Spectra Speaks
One of my favorite African women artists, Shishani, has launched an IndieGoGo campaign to crowdfund her debut album, featuring her most popular singles, “Minority” and “Raining Words”. I rarely post about media that isn’t in the form of a review, but I’ve heard many of the tracks on the album after seeing her perform live in Namibia last year, I strongly recommend you give her music a listen.
Award-winning Namibian indie soul artist, Shishani, has just released the music video for her latest single, “Minority”, a catchy, upbeat, acoustic track that calls for freedom and equality for all people despite perceived differences. She recently sat down with me to chat about her rise to stardom, her thoughts on music in movements, and why she’s putting everything on the line now.
As a follow up to my last piece about how media can help facilitate “coming out” or facilitating important conversations about sexuality over the holidays, I’ve compiled a list 10 of my picks for books, film, and music created by queer people of color that would make excellent gifts! If you’re an ally who’s interested in learning more about the diverse landscape of LGBT (people of color), this list is a great starting point for you too. Enjoy.
As a group that is routinely judged, shunned, and fighting for acceptance, we as LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex) people are often pigeon-holed into playing the role of educator to the people that inflict the most pain on us, our friends and family. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Give the gift of media, and absolve yourself of being the “go-to LGBT person” for the Holidays.
Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI)‘s Social Media Experts conference in Accra, Ghana. The conference brought together African social media experts, enthusiasts, and activists from across the continent, which got me thinking about ways we can strengthen “digital activism” across the continent.
I prepared this short presentation as part of the “Feminist Cyborgs: Actvism, Online Fundraising, and Security” webinar, hosted by African Feminist Forum and Association for Progressive Communications. My 10-minute presentation includes a brief introduction to crowdfunding and some popular crowdfunding tools. Using my Africans for African new media project as a case study, I share 5 quick tips for running a successful fundraising campaign.
I am an African feminist cyborg! The feminist cyborg is at home both online and offline, and her activism is reflected in her online life (whether it is through blogs, tweets and general online presence) as well as in what she does offline (working for a feminist organization, working with women’s rights organizations and social justice movements, or in progressive media).
It’s only been a few months since the LFFF’s initial email to me, but judging from the film festival’s program, the organizers efforts have really paid off. It’s not every day I get to see I’m impressed with an organization’s outreach efforts (and results). So, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight A Few Awesome Things the London Feminist Film Festival Did to Support Media Diversity.
Check out these powerful films — Taxi Sister, KungFu Grandma, The Witches of Gambaga, and Ladies’ Turn — exploring the lives of African women through narrative documentary. They’re showing at the London Feminist Film Festival, which was set up as a response to the under-representation of women in the film industry. The festival showcases films from women directors from all over the world, including Africa.
Check out my review of Beautiful Sentence, a short documentary about women in prison as they experience the liberating effect of creative writing, in which I reflect on gender segregation in prison systems and its impact on transgender women. Beautiful Sentence screens at the first annual London Feminist Film Festival being held at the Hackney Picturehouse from Thursday November 29th – Sunday December 2nd, 2012.
About Me
Meet Spectra: Queer Nigerian Afrofeminist Writer and Media Activist. Social Entrepreneur Nurturing Principled Diaspora and Women's Philanthropy in Media and Tech. Self-Care and Self-Love Evangelist. Idealist Warrior Woman. Big Dreamer. Big Thinker. Big Doer, Too.
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