Ain't I A Woman Collective

Centring the Voices of Women with African Ancestry

Posts by aiawc

Gabrielle G.: Holistic Remedies

Gabrielle G. is a regular contributor with a monthly column for AIAWC. This month’s topic is Holistic Remedies. I am a firm believer in natural healing as opposed to the chemical filled drugs (with their lengthy lists of side effects) that are offered to us by mainstream health care corporations. Planet Earth is amazing, encompassing everything we need for our health, survival and beauty. Looking for a remedy? I can almost

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Fiction: Symbiosis: A Mother’s Song

By Marcelle Mateki Akita   Let me tell you a story about a girl who was not particularly popular for all the right reasons, but for all the wrong. A girl who constantly fought social stereotypes by consciously obliterating behaviours recognised as the conformable norm (or straightforwardly put: racial prejudice – innit!). This girl, well in actual fact she’s a woman now, is not specifically remarkable. But since she is my

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Visual: The Gaze on Agbogbloshie: The Misrepresentation of West Africa as Dystopia

By Heather Agyepong   This project intends to explore the misrepresentation of Ghana’s Agbogbloshie and the resulting socio-economic reality. Agbogbloshie is portrayed as the continent’s largest electrical wasteland; in truth it is a functional, profit-making recycling network. The conditions are harsh and pollution is rife but its inhabitants manage to live, work and save money for their families. In the last decade, Agbogbloshie has received an influx of western media attention depicting the displaced African as

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Black Feminist Spotlight: MAY AYIM

An Ain’t I A Woman Collective series to highlight the herstories of different black feminists around the world   “i will be African even if you want me to be german and i will be german even if my blackness does not suit you” –May Ayim   Inspired by Audre Lorde, May Ayim was one of the first Afro-Germans to start a conversation about what it meant to be black

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Opinion: Playing Our Part: On Audre Lorde and the trouble with silence

By Yossie Paul   In recent times, I have come to learn that my writing is informed by two aspects of my life: my womanhood and my Blackness (African-ness, if you will). These things inform both my writing and my reading. I only began to understand this in the year gone by: my literary records were rather colourful and womanly – authentically womanly. I discovered new things about myself and

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Visual: Women on Sex

By Mmabatho Montsho   Trigger Warning: Sexual violence   Thoughts and opinions of a range of African women on sex. The aim of the show is to inspire debate that challenges perceived norms & attitudes towards sex, led by African women who have traditionally been dismissed as “voiceless” by pop culture. Here’s to women, here’s to sex. Join the conversation @WomenOnSex!   Image: Courtesy of Mmabatho Montsho   About the

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Poetry: On a Side Note: The Colour Complex  

By Kholofelo Setlatjile   Black women set themselves back in the battle when they drew a colour line amongst themselves, argued which shade is better. Asked in lowered tones, “am i prettier/smarter if I’m on the lighter side of this spectrum or if the contrast draws me closer to the edge of midnight?” We soak up labels like they are prizes and worth something: team yellow-bone… team-dark skinned. Such sadness really…because

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Interview with Ruth Sutoyé

Our editor Ella Achola speaks with poet Ruth Sutoyé about feminism, faith and what it means to be British-Nigerian in different countries and academia.   Ella: Who is Ruth Sutoyé? Ruth: I’m British-Nigerian, raised in East London by my very Nigerian mother so I’m very much in tune with my heritage. I’m a poet/writer and I’m currently in the process of collating my first chapbook of poetry to be released

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Opinion: On International Women’s Day, Black Lesbians and the Urgent Need for Black-Led Spaces

By Nonkululeko Anicia Khumalo On the 8th of March 2015, the world commemorated International Women’s Day and it was on the 13th of March 2015, when the Thabo Mbeki Foundation hosted an event to engage with the issues that are faced by women in South Africa’s society.

Event: Ain’t I A Woman Collective Launch

We are officially launching! Join us at Housman’s radical booksellers for a night of spoken word and music, raffle and drinks!   Confirmed acts: ASABI HAWAH (HOST) Asabi hails from the east end of London and splits her time between singing vocals in the 12 piece Afro-Latin Funk band 7Suns, the acoustic Hip-Hop/Reggae band You&Me and her solo material. Having been moved by the emotions in music she grew up

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