Women’s Voices: Plural, Varied, Amplified
– 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
– 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
– 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
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
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
– 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
– 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
– 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
– Alna Dall Stromeyer Many theories exist that try to explain the root causes of GBSV. Some argue that the perpetrators of GBSV are dysfunctional, angry, psychopathic men: these are the monsters of our society who prey on the weak. The problem with this theory is that it exonerates all the men who might have violent tendencies but who do not have the guts or the opportunity to exercise them…. Keep Reading
– Ndapwa Alweendo It was difficult for me to decide who my imagined reader was when I sat down to write this piece. Do I speak to other black people and possibly just encourage them to relive some of the traumas of whiteness with me? Or do I join the seemingly endless number of black people who repeatedly experience the indignity of justifying their own existence? In deciding what our… Keep Reading
– Ethne Mudge Dear white people – do you know how to be anti-racist? Dear white folks, we aren’t bad people (neither are we good people) for having perpetuated racism our entire lives. All our institutions are built on racism and all of us were socialised into it, but once we know that, we can start to be part of the solution. Everyone’s talking about #blacklivesmatter, but white people like… Keep Reading
– Ndapwa Alweendo Anxiety, stress and depression are some of the most common mental health concerns around the world. They can be triggered by many things, and living through a pandemic is one of them. During this year, Namibians have had to deal with more intense worries about finding/keeping jobs, keeping loved ones and family safe, and a huge amount of uncertainty about the future. All of these concerns can… Keep Reading
