The face of African slavery in Qajar Iran – in pictures
The African slave trade in the Persian Gulf began well before the Islamic period. Mediaeval accounts refer sporadically to slaves working as household servants, bodyguards, militiamen and sailors in the Persian Gulf including what is today southern Iran. The practice lasted, and evolved, through many centuries. In Iran’s modern history, Africans were integral to elite […]
Pakistani women risking all to fight for their rights
Kainat Soomro was 13 years old and on her way to buy a toy for her newborn niece when three men kidnapped her, held her for several days and repeatedly raped her. Eight years later, she is still battling for justice. She sits on a steel-framed bed in her parents’ three-bedroom home, and holds her […]
Art Clip Africa: Amplify leading new voices in contemporary art from African scenes.
Located inside The Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Art Clip Africa is a contemporary space that promotes perceptive art across a variety of traditional and experimental media with the strategic objective of amplifying leading new voices in contemporary art from African scenes, with an initial centre on Lagos and Nigeria, taking reference from its social, economic, […]
Can Egyptian women start a revolution against sexual violence?
In Tahrir Square, the center of the Egyptian revolution five years ago, women safely joined men to protest for a new future. But that moment soon ended; hundreds, even thousands of female protestors were sexually assaulted. In some cases, activists believe the government used violence as a political weapon. Special correspondent Nick Schifrin examines how […]
Beyond heartache and Boko Haram: Women prove love is universal
Balaraba Ramat Yakubu was 12 years old when she was married off. By 19 she was divorced, jilted by her husband; left to fend for herself in Kano state, northern Nigeria. But this isn’t a sad story. Instead it’s one of community and independence — from the unlikeliest source. Yakubu began writing. And writing. And […]
The Best And Worst Moments Of The 2016 Grammys
The Grammys celebrate the year’s best music and weirdest ideas. To the producers who thought it was a great idea to put Luke Bryan and Tyrese Gibson in the same performance, congrats on being such tastemakers. By now, it’s no surprise to see disparate musicians take the stage together — in fact, it can be […]
Congratulations to Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa on her Appointment as SSA on Foreign Affairs & Diaspora.
Congratulations to our very own Columnist, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa on her appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari as his Senior Special Assistant on foreign Affairs and Diaspora on 15th February , 2016. She was born on 10th October, 1962. She began her career in journalism where she spent 15 years of her professional life and is […]
Photographer tracks down women he met in war zones ten years on to find out if they survived.
A moving portrait exhibit by an award-winning war photographer lays bare the cruel reality of conflict for women across the world. Nick Danziger’s striking images capture the heartache and helplessness of rape victims, widows, refugees and prisoners, all female and all living during war. He captured his initial shots in 2001 as part of […]
Is It Time to Leave Your Relationship?
The following is an excerpt from my newest book, The Karma Queens’ Guide to Relationships: I’m a firm believer in making things work. I was married for nearly 30 years and endured the turbulence that all relationships experience in time. Divorce is always a valid option, but many times, people jump straight to it too […]
3 leadership strategies I learned by being the only woman in the room
It’s not exactly breaking news, but in case you haven’t heard, women face an uphill battle in the business world. Examples can be found everywhere: women are judged – even by other women – more harshly than men are for trying to negotiate higher compensation for their work. Our mistakes follow us for a longer period of time […]
Hey, guys — gender politics are central to this race, not a footnote
I’m not sure about this, but I’m starting to wonder whether gender is playing a role in the Democratic primary campaign between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. What do you think? Very funny, I know. In the wake of Sanders’ blowout victory in New Hampshire, I have had impassioned exchanges about this subject with almost […]
UN Committee Urging Japan to Ban Sale of Games Portraying Sexual Violence Against Women
Japan’s gaming industry produces a wide variety of content, and if you visit Akihabara in Tokyo, you’ll often find store with entire (and rated well guarded) floors dedicated to erotic games. Some of those titles often dabble, directly or indirectly, into an array of themes that are frowned upon by society. Years ago, Illusion’s Rapelay […]
Kentucky bill requires spouse consent to husband’s Viagra use
Angered by a new law requiring women receive medical counseling at least 24 hours before an abortion, a Kentucky lawmaker decided she was going to “strike a nerve” with her political opponents — in particular, the men. State Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, a Louisville Democrat, has introduced a bill that would require any man seeking […]
The 7 Things Every Woman Over 50 Should Do For Better Health
As a woman over 50, you’ve been riding the hormonal roller coaster. I hope you fastened your seat belt, because three key hormonal issues — sex hormone imbalances, stress, and thyroid problems — can make the ride particularly bumpy. First, perimenopause often starts around 40, ushering in a 10-year period of fluctuations in the sex […]
Conflict Grows Out of Inequality and Exclusion
For a while Africans enthusiasm with the good economic performance of the continent has had a contagious lazy effect in many minds. It was as if the road to a new continental status was a given, even though we were all too busy approving many frameworks and strategies, centered on the need for real structural […]