Introduction The 1995 publication, Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa (Gevisser and Cameron, 1995), pioneered a new field of study that is yet to be fully recognised in South Africa. This rich collection, written by South Africans across the country, assembled a wide range of gay, lesbian and, although unnamed, transgender experiences.
Category: Issues
African Women Do Not Look Good in Wigs: Gender, Beauty Rituals and Cultural Identity in Anglophone Cameroon, 1961-1972
“Nebuchadnezzar lived in the bush and his nails became so long that they looked like claws of cats, following a punishment from God for his disobedience,” runs a May 1964 letter to ‘Women’s Special,’ a dedicated women’s advice column for the English-language newspaper, the Cameroon Times (Isuk, 1964:4).
The politics of fashion and beauty in Africa
From wigs and weaves to skin-bleaching to the clothes that we use to cover or reveal our bodies, fashion and beauty are complex structural considerations for women in Africa, and at the same time immensely personal. Occupying diverse socio-cultural positions, we exercise different degrees of practical choice over how we dress and adorn ourselves, limited…
Contributors
Kehinde Awofeso is a former banker, an artist and a computer engineer. She obtained degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Information Technology from the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, respectively. She has worked on a number of cover designs and has illustrated children’s books. She is an information technology consultant who enjoys painting. She…
“I’m not a feisty bitch, I’m a feminist!” Feminism in AWAKE! Women of Africa
By Ntokozo Yingwana Introduction Although being an African, a sex worker and a feminist are often considered to be incongruent identities, in certain embodiments they intersect and inform each other. This Profile highlights what feminism can learn from analysing sex workers’ rights activism among a group of Cape Town-based sex worker feminists called AWAKE! Women…
Women Organising in Ghana: The Network for Women’s Rights (NETRIGHT) and NGO Networking for Policy Intervention
By Akua Biritwum Introduction Ghanaian women’s agitations for economic justice have been a marked feature of their activism since pre-independence nationalist struggles, including the trade blockades of 1917 and 1918. Market traders mobilised resources for party activities and took part in disruptive civil acts that undermined the colonial economy and contributed to making political change…
Female in Nigeria: Profile
By Ayodele Olofintuade Introduction In June 2015, the Abuja-based Warmate Bookclub, inspired by Chimamanda Adichie’s feminist pamphlet, We Should All Be Feminists, started the hashtag #BeingFemaleinNigeria (Edoro, 2015). This not only focused on everyday sexism but also addressed norms, cultural beliefs and practices as well as government policies that have led to the oppression of…
Faith, Feminism and Fundamentalisms: Theo Sowa in plenary discussion with Everjoice Win, Fatou Sow and Musimbi Kanyoro
This discussion of the nexus of religion, fundamentalisms and feminism on the continent took place at the 4th African Feminist Forum in Harare in April 2016. Read the full article below or download HERE
Women Organising in Senegal: Charmaine Pereira speaks with Codou Bop
Codou Bop is a longstanding feminist in Senegal, co-founder and coordinator of the organisation GREFELS (Groupe de Recherche sur les Femmes et les Lois au Senegal) or Research Group for Women and Laws in Senegal. The conversation below took place between Dakar and Abuja, via Skype, in January 2017. Codou’s strategic positioning at the nexus…
the revolution is a woman
A collective poem compiled and written by Toni Stuart at the 4th African Feminist Forum, 10-12 April 2016, in Harare, Zimbabwe. The poem uses words, phrases, ideas and thoughts shared by the women throughout the forum. Read the full article below or download HERE