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...

I have an idea. It's new, at least to me, so I haven't had the time to work out the kinks. But here it is:  If capitalism, inevitably, alienates its workers from themselves, their labour and each other, its antidote is something that draws people closer together. Something that creates, fosters and deepens the bonds we share.  Therefore, what if culture , is the antidote to capitalism?  From here, allow me to present my thoughts in bullet points: Oxford defines 'culture' as "the beliefs that people hold about reality, the norms that guide their behaviour, the values that orient their moral commitments, or the symbols through which these beliefs, norms, and values are communicated." Inherent to this definition is that culture is a shared activity/practice; developed communally and practised collaboratively. This suggests that culture can be, and often is, a binding agent. Even capitalism, if construed as a cultural system, binds humanity together in service to ...

 and I have thoughts... In the moment, I enjoyed the new Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie. It was visually engaging, hilarious and had some cool action scenes. I, particularly, enjoyed the call-back to Ant-Man's line in Civil War and how the film depicted Scott's growing competency as the Ant-Man. I loved the fact that Scotts' journey mirrored Janet's in the quantum realm; both of them chose to save the world at the cost of their families. Put simply, the movie was fun. An interesting juxtaposition to the grief reflected in Wakanda Forever (the last MCU movie of 2022 and Phase 4) that suggested Phase 5 would be different. As a result, I entered the post-credit scenes feeling good about Phase 5 of the MCU and where it was going. I felt vindicated in my willingness to give Marvel the benefit of the doubt as they establish the next 'big-bad' and build the new team of Avengers. But as soon as I left the theatre, two things happened: (1) I began to engage with the movie an...

A couple of weeks ago, I learned about Cargo Movements (aka cargo cults) and I couldn't help but wonder, is Africa in a cargo cult? The term ‘cargo cult’ or ‘movement’ is a term given to a number of religious or political movements that started when indigenous peoples came into contact with Western civilisation and the technology, they brought with them. Items like radios, aeroplanes, ready-made and abundant food etc. These items were called cargo, hence cargo cult or movement. These indigenous groups then attempt to get these goods by replicating the rituals that caused the cargo to land on their soil; building plane towers and runways, and signalling with radio and military marches.  This act of replication is what makes them incredibly fascinating, from the outside looking in. It reminds me of a child playing 'grown-up' - in as much as I know better than to infantilise indigenous communities. Or perhaps, more appropriately, it reminds me of the dynamics of cultural appro...

I began writing this post as a way to kill time; roughly an hour before my next meeting. And I wish I could say that, by this sentence, I was struck by divine revelation. That, by now, I would have plucked a topic out of my tortured mind, the same way American "enhanced interrogators" provide free dental care. But, alas. The mind is blank, and so is this page.  To be honest, I'm not sure which I'm more frustrated at; that I have nothing to say? Or that, because  I have nothing to say, I have only been able to kill a mere 2 minutes of my 60 min downtime. I would argue the latter, given my thoughts on performative productivity and the feeling that laziness is to be dismissed. But, I believe it's the former. I have nothing to say, not because my mind is blank, but because it is too full. I can't pick a single thing to focus on and those that speak to me are far too personal for this medium.  So here I am. Staring at a blank page. Praying that words will fall upon...