: “Mambo ya Watu Wawili”

Focus: Tackling the bystander effect and the collective responsibility to intervene safely.

Episode 3: “Mambo ya Wanawake”

Focus: Reframing family planning as a shared responsibility, not solely "women's business."

Learnings & Future Vision

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    The Power of Listening:

    We learned that the most resonant solutions are not invented, but discovered within the community itself. Taking the time to listen gave us the project’s language, its structure, and its soul.

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    The Importance of Safe Spaces:

    The honesty captured in the male-only sessions was a stark reminder that difficult conversations require carefully constructed environments free from judgment.

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    A Model for the Future:

    The success of this methodology has laid the groundwork for future initiatives. We are now exploring how to develop toolkits for community leaders to host their own screenings and how to adapt this model to new regions and social issues.

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    This project was a powerful proof of concept, reaffirming our belief that the process is just as important as the product.

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    By grounding the Najali campaign in a deep and respectful listening process, we were able to move beyond a simple awareness campaign to create a platform for genuine narrative change - one that continues to serve as a vital resource for building a culture of male allyship across Kenya.