• Home
  • Bio
  • Media
    • Read
    • Watch/Listen
  • Speaking
  • Work with me
  • Contact

MsAfropolitan

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

  • feminism
  • Africa
  • Pop Culture
  • Social Criticism
  • decolonisation
  • Afropolitanism
  • seven
  • Sensuous Knowledge
    • Sensuous Knowledge references and recommended reading
    • International
    • Sensuous Knowledge news
  • Other Books
  • The MsAfropolitan Philosophy Book Club @ Waterstones

Sex for women and men

August 9, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 10 Comments

sex for women: two days before date with lover-to-be: skip breakfast. remove all evidence of hair on legs, armpits, labia, around anus, inside nose, moustache, toes, arms; wherever there’s a follicle, uproot its produce. with the exception of the follicles on your head of course. those follicles are okay, massage them, oil them, style their produce. go to…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism Tagged With: feminism, gallery, sex, sexuality

Why philosophical reflection is a feminist goal

August 2, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

In my most recent column at the Nigeria Guardian, I argue that gender inequality is a predictable result when a society disengages from philosophical reflection. You can read it here or below. In ancient times, Nigerian women had access to spiritual and political power, and women and men were historically seen as equal in many…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Africa, feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: feminism, philosophy

Not only fake news, there’s also fake feminist opinion

June 30, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 3 Comments

It is not only news that is increasingly “fake”, a similar trend is emerging in feminism with commentators writing what I refer to as “fake feminist opinion”. Here’s my latest column for the Nigeria Guardian where I expand on this troubling development. For much of feminist history, the majority of people have distanced themselves from…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: fake feminist opinion, Fake news

Is there an authentic African position on feminism?

May 22, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 2 Comments

If you are interested in pan-Africanism then chance are that you have visited the pages of the African Holocaust, “a non-profit civil society dedicated to the progressive study of African history and culture.” At least I have found useful information on the website while researching topics that have to do with African history. The platform is…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism Tagged With: feminism, homosexuality, pan-Africanism

Men suppress great female energy power. The #MenAreTrash hashtag is a virtual shrine for loss.

May 15, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

On April 29th, the dead body of a young woman named Karabo Mokoena was found in a deserted veld in Johannesburg. She had been necklaced (meaning a tyre filled with petrol was placed around her neck and set alight) and acid was poured over her too. Mokoena’s boyfriend, whose name I shall not host on my website, has…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: Karabo Mokoena, South Africa

Why the age gap between Macron and Trogneux is symbolically significant for feminism

May 8, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 5 Comments

That the newly elected French president, Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte Trogneux, is twenty-five years older than him is symbolically significant for feminism and women’s empowerment. After all, one of the most sexist and ageist social norms is that, when it comes to heterosexual relationships, men must be older and women younger. If you consider some of…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Pop Culture, Social Criticism Tagged With: Brigitte Trogneux, Emmanuel Macron

“Commitmentphilia” versus “Commitmentphobia”

March 21, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 4 Comments

Women spend a lot of energy trying to understand the “commitmentphobia” of men when they should spend it on understanding their own “commitmentphilia”. This is the argument in my latest column at the Nigeria Guardian, also enclosed below. One week ago today, the world celebrated International Women’s Day for the 108th time. Around the globe,…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Social Criticism Tagged With: Commitmentphilia, commitmentphobia

Seven characteristics an empowered woman has. Psychology matters.

February 2, 2017 By MsAfropolitan 7 Comments

“Who is the empowered woman, and what’s your opinion on the use of the word ’empowered’ as a marketing tool?” In a recent interview with She Leads Africa, I was asked the above question and it made me reflect further on a theme that has always been important in my writing. Empowerment was also the…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, seven Tagged With: Empowerment

Meritocracy, the enlightened west and other myths about women in politics

January 16, 2017 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

It is interesting, that, in discussions about gender equality, “merit” only comes up when we are speaking about women taking up positions that are traditionally male. Nobody questions whether it is meritocratic that, say, prostitution is a predominantly female profession, or that a disproportionate amount of women work in underpaid caring jobs. Similarly, to imagine…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism Tagged With: Ecuador, Maria Miller, politics, Quotas, Rwanda, Senegal, WEC

A feminist analysis of masculinity in J Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only

January 3, 2017 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

In 1985, the same year that the artist J Cole was born, feminism was on the other hand, dying. The radical change in sexual roles that had marked feminism in the 1970s was replaced by a rapprochement of traditional relations through the early 1980s. Rather than challenging gender norms, women were returning to girlishness and men to machoism….

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Pop Culture Tagged With: gallery, hiphop, J Cole

These are the actual divides among feminists

November 29, 2016 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

Last night, as part of the 100 Women season, the BBC hosted a panel discussion about whether the feminist movement has succeeded in inclusively engaging women. The speakers were Heather Rabbatts, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw and Gail Lewis. It was great to hear Williams Crenshaw speak authoritatively about intersectionality, a term which she coined. Rabbatts too was…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism Tagged With: BBC 100 Women

Don’t be fooled by emotional marketing. Using a feminist icon does not make No7 feminist.

October 26, 2016 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

I once asked in a blogpost, “why is that feminism, one of the largest (in outreach, numbers and impact) socially transformative movements that we know of barely exists in mainstream narrative? […] Whatever one makes of feminism, to not acknowledge its existence in cultural production seems curious.” That was then. Nowadays, feminism can be found EVERYWHERE…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Pop Culture Tagged With: chimamanda ngozi adichie, emotional marketing, No7

Music magic! Enjoy an African feminist mixtape

October 17, 2016 By MsAfropolitan 4 Comments

Below is a blog titled “Here you are heard” that I wrote for Okayafrica. It accompanies a Feminist Africa In Your Earbuds mixtape, which I curated to be included in their Africa In Your Earbuds series and which is also included below. Here you are heard There is an ancient Yoruba legend about Aje, a mysterious…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism, Pop Culture Tagged With: africainyourearbuds, mixtape, okayafrica

Tradition matters for female farmers, and female farmers matter for everything.

October 17, 2016 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

Reposting my latest column for The Guardian Nigeria, which was there titled “When it comes to agriculture, we need to talk about tradition”. If you have any thoughts about this, leave a comment. Here’s what I had for breakfast some days ago: Akara and Fura yoghurt. For dinner that same day, I ate pounded yam with Efo…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Africa, feminism Tagged With: agriculture, farming, feminism, food, Nigeria

The clitoris is finally getting attention

September 20, 2016 By MsAfropolitan 2 Comments

Reposting my latest comment for The UK Guardian, which was there titled “This is a 3D model of a clitoris – and the start of a sexual revolution”. The article has generated a lot of discussion and many questions, including enquiries where to gain further understanding of the clitoris’s relation to the vulva. This discussion is…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism Tagged With: 3D clitoris, feminism, sexuality

Poverty, power, feminism

September 15, 2016 By MsAfropolitan 1 Comment

Reposting my latest column for The Guardian Nigeria, which was there titled “I agree, poverty is a more pressing issue than feminism”. If you have any thoughts about this, leave a comment.   1. Physiological needs. 2. Safety needs. 3. Love needs. 4. Esteem needs. 5. Self-actualisation. The above, according to Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of needs”, lists…

Continue Reading

Filed Under: feminism Tagged With: Abraham Maslow, Bukola Saraki, feminism, Poverty

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 15
  • Next Page »

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

View My Blog Posts

subscribe to my newsletter

Subscribe to get new updates directly to your inbox. By subscribing you are consenting to my privacy policy, which you can find below the subscribe button.

Follow My social media

Visit Us On InstagramVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On FacebookCheck Our Feed

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

Recent Comments

  • MsAfropolitan on Blue is a feminine colour in Africa
  • Tine on Blue is a feminine colour in Africa
  • kemet kush on In which even the university of Cambridge admits that ancient Egypt was Black African
  • kemet kush on In which even the university of Cambridge admits that ancient Egypt was Black African
  • sikai on In which even the university of Cambridge admits that ancient Egypt was Black African

Sensuous Knowledge – Get the book (US version)

Sensuous Knowledge – Get the book (UK version)

Archives

  • August 2022 (1)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (2)
  • December 2021 (1)
  • August 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (5)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (3)
  • May 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (2)
  • March 2020 (4)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (4)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • November 2018 (1)
  • October 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (2)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (2)
  • September 2017 (3)
  • August 2017 (6)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (3)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (3)
  • October 2016 (3)
  • September 2016 (2)
  • August 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (2)
  • June 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (3)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (3)
  • October 2015 (4)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (3)
  • July 2015 (2)
  • June 2015 (3)
  • May 2015 (4)
  • April 2015 (4)
  • March 2015 (10)
  • February 2015 (4)
  • December 2014 (3)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (4)
  • July 2014 (3)
  • June 2014 (3)
  • May 2014 (5)
  • April 2014 (4)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • February 2014 (4)
  • January 2014 (3)
  • December 2013 (3)
  • November 2013 (4)
  • October 2013 (3)
  • September 2013 (4)
  • August 2013 (5)
  • July 2013 (4)
  • June 2013 (4)
  • May 2013 (6)
  • April 2013 (3)
  • March 2013 (7)
  • February 2013 (3)
  • January 2013 (5)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (9)
  • October 2012 (8)
  • September 2012 (4)
  • August 2012 (6)
  • July 2012 (6)
  • June 2012 (5)
  • May 2012 (8)
  • April 2012 (7)
  • March 2012 (5)
  • February 2012 (4)
  • January 2012 (6)
  • December 2011 (5)
  • November 2011 (6)
  • October 2011 (6)
  • September 2011 (8)
  • August 2011 (6)
  • July 2011 (5)
  • June 2011 (5)
  • May 2011 (5)
  • April 2011 (4)
  • March 2011 (7)
  • February 2011 (6)
  • January 2011 (7)
  • December 2010 (5)
  • November 2010 (9)
  • October 2010 (7)
  • September 2010 (5)
  • August 2010 (4)
  • July 2010 (6)
  • June 2010 (5)
  • May 2010 (3)
  • April 2010 (3)
  • March 2010 (1)

more articles

Enlivenment, Sensuous Knowledge and Postactivism at the World Ethic Forum

August 10, 2022 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

… [Continue Reading...]

Knowledge that is alive

May 27, 2022 By MsAfropolitan Leave a Comment

… [Continue Reading...]

Privacy Policy

https://msafropolitan.com/gdpr

Copyright MsAfropolitan © 2022