Women Are Their Own Worst Enemy: Ten Ways To Prove This Saying Wrong
Last week I was a Guest Speaker at a workshop in Abuja on Women and Youth in Political Participation. During the discussions that followed, there was a consistent reference to the saying ‘Women are their own worst enemies’, echoed by both male and female participants. From my own experience, I can argue both sides of […]
‘And Then The Women Came’ A Tribute To The African Women’s Development Fund
I have just returned from Accra, Ghana, where I went to attend a panel discussion on African Women and Philanthropy, to mark the 15th anniversary of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) the first Africa-wide grant making foundation. I co-founded AWDF in 2000 with Joana Foster (Ghana) and Hilda Tadria (Uganda), and we began operations […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Up And Down
Last week was a very interesting one for me. I was in a good mood most of the week, starting from the early hours of Tuesday morning when I stayed up all night to watch the US Presidential Debate. I shouted and hooted in support of Hillary Clinton as she took Donald Trump to the […]
LOUD WHISPERS: The ‘Jewel Of Inestimable Value’
Chief Hannah Idowu Dideolu (HID) Awolowo passed away on September 19th2015, just a few weeks shy of being 100 years old. The activities that had been planned for her centenary birthday were turned into a celebration of her glorious life. One of the activities was a Women’s Celebration for Mama, which took place on November […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Feminism 101: Ten Myths About Feminists
I gave a talk at a forum organized recently to address women’s rights issues in Nigeria. After my presentation, a woman walked up to me to thank me for my presentation which she said she enjoyed, and then said, ‘Listening to you, one would think that you are a Feminist’. I stared at her in […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Dress Codes Versus Morality Police
Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a debate in Nigeria about Dress Codes and the implications for civil liberties. There was an order from the leadership of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) that a dress code would be enforced on all employees. They listed a number of dress items which would henceforth be […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Who Is A Witch?
Last week, there were reports and bizarre photographs from Delta State, Nigeria, concerning an alleged witch. The ‘witch’ looked very ill, and was either pregnant or had a massive tumour in her stomach which could indicate any number of serious ailments. She was lynched by a local mob for ‘stealing someone’s pregnancy’. We all grew […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Clarity In Confusion
In September 1988, I came down with a severe case of malaria fever in London. I had just arrived London from Nigeria and after two weeks of the sharp autumn cold my body’s defence mechanisms gave way. I was admitted to the London School of Tropical Diseases where I was their guest for a week. […]
LOUD WHISPERS: ‘Miss’ This, ‘Miss’ That
August 12th was International Youth Day. It was a day to celebrate the world’s youth, and review progress made on promises to provide them with education, employment and leadership opportunities around the world. In many African countries, our youth demographic is the largest. Yet they continue to waste away due to a dearth of comprehensive […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Cooking, Cleaning And Praying
I am at that stage in my life now when many young wards around me are getting married. I have a lot of young men and women who have come to me with their prospective brides and grooms, seeking my blessing. I usually have the same set of questions for the potential couples. The first […]
LOUD WHISPERS: Hilary Clinton And The Democratic National Convention: Seven Takeaways
Last week I stayed up four nights in a row, literally. From 8pm our local time till 5am, I watched the proceedings of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) which took place in Philadelphia. I did not miss one single minute of the broadcasts on CNN. Since a love of political analysis is something my husband […]
LOUD WHISPERS: The Impunity Of ‘Nothing’.
Last week there were news reports of a female student in Rohtak, in the northern State of Haryana, India, who was gang raped by the same five men who had raped her in 2013. After the attack three years ago, two of the suspects were charged to court. The case is still pending in the […]
LOUD WHISPERS: What Are You Thankful For?
As I was thinking about what to write for Loud Whispers this week, I was determined that it would not be any ‘gripe writing’. There is so much negativity going around locally, nationally and internationally, that anxiety, anger and sadness has been normalized. It is difficult to summon up positive energy when all you hear […]
LOUD WHISPERS: ‘Whose Child Is This?’
A few days ago, a video and photographs appeared on Facebook, posted by a Nigerian teenager who calls herself ‘Teddy Skitt’. The photographs were of Teddy and her boyfriend, with a towel wrapped around their chests, the message from Teddy read, ‘Good morning. Boo made my night. I love u baby’. Teddy did not look […]
LOUD WHISPERS: The Speech Olori Wuraola Ogunwusi Should Have Given In The United States
Towards the end of last week, Ope Oriniowo, our Content Editor at Above Whispers rushed over to me with his phone. He wanted to show me a recording of Olori Wuraola Ogunwusi, the wife of His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, making remarks at an Emerging Women’s Forum in Maryland, United States. I listened […]