Feminism which is simply the belief in the equality of sexes and a movement for the advancement of women’s rights has been subject to different perceptions. How does a movement with a clear and equality-focused tenet become subject to different perceptions?
To be radically alive is to be hopeful — but to hope, one must acknowledge, interrogate and dream. Even though coloniality continues to shape Africa’s systems and structures, while the global north continues to thrive on the inferiorisation of how we learn and live, we are doubling down on revolutionary hope. In April of 2023, we started a five-part Disrupting Colonial Legacies in Africa series to interrogate the impact of colonial legacies in Africa. We explored colonial legacies of leadership, climate justice, economic justice, philanthropy, and education in Africa, which brought to the fore the importance of holding space for the imaginations of a decolonial, feminist Africa. Check out our latest knowledge product: Library of Perspectives The Makings of Revolutionary Hope anthology is a collection of our reflections, feelings, hopes, and dreams inspired by the conversations from the Disrupting Colonial Legacies series. In the anthology, we adopt a storytelling approach to create the afro- futuristic city of Leluji. This city embodies feminist principles of interconnectedness, collaborative wisdom, and empathy in leadership and how that manifests in the education landscape, the leadership structure, the wealth distribution system, and knowledge transfer. We humanise this imaginative exploration through the lives of three friends whose ancestry goes back to ancient times in Africa and whose individual identity is birthed and held in their sense of sisterhood, friendship, and community. Infused with poems, essays, and artwork from African feminists, the anthology enriches the tapestry of our liberated dreams and revolutionary hope. Download the anthology here.
The GFCF #ShiftThePower global summit took place at the Agora Center in Bogota in December 2023. The global summit served as a platform for creating “good collisions” and establishing connections among individuals shaping people-centred practices. These practices are driven from the grassroots, and the summit also brought together those leading experiments and efforts to shift power within the existing system. This summit marked the culmination of various global activities. Conversations leading to the summit explored questions about how power can and should be transferred to communities, the practical implications of this shift, and the role of current philanthropic practices. What was also useful to these conversations was the #ShiftThePower manifesto as a guide and declaration of what we mean when we imagine communities in charge of their own development and producing a flourishing and safe life. Check out our latest knowledge product: Library of Perspectives For us at Liberation Alliance Africa, we focused our energies on exploring decolonial feminist philanthropy in West Africa. As part of the #ShiftThePower movement, we delved into the role of power in the institutionalisation of philanthropic practices in West Africa, investigating those who benefit from the current structures and those who do not and proposing ways to reshape the philanthropic system to be more locally-owned and locally-led. The summit hosted 700 participants from around the world and was organised with care. Through the Buckets, Lightning talks, moments to rest, connect, and find some joy in the sweetness of the locally produced chocolates and coffee; the experience was thoughtfully curated and is reflected upon in this piece. Reimagining Governance and Structures: Where did you first learn about governance and structures? In a Bucket session on reimagining systems, organisational structures, and governance using arts and storytelling as a way to learn about governance. We reflected on our early encounters with governance. The session prompted a shift in thinking about governance practices, bringing to light negative practices internalised over time. I realised many of us learned about governance and structures from our private and family lives, sometimes resulting in disempowerment – raising a crucial question: what governance practices might inadvertently make them feel powerless or angry in building power with communities? Power to the Ones with the Stories Stories are everywhere; sometimes, we are storytellers or storyweavers. When we decide to share stories from our communities, we must examine that our process inspires courage and the power of togetherness. If your storytelling advocacy does not centre the storytellers, step back or step down to reshape your organising. When we share stories from our communities, how do we honour their voices, experiences, emotions and names? Are philanthropic organisations dismantling power structures or are they sustaining the power imbalance with their current donor practices? – Ambika Satkunanathan During the Lightning talks on Day Two, Ambika’s bold question challenged the audience, including representatives from bilateral/multilateral donor organisations, foundations, corporations and private philanthropic individuals. I found the session interesting and audacious to discuss the negative impact of the current philanthropic practices in building and sustaining a funding system that is locally-owned and locally-led. We discussed power and privilege and who benefits the most from donor-grantee relationships. The session further validates the questions we asked ourselves at Liberation Alliance Africa when we spoke with feminist organisers in West Africa about the current philanthropic practices in the region. Our discussion with them produced the report we titled Reclaiming Agency: Dreaming of a Decolonial Feminist Philanthropy in West Africa. The Lightning talks propelled us, and I hope especially those on the grantmaking side, to commit to reshaping the current funding practices and be consciously aware of the power imbalances and take actions which sometimes means listening to the communities their money is going to. Hope is a strategy, and we must embrace Hope as much as we embrace power. – Marie-Rose Romain Mu When Marie-Rose started talking about Hope, I was like, whatttt ma’am!!! I tell you, it was a sermon and a critical delivery to raise our consciousness and demand that we remember Hope as our ancestral identity. Her submission resounds our audacity to dream and reminds us that the process to #ShiftThePower starts from recognising the power within us. In an impassioned closing, Marie-Rose called us to lean into the warmth, strength and sustenance that Hope brings. In conclusion, this reflection piece extends intellectual solidarity and love to friends I dined with, danced with, laughed with, and exchanged liberatory thoughts and dreams. As the movement progresses, the collective journey continues with audacity, Hope, and a commitment to reshaping power dynamics for a more just and equitable world. Onwards we go! By Oluwatobiloba Ayodele, Co-dreamer, Liberation Alliance Africa
Liberation Alliance Africa invites you to contribute to The Makings of Revolutionary Hope: A feminist, pan-African anthology on disrupting colonial Legacies in Africa.
In the face of massive pushback by anti-rights agents who are well funded and united in opposing the freedom of women and gender-diverse persons, it has never been more necessary to work in harmony and consolidate efforts amongst activists, CSOs, funding and development partners, researchers, leading experts, support institutions, strategic government and political allies, judicial officers, and academia.
The report, Reclaiming Agency: Dreaming of a Decolonial Feminist Philanthropy in West Africa, explores the philanthropy landscape in West Africa through a decolonial feminist lens and contributes a West African perspective to dominant narratives on decolonising philanthropy
Philanthropy continues to face several challenges in its effort to collaborate with activists in the pursuit of Africa’s transformation and liberation agenda because of its colonial origins and continued legacies. Evidence shows that the current philanthropic landscape is inherently unable to create sufficient space for participation and/or co-creation in the process of conceiving its interventions or in providing feedback on its work from the intended implementing partners. When we examine the current philanthropic landscape in West Africa, we see a web of donor-grantee relationships threaded together by power dynamics and relations that perpetuate the power imbalance which usurp agency. What we also see is a growing body of work disrupting spaces, raising critical consciousness, and uncovering invisibilized and normalised patterns of power that have real consequences on activists and the communities they work in. To bring to the fore emerging changes in philanthropic practices in other parts of the resistance, raise critical consciousness on key issues around power and agency in philanthropic practices in West Africa, Liberation Alliance Africa as part of #RoadtoBogota for the #ShiftThePower summit will hold a space for transnational experience sharing and weaving of feminist, resistance and liberation efforts to decolonise philanthropy. ?️ 22 November 2023? 2:00 PM WAT/4 PM EAT/8 PM WIB/9 AM ESTRegister here Language: English, French and Spanish translation will be provided
One of the legacies of colonialism is the narrative that African states are incapable of effecting inclusive and transformative impact without foreign aid, either in the form of multilateral and bilateral funding or from private foundations. Indeed, philanthropy has made important contributions to supporting efforts aimed at ensuring Africa’s political, economic and social transformation. Philanthropy’s role in the fight for equitable and democratic transformation in Africa cannot be overlooked. However, there is a growing body of evidence of donors funding programmes with little or zero input from the community most impacted by the problem. This form of donor relation with implementing partners often manifests as NGOs working in the Global South being led by leadership in the Global North. The consequence hence, is a dependency culture on global North aid, invisibilisation of realities of implementing partners and loss of autonomy and decision-making processes. In the rise of fundamentalism and shrinking of civic space in Africa, there is an urgent need to rethink philanthropy in a way that will truly sustain feminists, decolonial and liberation movements and collectives in Africa. It is upon these reflections that Liberation Alliance Africa will host the Disrupting Colonial Legacies of Philanthropy in Africa. We are called to interrogate the historical and colonial legacies of Philanthropy. With the webinar, we aim to respond to the following questions: What are the key representations of colonial legacies of philanthropy and how do they shape the development landscape? In what ways has the deprivation of agency affected the idea and practice of philanthropy in West Africa? In what ways does philanthropy as practised affect epistemic agency? What are the different initiatives, solutions and changes that will support the reimagination of a people-centred philanthropic landscape? Date: Friday 27th October, 2023Time: 2 PM WAT | 4 PM EAT | 9 AM ESTRegister hereLanguage: English
I learnt about Theory when I read Bell Hooks’ essay on Theory as a Liberatory Practice. In the essay, bell hooks summoned Black and African feminist scholars and activists to cultivate the art of theorising. She described Theory as a healing practice. I was intrigued to know that the process of thinking, dreaming and conceptualising different ways of doing things can be theorised. Through this essay, I recognised the importance of Theory as a liberatory tool. Hence, my interest in theorising and humanising Theory — is to liberate my mind from colonial capitalist ways of thinking and disrupt hegemonic structures. The question, then, is, how can we humanise the art of theorising? What is the role of Theory in understanding the colonial capitalist and patriarchal systems we live in? While I do not have complete answers to these questions, I believe that the art of theorising is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. And indeed, we must humanise Theory that reflects our lived experiences as Africans. Theorising does not become a liberatory tool if our theories do not concretize lived experiences of African women, girls and gender-expansive persons. And we need to see it that way. I learnt about Theory when I read bell hooks’ essay on Theory as a Liberatory Practice. In the essay, bell hooks summoned Black and African feminist scholars and activists to cultivate the art of theorising. She described Theory as a healing practice. I was intrigued to know that the process of thinking, dreaming and conceptualising different ways of doing things can be theorised. Through this essay, I recognised the importance of Theory as a liberatory tool. Hence, my interest in theorising and humanising Theory — is to liberate my mind from colonial capitalist ways of thinking and disrupt hegemonic structures. The question, then, is, how can we humanise the art of theorising? What is the role of Theory in understanding the colonial capitalist and patriarchal systems we live in? While I do not have complete answers to these questions, I believe that the art of theorising is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. And indeed, we must humanise Theory that reflects our lived experiences as Africans. Theorising does not become a liberatory tool if our theories do not concretize lived experiences of African women, girls and gender-expansive persons. And we need to see it that way. I learnt about Theory when I read bell hooks’ essay on Theory as a Liberatory Practice. In the essay, bell hooks summoned Black and African feminist scholars and activists to cultivate the art of theorising. She described Theory as a healing practice. I was intrigued to know that the process of thinking, dreaming and conceptualising different ways of doing things can be theorised. Through this essay, I recognised the importance of Theory as a liberatory tool. Hence, my interest in theorising and humanising Theory — is to liberate my mind from colonial capitalist ways of thinking and disrupt hegemonic structures. The question, then, is, how can we humanise the art of theorising? What is the role of Theory in understanding the colonial capitalist and patriarchal systems we live in? While I do not have complete answers to these questions, I believe that the art of theorising is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. And indeed, we must humanise Theory that reflects our lived experiences as Africans. Theorising does not become a liberatory tool if our theories do not concretize lived experiences of African women, girls and gender-expansive persons. And we need to see it that way. I have developed three habits to humanise Theory. And I share these habits as my learnings in becoming the feminist scholar I want to be. My childhood was filled with unquestioned rules and structures. While my childhood environment expected nothing from me but obedience to the elders and seniors, It was difficult not to ask questions. Even now, living in a system that forces subservience, it has become daring to ask questions. But, as a child, I will ask my questions anyways. In his book The Significance of Theory, Terry Eagleton said, ‘Children make the best theorists since they have not yet been educated into accepting our routine social practices as natural. Since they do not yet grasp our social practices as inevitable, they do not see why we might not do things differently’ To theorise as young African feminists is to remember childlikeness. As children, we questioned patriarchal structures at home, school, religious institutions, and social gatherings. Even though we did not describe the process of questioning and critiquing as ‘theorising’. We need more of us even now. Our liberation lies in the awakening of our dreams. The audacity to disrupt cannot come from a place of fear and shame. In this world, shame is the consequence of being born female. From birth, a daily dose of shame is provided that reminds us of our subservient place in the world. To stifle our voice, to bleak our dreams, to force us to accept what is known and to stop us from dreaming about what is unknown but possible. In Nigeria, we have a famous phrase, ‘You cannot shame the shameless’. How can we be shameless? Unlearning shame is like flipping the switch. So pause, imagine the shame switch and turn it off! Every day, when you wake up, let that be the first thing you do. Unlearning shame will liberate our minds and awaken our inner child. Because without shame, we can breathe in new air, a new reality. The audacity to disrupt cannot come from a place of fear and shame. Storytelling is the only way we can contribute to immortalising feminist epistemology. In the concluding section of her essay, bell hooks inquired where the scholarship of feminist Theory and practice can be found. Knowing that the personal is political and the political is personal, we must cultivate the art of theorising through storytelling. In her book Decolonization and Afro-Feminism, Sylvia Tamale stressed
We did not come to our Name by chance. After a period of dreaming and reflecting on what liberation means to us, we realised the importance of organising in the fashion of our feminist ancestors who centred on kinship, the passing down of knowledge and insisted on freedom from sexism and coloniality. Liberation Alliance Africa recognises consciousness-raising is at the heart of individual and collective liberation. What our Name means Liberation allows for exploring one’s consciousness in the pursuit of possibilities. It is the intentional and continuous release from colonial ways of living — largely antithetical to one’s history, reality and future; it is freedom from the colonial, capitalist and patriarchal matrix of power and the re-imagining of power as strength in community, kinship and accountability. Alliance to us means community. We are bound by collective ideology, experience and the pursuit of liberation. We bask in shared joy and solidarity. We work to unearth histories and consciousness erased in Africa. We are committed to nurturing the consciousness that Africaness is an opportunity for connection, kinship and solidarity. “The audacity to dream in colours usher us into dimensions of unbridled creativity. We become strengthened to raise our consciousness and create our futures. This conviction helps us to create the world we want, the world of our dreams.” — Itunu Omolara Oriye What Our Colours Represent To us, Violet signifies Spirituality. It inspires us to dream and to remain connected to our ancestors who began this journey of liberation on the African continent. We are empowered to reflect artistically, called to reflect on historical wrongs and build the blocks of individual and collective liberation. Spirituality for us means connecting to our history, our present and lived experiences while dreaming and organising for the righting of historical wrongs. Mustard Yellow inspires us to be audacious in our Joy. In a system that benefits from our despair, Joy is a practice of liberation. Mustard Yellow allows us to be bold in claiming space for feminist joy. Revolutionary joy and rest are at the core of our liberation practice — we seek to inspire a generation of Africans who believe that our collective consciousness is important, rest is political, and joy is revolutionary. Join us on this pilgrimage as we explore new frontiers of disruption against colonial and racial legacies that perpetuate oppression, exploitation and exclusion. Thank you, and welcome to Liberation Alliance Africa. In Solidarity!
