What will it take to recenter women’s agency and political participation in Africa?
What will it take to recenter women’s agency and political participation in Africa? The quest for answers to this question prompted a gathering of women political leaders, activists, and Civil Society players in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The gathering was organized on 11th February 2024, as a primer to the Pan African Leadership Sawubona focused on […]
For Africa, Alternative Leadership Is Critical to Bettering Humanity In 2024
In this era of ‘perceived no alternatives’, feminist ideology and politics emerge as a potentially transformative paradigm – Demere Kitunga The words of feminist thinker Demere Kitunga resonate as we kick off 2024 with the hope that leaders committed to social transformation, whereby new paradigms, relationships and structures are constructed based on peace, planetary health, […]
Claiming Our Narratives; African Women’s Leadership in the context of Climate Change Outcomes Declaration and Press Release
On September 3rd, in Nairobi, Kenya, African women and girls, acting as guardians of both the land and their communities, united to reaffirm their dedication to shielding our continent from the looming climate crisis. This gathering coincided with the Africa Climate Summit and commemorated Africa Climate Week. Under the banner of the Women and Gender […]
The Africa Drive for Democracy: Will It Live To Its Promise?
I recently had the privilege of attending the Africa Drive for Democracy that was held 17th-21st July 2023 in Arusha, Tanzania; a powerful initiative dedicated to advancing democracy on the African continent in a way that resonates with the unique needs, values, and cultural context of its people. The initiative is led by the Center […]
Musings of the Bald Headed Girl’s Retreat in Kampala
“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” ― Gwendolyn Brooks At the beginning of the year 2022, HopeAfrica decided to give me time off from work to rest, recharge and reconnect with myself. This came naturally to an organisation that has always valued organisational and […]
The Calculus of Living and Dying: Towards a Feminist COP27 and Beyond
A catastrophe of epic proportions shakes a region of our earth every other month. When it doesn’t rain nonstop and submerge entire communities, there is a protracted starvation that leaves a trail of shrivelling bodies, both young and elderly. The climate catastrophe was once discussed as a problem for the far future. Today, the climate […]
Rethink! Space: A Stellar and Inspirational Conclave for Revolutionizing Climate Finance
In the heart of Kenya, where the awe-inspiring landscapes harmonize with the captivating pulse of wildlife, an extraordinary event blossomed, akin to a radiant bloom unfurling in all its splendor. Welcome to the Rethink! Space, held in Kenya on May 3rd and 4th 2023 under the theme, “From Rhetoric to Reality: Feminist Perspectives on Climate […]
The Africa We Want
[Kampala, 23 June 2023]- These are difficult times for Africa. Amidst the cost of living crisis precipitated by the Russia-Ukraine war, uncertain economic outlook, debt burdens, unequal recovery from Covid 19, climate change, and inequality has risen more than ever. As the world observes UN Public Service Day this 23 June 2023, we continue to […]
AMwA carries the Feminist Climate Justice agenda to The Bonn Climate Change Conference, 2023
We are excited to be participating at this year’s Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB58) as representatives of the Women and Gender Constituency where together with other parties, we are part of drafting decisions to adopt at this year’s COP28 in the United Arab Emirates in December. This process and space is critical because AMwA’s work […]
A gender lens must be at the heart of World Bank Group reform
The authors of this position document, a group of civil society activists, women’s rights defenders and feminist economists, are issuing an urgent call to the World Bank’s board and gender team. The World Bank Group and its incoming president must expand the current gender strategy ‘update’ to a broader review and reform of the Bank’s […]
Sparking EcoFeminist Fires for a Just and Sustainable Future
“Nothing replaces being in the same room, face-to-face, breathing the same air, reading and feeling each other’s micro-expressions”. This is why Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), ignited with excitement, hosted a partners’ rendezvous this year in Uganda, setting the stage for an unforgettable grounding with its partners. As the sun set over the tranquil shores […]
The National Women’s Economic Recovery Manifesto for Women in Kenya 2022- 2027
The struggle by women to break from deliberate and sustained patriarchal systems and mechanisms of oppression, and the movement to expand space for women in all spheres of life is well documented. In Kenya, gender equity has taken center stage resulting in the development and enactment of various legal and policy frameworks, and yet a […]
Are Digital Platforms the Silver Bullet to SRHR Information Access for Youth?
“There was a time I needed to learn how the female condom works because when you first see it, it is weird. It is large, shapeless and you wonder how exactly it functions and because the matter was private to me, I went to YouTube for videos. Most videos had sound and because I have […]
Wrapping up AMwA’s Global Days of Action for Tax Justice
Why we participated in the Global Days of Action Campaign As countries grapple with the unprecedented polycrisis and continue to explore possible strategies to build back transformatively and sustainably, Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) joined the Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ) in a collective call for wealth taxes during the 7th annual Global Days […]
HEALING IS OUR INHERITANCE
Any activist will tell you that working on issues pertaining to violence against women and girls (VAWG) means being in a constant state of emotional pain, rage and stress. With 1 in 3 women being subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, VAWG is one of the most widespread, persistent and […]
The LEADERS’ Journal : Re-imagining Feminist Alternatives to Organising in Africa
In the word of Yvonne Vera, ‘A woman writer must have an imagination that is plain stubborn, that can invent new gods and banish ineffectual ones’. Professor Sylvia Tamale, a Ugandan feminist scholar, and educator, spoke at the 2022 African Feminist Forum on decolonizing knowledge and implored feminists to engage vigorously with feminist writings and […]
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) Launches Issue 2 and Issue 3 of the LEADERS’ Journal Contributing to the Re-imagination of Feminist Alternatives in Africa
KAMPALA, Uganda —In the words of Yvonne Vera, ‘A woman writer must have an imagination that is plain stubborn, that can invent new gods and banish ineffectual ones’. Professor Sylvia Tamale, a Ugandan feminist scholar and educator, spoke at the 2022 African Feminist Forum on decolonising knowledge and implored feminists to engage vigorously with feminist writings […]
The LEADERS’ Journal: A Decolonial Economic Anthology Amidst Post COVID-19 Economic Renewal in Africa
In the words of Yvonne Vera, ‘A woman writer must have an imagination that is plain stubborn, that can invent new gods and banish ineffectual ones’. Professor Sylvia Tamale, a Ugandan feminist scholar, and educator spoke at the 2022 African Feminist Forum on decolonizing knowledge and implored feminists to engage vigorously with feminist writings and […]
Africa Needs A Socially Just Approach To Energy Transition
As Global leaders convened in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt for the 27th Conference of Parties (COP 27) summit discuss the energy transition this week, African feminists, climate justice advocates, and civil society are demanding[1] socially just and inclusive approach to energy transition. Central to negotiations on this agenda is the reduction of carbon emissions […]
An Intersectional Feminist Analysis Of The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Legal and Policy Framework In Uganda
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues feature significantly in Uganda’s legislative and policy agenda. The legal and policy framework exists to cure a range of sexual and reproductive health inequities and to govern sexual behavior and conduct. This is achieved through various means, including the creation of criminal sexual offenses and licensing systems […]