The indigenous Waorani activist, Nemonte Nenquimo, wrote in an unforgettable GuardianOp-ed titled This is my message to the western world – your civilisation is killing life on Earth,that, You forced your civilisation upon us and now look where we are: globalpandemic, climate crisis, species extinction and, driving it all, widespreadspiritual poverty. In all these years…
What is Sensuous Knowledge? A visual exploration
I spoke to the Institute of Arts and Ideas about the key explorations in Sensuous Knowledge. In line with the book’s argument of bringing together worlds of knowing, the feature blends words, visuals, and sound. I’m blessed to share this. Enjoy!
What liberating effects does writing have?
I spoke to the Institute of Arts and Ideas about the below key themes in Sensuous Knowledge. What is sensuous knowledge compared to euro-patriarchal knowledge? How can black feminism provide a critique of euro-patriarchal knowledge? How is joy inherently political for black women, and how does it arise? Can euro-patriarchal knowledge be changed within the…
The question of blackness in writing
How do contemporary African artists, curators and writers deal with the question of blackness in our work? How does blackness inform the creative process? I’m really looking forward to sharing these discussions in an event titled “Blackness in Contemporary Art Practice” taking place online at the Tate Modern on Tuesday, 2 June. Join us as…
A Black Feminist Approach to Life
I had a fun book event at Columbia University last week titled “A Black Feminist Approach to Life” where I spoke to the lovely Abigail Ony Nwaohuocha about Sensuous Knowledge and SO much more. You can catch the talk on Vimeo or watch it below.
Without feeling, knowledge becomes stale. Without reason, it becomes indelicate.
I grew up in Lagos in Nigeria, in a multifaith household, where I lived with my parents and my extended family. Lagos is a very cosmopolitan city, drawing in many different ethnicities of Nigeria, but also from Africa and around the world. My mother was Finnish, and my father is Nigerian Yoruba. He is a…
A feminist analysis of the soul
What is the function of the soul in society? In culture, in religion, in politics? Emotionally, what role does the soul play? If the understandings that women held about the soul had the same historical significance and public presence that those of men do, in what ways would the soul be encoded into spiritual, cultural,…
What I’m reading now
I am drawn to books that are imaginative, playful, and passionate. I am drawn to books that are insightful and eye-opening. I am drawn to books that remind me why I love words and writing, but also why I love reinventing and fighting. I am drawn to books that don’t only stimulate the mind, but…
Redefining, renegotiating and beautifying masculinity
Progressive contemporary discussions about masculinity typically call for a reframing of the notion. Even the project that this article belongs to has the key aim to redefine masculinities. The conversation typically centres around two phrases–“toxic masculinity”, which has to do with men reinforcing conventional harmful gender norms that affect society negatively, and “a crisis of…
Goldilocks Syndrome – A creative nonfiction essay about decolonisation
I’m delighted to have a creative nonfiction essay about decolonisation in the spring issue of World Literature Today titled Goldilock Syndrome. The issue commemorates the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre but also emphasizes the current state of black multicultural vitality in the 21st century, anchored in the US but rippling out on a…
Ecofeminist values in Dalai Lama’s and Greta Thunberg’s zoom conversation
In The Death of Nature, published in 1980, ecofeminist philosopher Carolyn Merchant wrote, with foresight and exactitude, of how natural ecosystems built on interdependence and reciprocity were turned into mechanistic, economic resources to be exploited by men. It is, for once, suitable to use the word men rather than humans as the book grapples with…
Beauty and nonconformity
The Cooper Gallery in Scotland has launched a major five-chapter exhibition and event project titled The Ignorant Art School: Five Sit-ins towards Creative Emancipation and I’m delighted that I will be leading one of the sit-ins on 1 April, 2021. My event is titled “A Beauty Class: Society, Politics and Transcendence”. See below for the synopsis and…
A review of Netflix docudrama “The Social Dilemma”
There are many ways to look at the word social – it can imply human characteristics (the social animal), events (social gatherings), and civic organisation (social politics) to give some examples. In our times, the word social mosttypically has to do with digital connectivity and social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Conversely, the least popular connotation…
MsAfropolitan curates “Oya’s Daughters: Connecting Black African Feminisms Around the World”
I’m thrilled to be collaborating with the Africa Centre in New York on an event titled Oya’s Daughters: Connecting Black African Feminisms Around the World. Although there are many important Black feminists conversations taking place in Africa, in the UK, in the US, in Latin America and the Caribbean, I have long craved more cross-regional…
De-centring whiteness in black liberation
Most eras end imperceptibly – and most eras also end abruptly. It may seem a contradiction that social change is both barely noticeable and drastic, but history teaches us that this frequently is the case. All of a sudden there is a shift, and long-held cultural symbols, social patterns, or value systems are no longer…
A better way to talk about oppression is as a ‘crisis of relationship’
This blog is the English version of an OpEd I wrote for EL PAÍS published 21.12.20. The original version in Spanish can be read here. Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a time of peak oppression. This fact can’t be denied. After the disastrous events of 2020, even those who may be…
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