I am a feminist because I know no other way to be. I am a feminist because I care. I am a feminist because I just am. I am committed to fighting against every form of injustice, but particularly the kind that creates inequality between men and women. I truly believe that dismantling all forms of patriarchy and eliminating discrimination against women are the keys to addressing all other forms of social injustice.

Personally, I am always trying to redefine my feminism and myself, unlearning what I have learned, and learning or creating my own knowledge about what it means to be a feminist. I enjoy being in the company of other feminists, exchanging ideas, and learning from each other and from the experiences of others in the struggle.

Professionally, I have worked on convening various spaces for African feminists to come together to engage in dialogue about different issues and develop strategies to strengthen their organisations and movements. These have included spaces to discuss peace-building and conflict transformation, resource mobilisation, sexual rights, and HIV and AIDS. I have also worked on the issue of feminist resource mobilisation for women’s rights organisations and movements worldwide with the Association for Women’s Rights in Development.

I know many incredible African feminists, but we are yet to mobilise a large, visible, effective and sustainable African feminist movement. We need to overcome the challenges of elitism, ageism, homophobia and ableism, and build a diverse and inclusive movement. We have done a lot of work to define and repackage what we mean by African feminism, and we need to popularise this ideology.

I remain hopeful despite the challenges we face. I am inspired when I experience and witness transformation in my life and in the lives of others. I am inspired when I dance, when I cry, and when I laugh. When I work with others to overcome a huge challenge or achieve a goal, it gives me the energy to move on. When I learn new things and experiment with different ideas or ways of doing things, it is invigorating. When I am reminded that I am not alone and that I have the ideological, moral, and emotional support of others who are in the struggle for social justice, I am inspired. And when I witness the resilience of women all over the world, rising above the most difficult situations, I am reminded that I can never give up.