Minna Salami is a Nigerian, Finnish and Swedish writer, blogger and speaker. She is the founder of the feminist blog, MsAfropolitan, which connects feminism with contemporary culture from an Africa-centred perspective. Through her blog, she is a frequently sought out speaker at international platforms from Yale University to TEDx to the Oxford Union as well as the BBC, Channel 4, Deutsche Welle, TV Ontario and SVT. Minna is a contributor to Guardian Opinion and writes a monthly column for the Guardian Nigeria titled “Gender Politics”. She writes a Huffington Post column and has also contributed to The Observer, The Independent, Al Jazeera and New Internationalist.
Credit: Asiko Photography
Are the struggles and interests of Africans in the diaspora similar to those on the continent?
Similar yes, but not the same. Africans in the diaspora have to struggle to be accepted and humanised in environments which remain hostile and exploitative to Africans. On the other hand in the continent, the struggle is largely to do with governance and nation building, which is a project that of course intersects with the exploitation of Africa/ns. However, both within diaspora and continent, struggles concerning sexism, violence, classism, colourism and imperialist propaganda are shared.
What do you want your legacy with Ms. Afropolitan to be?
To serve as a catalyst for a political, psychological and intellectual awakening by providing fresh ideas and paradigms which can be used to continue to challenge the status quo, document and celebrate the contributions of Africa to the world, and encourage critical thinking.
Follow Ms Afropolitan’s blog here
