Regular AIAWC contributor Nadine Robinson penned this piece in response to Baltimore, and all the riots and blood shed currently happening. The blood runs deep in heated streets. The flare of rage and toxic thick air overwhelm the ebony skin. White bullets piercing black flesh. It falls. Splashes against the concrete roads. The blood runs deep. Rich in colour. Royal red. The blood of future Kings and Queens. Spilt
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By Yossie Paul The scattered birds are recollected at the sound of your name: Adigun—son of the soil Women trace your name in the sand and sing your praises; upon pouring your name into the calabash and placing it above their heads, the sun blinks. Adigun gbangba, Adigun ribiti— you are a man born to be worshipped. Did your mother ever tell you that when night falls, the word
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By Nadine Robinson Dear Woman of Colour, Today I write to you! I choose to take this moment to address you and illustrate the importance of you living as yourself – for who you are and not what you parents, peers or society dictate to you. Your subtle changes in hue does not imply your status in life. It does not stress your level of value within this world
By Ella Achola I have often imagined myself confronting former history teachers and asking them why Afro-German history, my history, never featured in their teaching. It is this understanding of my marginality within dominant narratives of German history that frames the argument of this essay (Kilomba, 2913: 36). Europe has a problem with ‘race’, the “construction of difference” that is “inseparably linked to hierarchical values” (Kilomba, 2013: 41).
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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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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
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
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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