Recently, two elderly men came into the same crowded train carriage as me. One had a walking stick so the other assisted him on to the train and on to the seat which I stood up to offer. I’d guess the men were in their early 80s but I’m not good at predicting the ages…
African women writers and stories that raise awareness
Writing down some of my new year’s resolutions earlier this year inspired me so much I’ve been maintaining the practice by making ‘new month’s resolutions’. In March my goal was to sleep more and as a result feel more energetic and reconnected with mother and father earth but I failed miserably. Instead March was a…
The melodious song of longing, Baaba Maal – In Praise of the female voice
Apart from lyrical gratification, what do you get when you fill the Royal Festival Hall in London Southbank with artists like Senegalese superstar and advocate of women’s rights Baaba Maal, Speech Debelle, VV Brown, Eska, Krystle Warren and Annie Flore? You get a powerful evening of inspirational female voices from across three continents aptly title…
7 questions to a black male feminist
Today marks the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD). It’s striking that the centenary should fall on the same year in which women world-over find themselves at the forefront of significant political and social events. For example, 2011 has seen the launch of UN Women headed by former Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet. Also, Brazil’s…
7 African women’s organisations – International Women’s month
Today marks the start of International Women’s Month, and this year is also the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. The reasoning behind all of these events is to celebrate and acknowledge women’s history and achievements that are overlooked and devalued in history books. Take for example, we all know…
African Bloggers Statement on David Kato and Uganda
“We the undersigned wish to express our deep sadness at the murder of Ugandan human rights defender David Kato on 26th January 2011. David’s activism began in the 1980s as an Anti-Apartheid campaigner where he first expressed a strong passion and conviction for freedom and justice which continued throughout his life. David was a…
Ntozake Shange & Michaela Angela Davis on Feminism & More
I get many emails especially from young women asking about feminism, and who inspired my feminism. In another post I quoted the poet Jessica Horn about her mothers influence on her feminism. And personally, her words resonate. I was raised by a woman that I have come to recognise as a revolutionary mother, who used the…
Fashion really is not for African women and VOGUE’s Black Allure proves it
I hate to be a spoilsport, but I don’t see anything fabulous about Vogue’s Black Allure shoot. In the unlikely case that you have missed it, as marketing gimmicks like this are hard to miss, here’s the link to the photos and the video. Unlike most of the criticism the editorial has received, my issue…
Dinner with 7 African feminists and why
in·spi·ra·tion Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. Thursday 03/02/11: Experienced lack of stimulation of the mind resulting in a low level of feeling towards activity = leth·ar·gy I’ve been feeling sluggish this week, and particularly yesterday. I tackled work assignments in the morning, went to an interesting…
Breaking the rules
Rules are meant to be broken, so I’m going to go ahead and break rule no 4. in my previous post and simply post a link today. The link will take you to an interview I did over @ Afrilove, and I’m sharing that one in particular because it’s actually about the topics I’ve had…
The 7 rules of digital etiquette
Facebook – Okay, we get the picture. Life’s sucks, understandably so if your boss is a dick and your partner’s dumped you and your dog simultaneously pooed on your Manolo’s. Or perhaps you are full of internal sunshine and you see the positive in everything now that you are born again and feel elevated, all…
Mixed race femme fatale, or blonde bombshell?
Returning to the race topic, not because I love talking about it but because it makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones is good. I also do think we have become too p.c. in how we tackle racial tensions. I agree we should be speaking of them delicately, but…
How I stopped being single
I am in love and I want to document the emotions as they develop so that I forever can read the memories. I want to take note of my affinity for your presence. I want to run on the streets naked (like Erykah Badu). Full of wild emotion. I roll my tongue softly when I…
African men, are you listening?
Violence against women is the single biggest threat to peace. And November 25th (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) marked the beginning of 16 days of activism for ending gender-based violence so I am writing this post to highlight and to express frustration with the (at best) lack of interest from African men…
On being an African feminist
With artists like Beyonce and Jessica Alba recently claiming to be feminists, it might be the case that we will soon see an F-word revival. That would be awesome. Yet feminism is not simply about being an independent or successful woman. It is about recognizing and taking a critical engagement with patriarchal structures that oppress…
On ‘Runaway’ by Kanye West
After a shopping round in town today I decided it was about time I watched the video that has the high street in plumes, namely ‘Runaway’ by Kanye West. My head is now fuzzed with thoughts about chicken breasts and I’m vegetarian, so it’s not because I want some KFC 😉 The short story is that…