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What Is The Thesis Statement of Your Outfit? A Doechii Appreciation.

“How many people wear Adidas sneakers with a Gucci skirt and make it look good?” Sam Woolf A disciple of serving cunt. Dutiful student of Hip Hop and scholar of Rap. Ladies and Gentlethems Doechii is one of my absolute favorite artists out right now. Doechii isn’t afraid to use hair as art. Changing and exploring her hair as she explores and grows as an artist. With her latest project Alligator…

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An Iceberg Model Thought Exercise: The Kenyan Femicide Crisis.

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” Audre Lorde. Between January 2016 and December 2023, 500 women were murdered. Femicide is not a series of isolated tragedies it is a national crisis driven forward by the patriarchal oppression and the systematic failings of our leadership. The mismanagement of public resources and the failing…

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How To Decentering Men: Kenyan Feminist Perspective

Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.—Janelle Monáe Girls are cursed with a destiny more extensive than any of the most cunty Disney villains could dream up: the socialization to design a life dedicated to catering to men. Y’know being femme under patriarchy. Because, of this socialization part of femme liberation must include the decentering of men. What does it mean? It…

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What Is The Thesis Statement of Your Outfit?

“Style—all who have it share one thing: originality.” Diana Vreeland I ask the question, “What is the thesis statement of your outfit” quite often, usually when I encounter a look that may be aesthetically pleasing but with zero substance; an empty expression of fashion. Or, an outfit with beautiful pieces that are awkwardly forced together. I’ve viewed clothes the same way I view all other art…

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SLAY QUEEN! Slay Queen?

The phrase traveled from the American Black community to the African Black community, and as it made its way through the continent the phrase turned from Black femme affirmation to language of misogynoir. Last year my whole family got together, and in conversation, my mother said ‘Slay queens’ She was not complimenting or cheering anyone on. It was said as a noun and with clear intent to…

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what are you really fighting for?

“You deserve safety. You deserve protection. You deserve love. You deserve peace.” – Tarana Burke In a post 25th of June 2024 Kenya, A new hope has sprung up. A hope that maybe just maybe Kenya can change today, not later. However, as we explore our path to Liberation, it is becoming evident that thanks to a lack of introspection for a lot of people, their dream of liberation ends by the…

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Incel Revolutionary? Misogynoir Within Kenyan Anti-Government Protests

“A revolutionary woman can’t have no reactionary man,” Assata Shakur Josephine Mlong reaches out to her sister (Diana Keya) from beyond the grave to tell her where to find her—defying metaphysical law to bring herself and her sister peace. But, her efforts are denied by Kenya’s violent love story with misogyny. When this love collides with  Kenyan exceptionalism the results can be quite…

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House of Swann, First of It's Name.

“organisation of colored erotopaths” Dr. Charles Hamilton Hughes. Before the famous and wildly successful drag careers of Tyler Perry and RuPaul Charles. Before drag cult classics Too Wong Foo and Rocky Horror Picture Show. There was William Dorsey Swann. Born enslaved in 1860 Maryland U.S.A Swann would grow up to be a free man and first self-proclaimed “queen of drag”. Continue reading House…

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How To Talk About Mental Illness 101: A Kenyan Guide.

“It’s okay to not be okay sometimes” Stigma is a result of misinformation and misunderstanding. Kenya has a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings about mental health and mental illness. On the governance level, our Penal Code uses ableist terminology such as “imbeciles” and “idiots” when referring to people with mental health conditions. Religious leaders dismiss mental illness as demonic…

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F*ck an African Vogue

“African fashion is not a trend,” Aisha Ayensu In 2020 Vogue had the genius content creation idea to allow people all over the globe to create their own Vogue cover. The results were amazing images that showcased global artistry with delectable cultural diversity. Quickly, the conversation around a ‘Vogue Africa’ magazine came up… As it does every three to six fashion seasons. Why? Because…

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The Digital NeoTraditional Man

If the classic traditional man is old money, the digital neotraditional man is nouveau riche. During a dark time in the early 2000s, people created a whole new sexuality to refer to cishet men who had a dedicated hygiene routine that did not depend on a 3-in-1 shower gel. Ideas around modern masculinity have evolved since then, but remain true to the femmephobia that birthed the metrosexual. The…

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The 4B Movement: A Kenyan Feminist's Perspective.

When men demand women choose better without doing better. In the year 2024, the year of #FreeCongo it made global news that South Korea’s birth rate has dropped low enough to qualify as a national crisis. Why did the birth rate drop? because of a radical movement where Korean women decided to choose themselves. Their collective radical act of self-love is a result of the violent misogyny many…

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An Unsent, Open Letter.

An example of a healing tool and or A Read To whom it may concern, I truly admire how you walk around like your shit don’t stink, when your skeletons exist in a glass closet. See that closet is bulletproof because it is reinforced with a mix of social privilege and emotional incest. We say nothing of them, but this doesn’t mean we do not see them. Continue reading An Unsent, Open Letter.

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I am on K'uk'ulkan side: A Sorta Feminist Review of Wakanda Forever.

I wanna live underwater with whales and no white supremacy Reviewing Black Panther: Wakanda forever feels like I do not deserve to do so. So, doing it in point form, He has a long relationship with colonialization, Black Panther has none. He understands the complete and absolute threat of kill or be killed Namor is a representation of the anger that every colonized person has a right to, but…

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An Ode to Elsa Majimbo's Confidence Despite Colourist Kenya

An Ode to Elsa Majimbo’s Confidence Despite Colourist Kenya

Elsa Majimbo for Native Magazine, 2021 “We see the west seeing us and in response, this woman had worked hard to erase the element that truly marks her as African. Her own melanin. Her own skin.” Narration from Yellow Fever by Ng’endo Mukii. The short film Yellow Fever by Ng’endo Mukii captures the deep dissatisfaction plenty of darker-toned Black women feel with their complexion, and just how…

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6 Things I Learnt From 3 Months Involuntary Hold at A Kenyan Mental Health Facility

6 Things I Learnt From 3 Months Involuntary Hold at A Kenyan Mental Health Facility

The process of finding mental healthcare in Kenya is long and full of terrors Gilded Cage I I have had two situations where I was placed in involuntary hold in a mental health facility, both were against my will, both were traumatic, both hurt more than they helped. After the first one, it never really occurred to me that it could happen again it did and the experiences have taught me a few…

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Anger & Fear Sketch Series

Anger & Fear Sketch Series

Learning to trust intimacy again after narcissistic abuse is huge theme in the collective that is being triggered right now in order to heal. ~ Maryam Hasanaa

According, to the Kubler-Ross Model grief, is experienced and overcome in five stages; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. This has not been my experience. My experience in conscious healing has not been a clear cut…