The Inbetweeners

I recently wrote a piece for Democracy in Africa & The Continent , dismissing the argument that queerness is alien to Africa. In it, I briefly explored the treatment of queer sexualities in pre-colonial African societies across the continent and the birth of Africa as a heteronormative continent as a result of colonialism. I explained the role colonial powers - Britain in particular - played in overwriting queer sexualities and explored the legacy of this interference. Ultimately concluding that while queerness was not alien to Africa, queerphobia was. Contrary to popular opinion, the latter is the Western import. It is the thing around our neck, that threatens to choke the lifeblood of our Republics if we allow it.  This is why I wrote this piece. I wrote it to confront and challenge the idea that queerness and queer people were 'unAfrican.' As a person who has spent her entire life being told that I am not African enough, not black enough, this argument rang particularly...

Recently, President Ruto expressed his desire to turn Kenya into a God-fearing state. Except what does this mean? What will this look like in practice? Who gets to decide whether, or when, Kenya has achieved this goal? And why ought this goal to be considered of national import in the middle of a cost of living crisis, food insecurity and drought? More importantly, why is the President going out of his way to blur the line between Church and State, before we have had a national discussion on what role religion ought to play in secular life?  So, let's talk about this for a minute. For expressing his desire to marry the Church and the State goes beyond Ruto's mandate as President. While, yes, one could argue that this falls under the President's mandate to inspire and enforce national unity, I would argue that there are better ways to do that than through religion. Simply because; (1) Kenya is a multifaith, secular nation and; (2) the variances between and within religious ...

Why is everyone treating International Women's Day like it is Valentine's Day? Like Valentine's Day, IWD feels like a day where everyone lovebombs the women in their life for a day, only to forget about their struggles and the realities of living in a gendered world the other 364.  I cannot tell you how many posts I saw from people, who I suspect do not respect women or diverse representations and expressions of feminity. It is incredibly ironic , that the Kenyan Parliament would recognise and celebrate IWD , after kicking a Senator out of Parliament for wearing period-stained clothes. It is incredibly bold of President Ruto to tweet his support for inclusivity  when his Government has not made any strides towards realising two-thirds representation. Equally, Ruto has not fulfilled his promise to ensure a 50/50 split between men and women in his Cabinet. It is quite peculiar that the country rushed to name and praise the women in their lives, even as they directed hate an...