evolve: You speak about sensuous knowledge. What do you mean by that? Minna Salami: The word “sensuous” is a unique word in the English language, which was coined by the poet John Milton in order to describe poetry. He coined the word sensuous as a quality that describes the integration of mind, body and spirit. He thought that…
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…
Sensuous Knowledge featured on Al Jazeera
Earlier this month I spoke with Malika Bilal, host of Al Jazeera’s podcast The Take, about the journeys that led to my writing Sensuous Knowledge. I hope it gives you a feeling of the book. Below is the feature as published on Al Jazeera. Why Minna Salami says Black feminist ideology is for everyone The…
The story behind African feminism posts rooted in critical theory, philosophy and mythology
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…
Listen to my Media Masters podcast on blogging, African marketplaces, feminist writing etc.
To download – iTunes or Stream Every Thursday I get an inbox alert that a new episode of Media Masters, a “series of extended one-to-one interviews with people at the top of the media game” with Paul Blanchard is available. Recent favourites include Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, and Mark Thompson, CEO of the New York…
Plantain and porridge: My in-depth interview with Kathryn Buford at TRUE AFRICA
Writer and curator, as well as one of my colleagues/dear friends/partners in crime, Kathryn Buford, recently interviewed me for her ‘Plantain and Porridge’ series on the TRUE AFRICA platform. The feature was about African feminism, which we spoke in-depth about but we discussed a bunch of other stuff too. Many thanks to Kathryn for the brilliant, fun and engaging questions, I…
Intellectual development is as important as economic development
If I could change only one thing when it comes to African affairs, it would be that we focus on intellectual development as much as we focus on economic development. I made this argument, among others, in an interview with Charles Aniagolu on “Talking Africa”, ARISE TV’s weekly programme on current affairs last week. Check it out below….
‘Who will be the first African woman to sail the length of the River Niger?’
Here is a link to an interview that I did for The Corporate Canvas, a South African Careers, Finance, Culture & Lifestyle platform for African Millennial women. The questions were great, I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to reflect on things that truly matter to me. Below is my favourite question, you can read the rest of the interview…
Q & A with Walter Mosley about Ferguson, race and his latest novel
What I especially admire about Walter Mosley, author of 37 critically acclaimed books including DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, is that although his novels explore serious matters, they make a light read. In fact, people wrongly think that seriousness is a sign of depth. Simplifying serious matters, which Mosley does skilfully, is often a mark of profound…
Decolonisation, feminism, blogging, sexuality, poetry…discussion topics with the African Book Review
Sharing a link to an interview of mine posted at the African Book Review earlier this week. We covered a lot: decolonisation, African feminism, blogging, sexuality, poetry and more. I hope you like it, I put a lot into it. Minna Salami: An Interview with the Creator of Ms. Afropolitan Let me know if you have any…
Interview with Iheoma Obibi, founder of Nigeria’s first online sex shop
Welcome back to my interview series! Over the past years I’ve interviewed inspiring women of African heritage highlighting their work and observations on life. This time around, I’m especially excited to introduce readers to Iheoma Obibi, an African feminist writer, human rights activist and more recently the creative director and business owner of Intimate Pleasures Desires…
Conversations with women who empower: Precious Williams
Conversations with women who empower is a quarterly interview series where women of African heritage share their views on work and life. The series highlights women whose work empowers and inspires in its skilfulness, ethos, creativity and impact and who also are women that I can picture myself having a tête-à-tête with. I’m delighted to feature Precious…
Fufu Sessions II, with Menaye Donkor
The Fufu sessions: Conversations with women who empower is a quarterly interview series where inspiring women of African heritage share their views on work and life. Fufu is a dish typical to a vast amount of African countries albeit sometimes under another name (eg. pap, nshima etc). It is empowering food. It is also the type of…
Fufu Sessions, with Jerryanne Heath of Concept Link
NEW SERIES LAUNCH!!! I’m very excited to launch a new blog series – Fufu Sessions. Why Fufu Sessions? The full title is Fufu Sessions: Conversations with women who empower. The idea is to do a quarterly highlight with women whose work empowers others in its skilfulness, ethos, creativity and impact and who are also the type of…
MsAfropolitan Boutique interview series – Edith Victoria of All Thingz Nice
The MsAfropolitan Boutique aims to provide a platform where design by women of African heritage can be purchased, celebrated and reach a wide audience. We believe that all creativity is a form of storytelling and when it reaches community the outcome is transformation and empowerment. Customers are invited to a shopping experience that centers around community and empowerment, including distinct…
MsAfropolitan EXCLUSIVE Interview with Sandra Izsadore
Even in a society were polygamy is practiced, with twenty-seven wives, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti—one of the greatest men to have lived—had unusually many women in his life. But there are two particular women that the Fela story wouldn’t be complete without. His mother, women’s rights champion Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti and Sandra Izsadore, his lady, and the woman who…