Bio

Photographer: Ewelina Stechnij

Minna Salami is a Nigerian-Finnish and Swedish writer and social critic. She is a frequently sought essayist, keynote speaker, lecturer and commentator and has drawn over a million readers to her multiple award-winning blog MsAfropolitan. Her debut book SENSUOUS KNOWLEDGE (Bloomsbury/Zed, UK) and (Harper Collins/Amistad, US) has been translated into multiple languages.

As a lecturer and keynote speaker, Minna has spoken at over 300 universities, cultural events and conferences, on five continents. Equally at home speaking about universal ideas and philosophy as about practical feminism and African history, Minna has presented talks at some of the world’s most prominent institutions including the UN, EU, Oxford Union, Cambridge Union, Yale University and the Singularity University at NASA. She has consulted governments on gender equality and has curated events at The Victoria & Albert Museum in London. She has been interviewed on the BBC, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, SVT and TV Ontario and her bylines include the Guardian, CNN, Independent, Al Jazeera, World Literature Now and the Royal Society of the Arts.

Minna’s academic background is in Political Science and Gender Studies with a specialisation in feminist theory from SOAS, University of London. She sits on the boards of of The African Feminist Initiative at Pennsylvania State University, The Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Sahel., and the Emerge network. She has served as a judge for the One World Media awards, a nominator for the Prince Claus Foundation and the Princess of Asturias Foundation. She holds an Honorary Fellowship in Writing from The Hong Kong Baptist University.

Minna has lived in Nigeria, Sweden, Spain and New York and now lives in London. She speaks five languages. Her multi-ethnic, multilingual and mixed Scandinavian and African background make her perfectly suited to bridge the gap between feminism, global culture and social progress with a unique and timely vision.