Spectra Speaks
My mother was the kind of woman that would toss harsh truths at you from the other end of the dinner table right before asking you to pass the salt. “I Dare to Say” captures the reality of that kind of resilience – the kind that has learned to live in the next second, the next minute, the next day, never having had the luxury of sitting on a rock for timed introspection; the kind that’s learned to convert detachment into the instinct to keep breathing despite the suffocating feeling of hopelessness.
The very first London Feminist Film Festival, held between Nov 29 – Dec 2, 2012 at the Hackney Picturehouse, is seeking submissions from African feminists. The organizers are actively working to solicit submissions from filmmakers with diverse backgrounds, including the LGBTI Diaspora. I may actually submit something, given how visually creative I’ve been feeling lately. Spectra, the aspiring filmmaker… I can see an Oscar already.
I’ve compiled a list of responses from African women responding to Kony 2012, a controversial campaign launched recently by Invisible Children to raise awareness of child soldiers in Uganda. I’m amplifying their responses because almost overnight, the web became flooded with so much commentary from western media on the erasure of African voices that it became challenging for me to even locate African voices. Go figure.
On February 16th, 2012, Africa Women’s Development Fund out-doored NNEKA (one of my favorite Nigerian artists) as their first Ambassador of the Arts. NNEKA was born in Warri, Oil City in the Delta region of Nigeria at the height of its new found wealth in the mid 70s. Her lyrics reflect much of her history and life in Nigeria as well as her time spent in Western Europe. Her songs stress the issues of capitalism, poverty and war and are often loaded with moral and biblical messages and references, with some music commentators comparing her to Erykah Badu, Neneh Cherrynd Floetry. Women’s Rights and African Music = Magic.
In partnership with Women, Action, and the Media (WAM!), I’m hosting a virtual panel that features the perspectives of LGBTQ African Diaspora on African culture, queer identity, and the media.
The focus of the panel will in part be driven by pre-submitted questions from listeners, but will [...]
As leaders of social change, we aren’t in a position to suffer “bad” press — which in our field, often means mis-informed, mis-quoted, downplayed, and at times, downright inaccurate press coverage on the social justice issues we care about. Our causes — “brands” for the sake of argument — aren’t celebrities who can afford to say “any press is good press” and wait for the next scandal to hit the stands. We must create content — write, contribute to the conversation, tell our own stories, and speak out whenever (and as often as) possible.
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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The African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women: Progress and Pitfalls for LGBT Rights
The African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women is the first comprehensive legal framework for women’s rights in Africa that seeks to “improve on the status of African women by bringing about gender equality and eliminating discrimination.” Except, it doesn’t explicitly name protections for LGBT African women. Moreover, Liberia President Sirleaf isn’t the only African woman who needs convincing that it should be included.