About

AfricanFeminism (AF) is a pan-African feminists digital platform and collaborative writing project between African authors/writers with the long-term ambition of bringing on board at least one feminist voice from each country on the continent. As an online feminist platform, we encourage open discussion and dialogue on feminist issues throughout the continent. We are about inquiry, questioning, dialoguing and transforming mind-sets through such processes. We are not afraid to claim the word ‘Feminism’ and invite open conversations to better understand this paradigm through our own and others’ lived experiences.

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AF’S HISTORY (by Billene Seyoum)

On January 1, 2011 i started the blog site ethiopianfeminist a short three months after i had moved back to Addis Ababa. My aim initially was to document my observations on issues of gender equality and inequality through a feminist lens as i went about my daily life in Addis. A few months later, Aberash Hailay’s case shook the city and this platform became a source of information about the campaign, “Ahun be Ayne Meta,” created by concerned citizens in collaboration with the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Association. As a member of the core campaign team, I closely followed the case as it unfolded and through providing first hand account of the case, the site grew in creating dialogue on issues of gender based violence and violence against women in Ethiopia. Back then, this site was also the only feminist voice coming out of Ethiopia and it had the intention of inspiring others female voices to emerge in the blogosphere.

In 2012, i made the strategic decision to transform the site to http://www.africanfeminism.com. This decision emanated from my need to understand similar issues on the continent and engage with other African feminists. It was also a response to the lack of Ethiopian voices on continental issues. There was so much to understand and talk about by way of shared experiences, challenges, and opportunities throughout the continent. Despite these grand intentions, it was difficult to source diverse and lived experiences from other parts of Africa given the fact that i was stationed in Ethiopia. As a result most of my articles remained heavily focused on experiences within Ethiopia. With a site called AfricanFeminism though, sharing only an Ethiopian paradigm would not suffice. Hence, the growth to a collaborative site comprising feminists from throughout the continent.

To our visitors, we invite you to freely engage in the discussions and offer insights to foster knowledge, understanding, and creativity.

“Feminism is the radical notion that women are people” ~ Rebecca West

Contact: africanfeminism@gmail.com