Spectra Speaks
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.
I didn’t sign into Facebook that morning. I knew what I’d see; a timeline of status updates and cropped purple photos for Spirit Day; a timely performance of empathy. I knew, too, that my Facebook feed, practically segmented into Lists, including one for “Nigerian”, “College” and “Queer” would vary in hue, with barely any purple love coming from the Nigerian feed, and my white, queer, progressive community in Boston leading the way. I wanted to have nothing to do with it.
An articled called, “An End to Self Care” was recently published, in which an activist proposed bringing an end to all the individualism behind “self-care” and, instead, called for sustainable community care. His piece (and some of its praise) reminded me why I’ve made it a point to stay away from activist spaces: the martyr complex, and its groupthink masquerading as a kumbaya camping circle. Here’s my emotionally drained, sleepy, and over it response.
BET.com interviews me about my work as a media activist focusing on gender and LGBT issues in Africa. The piece, which was very positive and optimistic, prompted some thoughts about what “good” media activism means to me. Surprisingly “good” media has nothing to do with it. Read the interview, and my thoughts here.
I recently published a personal reflection of my accidental, non-linear career trajectory as a writer and a media activist. In addition to my philosophy about using media for change, I wanted to share a few tangible new media tips, tricks, and strategies that have been helpful to me as well. So here are 10 tips, in no particular order, and a quote from Spiderman that summarizes it all.
My career path in media hasn’t been linear or conventional by any means. I went to MIT to study Mathematics, before realizing that I was really an artist. My parents are still in recovery. But everything will work out. It always does. Don’t drive your career with someone else’s rear view mirror. Don’t tailgate an externally constructed ambition or let someone else’s version of success distract you the most important driver on the road… you.
A Black lesbian organic herbalist and entrepreneur, who specializes in women’s wellness, just started a social venture mass manufacturing her signature organic elixir, HONEY & GOLD, described as a “pleasure and beauty tonic.” Pleasure and beauty tonic? Please sign me up immediately.
I don’t doubt for one second that criticism of Hollywood plays an important role in keeping Hollywood accountable. But black women owe it to each other to more frequently use our voices to highlight our resistance, our power, ways in which artists of color have been resourceful, increasing support and visibility for the projects that will get us closer to the future we wish to see, because it is possible.
Based on how often marginalized people talk about the power of “community”, especially within the realm of grassroots activism, one would imagine the non-profit industry would have evolved into a flourishing ecosystem of recyclable free-flowing skills, services, and progressive ideas by now. Yeah, that’s not happening. Welcome to the first part of my “Finding Common Ground” series, which aims to explore and map out strategies for effective collaboration.
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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