– By Agnes Yeboah Gender diversity in the workplace is not a big ask. It is a small and simple goal. It is the basic ambition of having an equal number of men and women in an organisation. Also known as gender parity, it can specifically be defined as having an equal number of men and women hired at a similar rate, compensated equally for the same job, and given… Keep Reading
Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams
– Bertha Tobias Young Namibian women are currently picking up the baton of revolutionary social change as it pertains to gender equality in the Land of the Brave. They currently self-determine in ways that our foremothers could have only dreamed for them. Importantly, they are running through the left-over shards of the glass ceiling which has been shattered by the sheroes who came before us. When I reflect on the… Keep Reading
Culture: Friend or Foe?
– Bertha Tobias “Without community, there is no liberation.” Poet warrior and feminist Audre Lorde’s sentiment speaks to the power of communities to actualise significant socio-cultural changes. Lorde’s statement reminds us that community is responsible for culture and, by extension, the ways in which it governs our everyday lives. More often than not, culture shapes our worldviews and decides our perceptions long before we have the chance to do so… Keep Reading
A Brief Look at Feminism in Namibian Art
– Helen Harris & Gina Figueira, StArt Art Gallery The art world globally has committed what Nanette Salomon terms “Sins of Omission”. Most art history canons prioritise male artists in their writings. Revised editions often try to rectify this by including sections on ‘female impressionists’ or ‘female sculptors’. This only serves to further mark the perceived difference between ‘artists’ (male artists) and ‘female artists’. It is an example of how… Keep Reading
Depictions of violence in art
– Helen Harris & Gina Figueira, StArt Art Gallery In 2020 and 2021 Sister Namibia ran an Artists Activation project that commissioned artists to make new work related to feminism in Namibia. Working as curators on this project was an intense and gratifying experience. The parameters were broad enough that the artists we worked with did not feel restricted by them, but the direction and purpose was clear. The resulting exhibition… Keep Reading
THE EFFECT OF THE PANDEMIC ON NAMIBIAN WOMEN
– Martha Mukaiwa The story of the Covid-19 pandemic is one the world is still writing. For the most part, we are familiar with the main characters, plot points and life-saving weapons. The deadly virus that has resulted in over 160 million confirmed cases and 3.3 million deaths. The exhausted and haunted healthcare workers constantly pleading with the world to stay home, protect themselves and others. The sanitizers, masks, vaccines… Keep Reading
THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON DOMESTIC WORKERS IN NAMIBIA
– Martha Mukaiwa When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, *Diamond, a domestic worker in Swakopmund, was relieved to have another way to earn an income during Namibia’s prolonged lockdown. In 2017, she had augmented her wages as a hotel housekeeper and part-time domestic worker with the sale of dried fish. Diamond returned to this trade as her various employers, fearful of the virus, sent her home. “My dear, you have to… Keep Reading
THE ROLE OF MALE ALLIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SGBV
Martha Mukaiwa – Windhoek, Namibia When post-apocalyptic humans emerge from the radio-active rubble and look back on this year on an iPhone they find in the Covid-speckled dirt, the blacked out social media squares and the influencers posed stonily in front of riot police will attest that 2020 was a year of protest. From the Black Lives Matter movement to #ShutItAllDown and #EndSARS, in the last eleven months, we have… Keep Reading
Self-love, Personal Intimacy and Masturbation
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for a lot of people to spend more time by themselves, in their own space, whether through periods of lockdown or isolation or quarantine. A major part of keeping safe during the pandemic has involved social distancing which has changed the way people date and engage in sexual contact with one another and themselves. This has created an opportunity for the sexual exploration… Keep Reading
Thinking Love, Thinking African Queer Masculinities
– Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja A queer masculinity refers to countless ways in which gender can be performed and experienced beyond dominant heteronormative and homonormative expressions. It refers to the expression and performance of gender that is fluid, plural and radically reimagined. A queer masculinity can be embodied beyond LGBTIQ+ bodies, meaning that even heterosexual men or women can also embody and identify with queering masculinities. It is however significant to note… Keep Reading
What Afrofuturism Teaches Us About Environmental Feminism
– Masiyaleti Mbewe Imagining ourselves in the future forces us to consider how our environment might look like. An idealistic perspective would have us construct a future that sustains Black lives. However, the realities of environmental racism play a significant role in the perpetuation of white supremacy. The deliberate and continued systemic racism that disproportionally burdens and targets marginalised communities by forcing them to live in proximity to health hazards… Keep Reading
IN NAMIBIA, TWITTER IS FUELLING THE REVOLUTION
– Martha Mukaiwa If Namibia were an episode of Scooby Doo, the masks would be pulled off a selection of incensed leaders no doubt uttering these iconic words: “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids.” The meddling kids in this metaphor are the Namibian youth. A brash band of mostly born-frees who’ve super charged their smart phones, logged onto Twitter and… Keep Reading