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MsAfropolitan

FEMINISM. PAN-AFRICA. SOCIAL CRITICISM. DIASPORA. CULTURE.

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Stereotypical portrayals of African women in the media

May 13, 2019 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

My TEDx Talk has become a book! It’s only available in Spanish for now with a foreword by Raquel Lainde. As I revisited the talk, it occurred to me that I’ve not published it here on the blog by which it is inspired. The talk conceptualised three key stereotypical and limiting representations of African women…

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism, Pop Culture, Social Criticism Tagged With: feminism, instagram, Marriage, motherhood, pop culture, stereotypes, womanhood

Why I’m hosting a new philosophy book club at Waterstones

March 16, 2019 By MsAfropolitan 9 Comments

In March 2015, I wrote an article for the Guardian titled “Philosophy has to be about more than white men” in which I argued that the white-western-male bias in philosophical studies in the UK was detrimental to the study of philosophy, which should investigate all human experience. “We should not dismiss white, western, or male…

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Filed Under: Africa, Decolonisation, events, feminism, Pop Culture, Social Criticism Tagged With: Ideas, MsAfropolitan Book Club

Blue is a feminine colour in Africa

December 1, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 5 Comments

“Blue is a Feminine Color in Africa” From the myth of the goddess Asi of Liberia to women’s ritualistic use of the blue gemstone Lapis Lazuli in Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and the indigo blue Adire of Yorubaland, many historical African representations of the color blue as a powerful color are linked to the female sex….

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism

The story behind African feminism posts rooted in critical theory, philosophy and mythology

November 23, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, I had a phone conversation with the founder of Òrò Àníké, an invigorating space dedicated to exploring pre-colonial African history in a holistic way. We spoke about Lagos life, feminine ancestry, Oyalogy, gender binaries, philosophy, Kemet, African feminist lineage, Afropolitanism.., all my favourite topics in other words. I really enjoyed the…

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Filed Under: Africa, Afropolitanism, Decolonisation, feminism, Interviews, Social Criticism Tagged With: Ancestry, feminism, philosophy

Nigerian feminism – past, present and future perspectives

October 1, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 9 Comments

What is Nigerian feminism? Who does it speak for? Does contemporary Nigerian feminism reflect the realities of all Nigerian women? Does it include the voices and struggles of the masses of women who do not have economic freedom? What are some of the issues Nigerian feminism should include moving forward? In my latest article below,…

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism Tagged With: African feminism, Nigeria, women's issues, writing

African cultural symposium and black radicalism events in London

July 4, 2018 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

I have a few events coming up in London, which I wanted to let you know about. I’m pretty excited about these because although I have spoken at many platforms this year including a series of talks about gender equality in Bermuda, and keynotes about women, feminism and inclusion in Lagos and Brussels, as well…

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Filed Under: Africa, Afropolitanism, Decolonisation, events, feminism, Pop Culture, Social Criticism Tagged With: Black Radicalism, Cultural Compounds, identity, Kehinde Andrews

Omusiya Tayangwa… Bullshit!

June 25, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

After being told that, “As a Mutoro woman, you can never say no to a man,” a group of East African feminists decided to collaborate on a visual art project to inspire women to challenge oppressive traditional values and spark conversations about patriarchy. The Bantu Project, as the series of photographs are called, is a collaboration…

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: African feminism, bantu, Bantu Project, East Africa, Kakyo Project, Kenya, Uganda

In order to decolonise democracy, an indigenous economics of language must thrive

May 27, 2018 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

I strongly believe that critical thinking can transform society, so I was captivated when I recently came across the National Policy on Education and discovered that it begins with a section titled “The Philosophy and Goals of Education in Nigeria.” I swooned as I continued to read the sub-section titled, “The Overall Philosophy of Nigeria.”…

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Filed Under: Africa, Social Criticism Tagged With: decolonisation, languages, Nigeria

She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak

March 13, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 3 Comments

Cassava Republic Press is publishing a new book titled, ‘She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak’ on 24 April. To commemorate the launch of this ground-breaking collection of first-hand narratives from a cross section of queer Nigerian Women, the publisher has organised a synchronised revealing of the book and its cover (pictured) across several platforms,…

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism Tagged With: Cassava Republic, Feminist Books, Nigeria, Nigerian Literature, Queer, Voice

The invisibility of poverty in Black Panther’s Wakanda, and why it matters

February 19, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 6 Comments

This article contains spoilers, so proceed at your own risk! Since you are still reading, I assume that you have watched Black Panther and I can therefore share some of my thoughts with you. Let me start by saying that I enjoyed the film a lot – I especially loved the storytelling, the acting, the…

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Filed Under: Africa, Afropolitanism, Decolonisation, Pop Culture, Social Criticism Tagged With: afrofuturism, Black Panther, Class, Poverty, utopia, Wakanda

A book about beauty, power, gender, globalisation, science and sexuality that is rooted in black feminism…

January 25, 2018 By MsAfropolitan 6 Comments

A book about beauty, power, gender, globalisation, science and sexuality that is rooted in black and African feminism… Does that sound like a book you would like to read? Because I am so excited to share the news that I am writing precisely such a book! It is titled Sensuous Knowledge: A Radical Black Feminist…

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Filed Under: Africa, Afropolitanism, Decolonisation, feminism, Pop Culture, Social Criticism Tagged With: black feminism, book, Sensuous Knowledge

What is African feminism, actually?

December 6, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 9 Comments

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is “what is African feminism and how is it different from western feminism”. It is a valid question that points to the clarity that people seek in the process of self discovery, which is what becoming feminist is. But the response that I’ve been giving over…

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: African feminism, gallery

Human auctions in Libya and the patriarchal, imperialist system that enables them

November 20, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 5 Comments

Last week a  CNN report containing footage of African migrants being sold in human auctions in Libya was published. In the footage, we see young men being sold to buyers for about at $400 to undisclosed buyers. Here are the videos:  I have been terribly busy and unable to blog in a few weeks but I could…

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Filed Under: Africa, Afropolitanism, feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: Africa, Europe, Imperialism, Libya, patriarchy, slavery

What will the Sahel look like in 10 years? A research initiative on the Sahel region and call for papers

October 21, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

I’m pleased to share the news that I have joined the Editorial Board of the Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Sahel, which is an initiative of The International Consortium for Geopolitical Studies of the Sahel – a collaborative international research team of experts focusing on the security, socio-political and ecological complex of the Sahel, of which I also am…

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Filed Under: Africa, Decolonisation Tagged With: Africa, decolonisation, Sahel Consortium, Sahel region

We should distinguish between globalisation and Patriarchal Imperialist Expansion (PIE)

September 21, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 12 Comments

Globalisation is an especially hot topic at the moment. After the election of Donald Trump, Brexit, and the rise of ultra-right parties in Europe, it is particularly popular to speak of globalisation’s demise. For example, the Financial Times recently published an article titled “Globalisation in retreat”, the Guardian published “Globalisation: the rise and fall of…

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Filed Under: Africa, Afropolitanism, Decolonisation, feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: globalisation, Patriarchal Imperialist Expansion

Guest post by Sulaiman Addonia – The sexless life of my mother

September 14, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 2 Comments

In in my teens, I vowed to abstain from sex, in solidarity with my mother. As a young boy living in a Sudanese refugee camp, I first found out that, although physical love was important for my mother, patriarchy made it impossible for her to experience outside of marriage, a marriage she didn’t want since…

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Filed Under: Africa, feminism, Guest Posts Tagged With: Eritrea, Ethiopia, love, Sudan, Sulaiman Addonia

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Feminism. Africa. Popular Culture. Social Criticism.

Hi! I'm Minna Salami, I'm a Nigerian-Finnish and Swedish writer and social critic, and the founder of the multiple award-winning blog, MsAfropolitan, which connects feminism with critical reflections on contemporary culture from an Africa-centred perspective. As a lecturer and keynote speaker, I have spoken at over 300 universities, cultural events and conferences, on five continents. I am the author of "Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone - a collection of thought provoking essays that explore questions central to how we see ourselves, our history, and our world." (Harper Collins US) Read full bio

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An African Feminist mixtape

Essay: Oyalogy – A poetic approach to African feminism through Yoruba mythology

ESSAY: A brief history of African feminism

ESSAY: A brief history of African feminism

VIDEO: TEDxTalk – To change the world, change your illusions

VIDEO: TEDxTalk – To change the world, change your illusions

VIDEO: ARISE TV TALKING AFRICA INTERVIEW

VIDEO: ARISE TV TALKING AFRICA INTERVIEW

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more articles

A Historical Overview of African Feminist Strands

August 24, 2022 By MsAfropolitan 3 Comments

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On Abortion

August 23, 2022 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

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