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…
Spirituality, feminism and expanding our understanding of knowledge
Thanks to a recent article in the Guardian, which reported that “Mind, Body and Spirit” UK book sales are growing while other book genres are dropping in sales, I’ve been thinking about how perceptions of spirituality relate to feminism and to the expansion of knowledge. Three things in particular came to mind. First of all, that our…
Why philosophical reflection is a feminist goal
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…
32 views on Afropolitanism
Last month, I took part in a panel discussion about Afroisms at Busseywood film festival. The panel, moderated by Tega Okiti, consisted of Emma Dabiri and Chardine Taylor-Smith, both opponents of Afropolitanism, and myself – a proponent of it. When I chose the name for my blog, I didn’t intuit becoming a proponent of Afropolitanism. The term…
The problem with philosophy
Across the country, students have been “dismantling the master’s house”. They weren’t smashing their principals’ offices, but rather demanding a revision of their predominantly white, predominantly male curricula. From UCL to LSE to York, Warwick, Nottingham and Kent, the student-led campaign “Why Is My Curriculum White?” has attracted thousands of people concerned that the…
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,…