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…
Is there an authentic African position on feminism?
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…
Tradition matters for female farmers, and female farmers matter for everything.
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…
The clitoris is finally getting attention
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…
Poverty, power, feminism
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…
Mutuality – the answer for women and men who want peace
I loved this Guardian feature on Mia Couto, the Mozambican writer who was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Award this year. Speaking of Mozambique, he said the following: “It’s a very patriarchal society, with high levels of violence against women. Women are ‘eaten’ by their society and by life itself.” I find the metaphor…
What is beauty?
There are three types of beauty, 1) Political Beauty, 2) Artificial Beauty and 3) Genuine Beauty. This is what I argue, among other things, in Pretty, a documentary series exploring different ideas of beauty across the globe. Watch my episode in the clip below. Then if you would like to hear more of my thoughts…
Black or woman?
In a forthright interview published in The Guardian on Saturday, the eternally inspirational Toni Morrison reflects on Obama’s upcoming end of term. And on Hilary Clinton, she says, I respect and appreciate her. It was difficult in the beginning to choose between her and him. I didn’t want to do the, ‘Which is better? Gender or race? The…
Regarding pornography
It’s time for women to radically change our views about pornography. By radically change our views, I mean views both as in watch more porn and views as in attitudes. Statistics suggest that half of all women with access watch porn, but there’s still a veil of shame to it. Why? After all, most people, male or female,…
The paintings of Manuela Sambo
Manuela Sambo’s art makes me feel the same way that Yvonne Vera’s novels do. Her pieces make me (longingly) identify with a kind of primal power that women possess but, following centuries of brainwashing, that we are unaccustomed with. Like Vera’s, Sambo’s work seems to be in search of a world of poetic essence, caring deeply…
Q & A with Angélique Kidjo
A celebrity is commonly seen as “a person who is known for his well-knownness”. However, Angélique Kidjo is a celebrity in the original meaning of the term, celer: which has roots in change and of course, celebration. In other words, she is someone we celebrate because she transforms us, her work touches us both poetically and politically. Watching Kidjo perform…
Listed in some exciting women’s month features
I was incredibly honoured and quite stunned, frankly, to be one of twelve esteemed women (including Michelle Obama, and other heavy weighers!) to feature in ELLE Magazine Malaysia feature “Celebrating International Women’s Day: 12 women changing the world”. https://www.elle.my/life-and-love/Career-and-Money/gallery/Women-who-make-it-happen#1 It was also a delight and honour to be among YNaija’s Nigeria’s 100 most influential women list. https://lindaikeji.blogspot.de/2015/03/meet-nigerias-100-most-influential.html Check…
7 ways that women are oppressed without knowing it
I will live but that is all that I will do for patriarchy, is my conscientious feminist motto. It is not always an easy task for women, however, because society constantly tries to diminish feminist consciousness by encouraging women to redefine rather than, remove, oppression. For instance, rather than embolden legal action against rape, women are encouraged to…
What is the point of dialogue? (When everyone got so much things to say)
Contemporary exchanges, on- and offline, often claim to be encouraging dialogue. Especially analyses of race, gender, sex, pop culture, identity, nationality, religion and so on. Yet, while many indeed claim to encourage dialogue in theory, in practice few have understood the point of it at all. Dialogue has become a platitude. Whether it’s feminism, Afropolitanism, racism, religion, migration,…
So you want to know what men really gain from patriarchy?
Patriarchy is an unfashionable term. But it is also the only term that describes the oldest, most widespread and most enduring form of governance. It is much older than democracy, for example. It seems to me that patriarchy, which is the ‘system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are…
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…