We are encircled by silhouettes of a woman, her blank body inscribed with a fight for justice. Buyisiwe is a survivor of sexual assault, but now she is a victim of a court system that continues to fail women. There […]
The countries in which we live
A few years back, a group of rich white men sat down with a map of Africa and started drawing lines. Bargaining and trading, they split up the continent, claiming sovereignty over ‘their’ territories and deciding who could live […]
The unbearable silence of being (queer)
From the moment we are born, the people around us – particularly those with power – try to convince us that ‘silence is golden’. It’s most extreme expression may well be the old maxim that ‘good girls should be seen […]
The gap: where rights stop and lives are lived
We all have a right to be safe. We all have a right to express ourselves. We all have the right to choose our identities, to control our bodies, to love ourselves and each other. We all have a […]
Sexuality and gender – what are the issues?
Feminism. Sexuality. Gender. Patriarchy. Power. Bodies. Knowledge. These words – and many more like them – fill our conversations, drive our activism. But what do such concepts mean for us as a movement? Have we moved beyond the need […]
Vagina, vagina, vagina to vagina!
A rallying cry of ‘Vagina! Vagina! Vagina to vagina!’ rang out as the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) began its Southern Africa Planning and Skills-building Workshop. For the next six days, delegates from across the region will develop a sexual […]
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