Athlone

Story of place by the girls

Nantes Park in Athlone holds a layered story. This 17-hectare green space became a gathering place for a large coloured community forcibly relocated from District 6 during apartheid. People used to gather here to listen to radio shows, one of which featured a character named Nantes. That is how the park got its name. But beneath this history lies the weight of displacement, gang violence, and many female victims of systemic neglect.

And yet, Nantes Park is also a place of extraordinary resilience. The women who came together here identified powerful levers for transformation: family ties, religion, community activities, heritage, and intergenerational solidarity. Their vision is not about waiting for safety to be delivered from above but about building it together. By creating spaces where women can meet, talk, fix, plant, celebrate, and protect, they reclaim the park as their own.

This transformation can take shape in many ways. Our Girls Make the City team imaged the following: the park’s facilities are cared for, toilets are locked safely, and new features like free sanitary pads and water taps are installed. Regular activities centred on women, sports, religion, and nature turn the park into a vibrant and inclusive environment. Special routes invite girls to explore their own strength through play, storytelling, and movement. Seasonal women’s picnics build sisterhood across backgrounds. A “Girl Power Radio Box” reimagines the park’s early radio history as a tool for connection today, while a Food Memories Garden celebrates the flavours and stories passed down through generations of women. At the center of it all stands the idea of a “Motherhood Park”, a space explicitly dedicated to mothers, grandmothers, and all women who fight for safe spaces for others.