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FEMINISTS ORGANISING – Strategy, Voice, Power Feminist Africa Is a Continental Gender Studies Journal Produced by the Community of Feminist Scholars Issue 22 | 2017 FEMINISTS ORGANISING – Strategy, Voice, Power Feminist Africa is a continental gender studies journal produced by the community of feminist scholars. It provides a platform for intellectual and activist research, dialogue and strategy. Feminist Africa attends to the complex and diverse dynamics of creativity and resistance that have emerged in postcolonial Africa, and the manner in which these are shaped by the shifting global, geopolitical configurations of power. It is currently based at the African Gender Institute in Cape Town. A full text version of this journal is available on the Feminist Africa website: http://agi.ac.za/journals Feminist Africa 22 Feminists Organising — Strategy, Voice, Power Issue 22: December 2017 First published in 2017 by the African Gender Institute All Africa House University of Cape Town Private Bag Rondebosch 7701 © in published edition: African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa, 2017 ISSN: 1726-4596 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/or otherwise without permission in writing from the publisher. Published with the support of the African Women’s Development Fund. Typesetting, printing and cover design: COMPRESS.dsl | www.compress.dsl.com Cover photograph: Centre for Women and Adolescent Empowerment (CWAE), Yola, Nigeria. Photographs of murals: Jessica Horn Distribution: AGI staff Feminist Africa is a scholarly journal accredited by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. ii | Feminist Africa 22 Editorial policy Editor Feminist Africa is guided by a profound Amina Mama commitment to transforming gender hierarchies in Africa, and seeks to redress Special Issue 22 editor injustice and inequality in its content Charmaine Pereira and design, and by its open-access and continentally-targeted distribution strategy. Copy editor Feminist Africa targets gender researchers, Anne Adams students, educators, women’s organisations and feminist activists throughout Africa. Proofreader It works to develop a feminist intellectual Helen Douglas community by promoting and enhancing African women’s intellectual work. To Special Issue Editorial team overcome the access and distribution Jane Bennett challenges facing conventional academic Amina Mama publications, Feminist Africa deploys a Sionne Neely dual dissemination strategy, using the Jessica Horn Internet as a key tool for knowledge-sharing and communication, while making hard Editorial advisory group copies available to those based at African The editorial advisory group of Feminist Africa institutions. consists of scholars and researchers, located Two issues are produced per annum, in in different fields in the social sciences and accordance with themes specified in the calls humanities, who offer their expertise to the for contributions. development and dissemination of Feminist The editorial team can be contacted at Africa as an innovative African-focused [email protected] journal. Advisory group members are: Acknowledgements Akosua Adamako-Ampofo, Bibi Bakare- The Feminist Africa team acknowledges the Yusuf, Teresa Barnes, Kum-Kum Bhavnani, intellectual input of the community of African Hope Chigudu, Tsitsi Dangaremba, Carole feminist scholars and the Editorial Advisory Boyce Davies, Simidele Dosekun, Amanda Board. Gouws, Pregs Govender, Pumla Dineo We thank the African Women’s Gqola, Shireen Hassim, Desiree Lewis, Zine Development Fund for their financial support Magubane, Takyiwaa Manuh, Helen Moffett, towards production and publication. Chandra Mohanty, Patricia Mohammed, Patricia McFadden, Ruth Ochieng, Margo Disclaimer Okazawa-Rey, Awino Okech, Chinyere Oparah, The views expressed by contributors to Charmaine Pereira, Jennifer Radloff, Kopano Feminist Africa are not necessarily those Ratele, Rhoda Reddock, Vasu Reddy, Ebrima of the Editors, Editorial Advisory Board, the Sall, Fatou Sow, Zenebeworke Tadesse, Sylvia African Gender Institute, or our partners. Tamale, Dzodzi Tsikata, Muthoni Wanyeki While every reasonable effort is made to and Paul Zeleza. check factual accuracy in published material, the contributors are ultimately responsible Manuscript submissions for verifying claims made in their writings. Feminist Africa has a submissions policy Neither Feminist Africa nor the African determined by its continental focus on Gender Institute will be responsible for errors feminist studies and activism. Periodic calls or inaccuracies in contributions. for contributions along particular themes Feminist Africa 22 | iii guide submissions. All contributions must Distribution register the centrality of feminist politics and Adams Campus Bookshop critical gender analysis to past, present and University of KwaZulu-Natal ongoing processes of social, political and Howard College Campus cultural change in Africa. We regret that we Durban, South Africa cannot respond to all unsolicited submissions. tel: 27 31 319 4500 Please submit contributions electronically fax: 27 31 261 6053 to [email protected]. We regret email: [email protected] that we do not currently have the capacity web: www.adamsbooks.co.za to consider contributions in languages other than English. Clarke’s Bookshop All submissions to Feminist Africa must 199 Long Street use the FA style sheet, and should not Cape Town 8001 include graphics. South Africa Feature articles should not exceed 6 500 tel: 27 21 423 5739 words. Other contributions should not exceed fax: 27 21 423 6441 2 000 words. email: [email protected] web: www.clarkesbooks.co.za Editorial procedure Contributions submitted to Feminist Africa International subscriptions are considered by the editorial team. Feature EBSCO Subscription Services articles are peer-reviewed by readers with P O Box 749 expertise in relevant areas. Editorial discretion Cresta 2118 in relation to submitted work resides with the South Africa editorial team. tel: 27 11 380 1800 fax: 27 11 678 4464 Copyright and reproduction email: [email protected] The authors and artists hold individual web: www.ebsco.com copyright. Overall copyright is held by the African Gender Institute. Material, artwork extracts and articles from Feminist Africa may not be reproduced in any form of print or electronic publication without the permission of the Editors, who can be contacted at [email protected]. Requests for permission to reproduce material will not be granted until one calendar year after first online publication in Feminist Africa has lapsed. Feminist Africa 22 | v Contents Special Editorial The Power of Feminist Pan-African Intellect – by Amina Mama 1 Editorial Feminists Organising — Strategy, Voice, Power – by Charmaine Pereira 16 Feature Article Reflections on Feminist Organising in Angola – by Âurea Mouzinho and Sizaltina Cutaia 33 Inaugural Lecture Nudity, Protest and the Law in Uganda – by Sylvia Tamale 52 Standpoint Feminist Reflections on the Rhodes Must Fall Movement – by Kealeboga Ramaru 89 Tributes Raising the Veil — A Tribute to Bi Kidude (circa 1910–2013) – by Vicensia Shule 97 Elaine Rosa Salo (1962–2016) — An Appreciation – by Terri Barnes 101 Tribute to Aminata Diaw Cissé: 1959–2017 – by Fatou Sow 105 vi | Feminist Africa 22 Critical Reflections Finding Spirit in the Work — Ukuthwasa – by Namanzi Choongo Mweene Chinyama 111 Navigating Checkpoints: The Journey of the Liberia Feminist Forum – by Korto Williams 119 Disrupting Orthodoxies in Economic Development – An African Feminist Perspective – by Fatimah Kelleher 128 (Writing) On The Wide Margin – by Varyanne Sika 139 Flipping Prisms: Feminist Creative Synergy Amps Up in Accra – by Sionne Neely 149 Profiles Female in Nigeria – by Ayodele Olofintuade 163 Women Organising in Ghana: The Network for Women’s Rights and NGO Networking for Policy Intervention – by Akua Britwum 174 “I’m not a feisty bitch, I’m a feminist!” Feminism in Awake! Women of Africa – by Ntokozo Yingwana 186 In Conversation Faith, Feminism and Fundamentalisms: Theo Sowa in plenary discussion with Everjoice Win, Fatou Sow and Musimbi Kanyoro at the Fourth African Feminist Forum, Harare 199 Women Organising in Senegal: Charmaine Pereira speaks with Codou Bop 212 Feminist Africa 22 | vii Poem the revolution is a woman – by Toni Stuart 227 Reviews Rape: A South African Nightmare by Pumla Gqola – by Jane Bennett 233 Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here by Karima Bennoune – by Charmaine Pereira 239 Beauty of the Heart: The Life and Times of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke by Zubeida Jaffer – by Gabeba Baderoon 245 Collective Amnesia by Koleka Putuma – by Uhuru Portia Phalafala 251 Contributors 257 Special Editorial | 1 The Power of Feminist Pan-African Intellect Amina Mama Keep expanding your horizon, decolonise your mind, and cross over borders. (Kochiyama, 1996) Introduction Fifteen years since the launch of the first issue on Intellectual Politics in 2002, this special editorial marks the end of the first stage in Feminist Africa’s life. The shared founding principle behind FA is the understanding that building strong and independent feminist movements is necessary for the liberation of our continent. Movement-building demands the mobilisation of multiple energies that work to demystify, resist and overcome the sex- and gender-based oppressions at work in our lives and communities, and in the institutions we inhabit. Conscientisation is a dynamic dialectical relationship between radical thinking
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