In the guest post below, Robtel Neajai Pailey and Korto Reeves Williams argue that Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has done little for the African feminist agenda. It is a convincing argument and I am delighted to share it on MsAfropolitan especially because if there is one space where African feminists cannot afford to coddle…
Oyalogy – a poetic approach to African feminism
On April 1st 2003, Leymah Gbowee, an activist who would later win the Nobel Peace Prize, learnt that fighting was nearing Monrovia, her country’s capital. There were clashes between rebels and then president Charles Taylor, and the scheduled presidential elections seemed increasingly unlikely to take place. Distressed, Gbowee began to make calls to her colleagues at WIPNET, the…
Ebola from the eyes of a diasporan Liberian
This is a guest post by Nykita Garnett. Two years ago, when I returned to my home country, Liberia, I anticipated many challenges. I understood that my transition from the sleek streets of midtown Atlanta to the dusty roads of Monrovia would be quite significant. Like many repatriates before me, I arrived full of hope,…
What is the purpose of education? What can we learn from Liberia
Out of all the alarming news that we receive on any given day, the story about all 25,000 school-leavers failing a test of admission to the University of Liberia hit me like a can of whoop-ass yesterday! The Liberian newspaper, The News, has since reported that the university has agreed to lower the entry standards slightly to enable some permissions and…