Femininja Podcast

Our last episode is a special one, hosted between two friends. Rachel Kagoiya [FEMNET Communications Lead] and Anasuya Sengupta [Whose Knowledge? Co-founder and Co-director] sit down to speak about the journey from the first Decolonizing the Internet in Cape Town to Decolonizing the Internet: East Africa [DTI] and so much more!

Reflecting on 2018’s DTI, Rachel says: “Being in that space and being deeply reflective, thinking and saying “Yaaa, this is the fire!”. This was the fire being lit for me in Cape Town and I kept thinking how do we keep fanning this fire until we’re able to have these conversations multiply.” The dream is to have these conversations for and about a feminist internet moving across different regions in Africa.

Anasuya walks us through some important terms, looking at why “feminist” and “decolonizing” are the words used to describe the work being done by and through the DTI gatherings Whose Knowledge? has convened yearly since 2018. 

“The internet is not one of those, you know, fabulous breaks with history as many people make it out to be. It’s a continuation of the histories and structures of colonial capitalism,” she says. This makes an anti-oppressions lens compulsory when looking at the ways in which digital infrastructure and structures of power make themselves known.

Read the post-gathering summary report from the 2018 DTI and the 2022 DTI: East Africa.

Language exclusion in digital platforms refers to the practice of excluding or marginalizing certain languages on digital platforms, such as websites, applications, or online services. This exclusion can manifest itself in various ways such as: limited language support, language filtering, language bias in algorithms and inadequate translation or localization.

In this episode, Kerubo and Youlendree, alongside Irene Mwendwa, who is the Executive Director of Pollicy (a feminist civitech based in Kampala, Uganda) explore the limitations and challenges faced by individuals or communities who speak languages that are not adequately supported or represented in online platforms, applications, or services. It encompasses discussions on the lack of language options, limited translation or localization support, and the impact of such exclusions on communication, access to information, and inclusivity in the digital realm.

Language exclusion in digital platforms can have significant implications, including the perpetuation of linguistic inequalities, limited access to information and resources for speakers of excluded languages, and the marginalization of minority communities. It is important for digital platforms to recognize and address these issues to promote linguistic diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunities for all users.

9.     Rachel & Anasuya on the journey to DTI-EA and beyond

Our last episode is a special one, hosted between two friends. Rachel Kagoiya [FEMNET Communications Lead] and Anasuya Sengupta [Whose Knowledge? Co-founder and Co-director] sit down to speak about the journey from the first Decolonizing the Internet in Cape Town to Decolonizing the Internet: East Africa [DTI] and so much more!

Reflecting on 2018’s DTI, Rachel says: “Being in that space and being deeply reflective, thinking and saying “Yaaa, this is the fire!”. This was the fire being lit for me in Cape Town and I kept thinking how do we keep fanning this fire until we’re able to have these conversations multiply.” The dream is to have these conversations for and about a feminist internet moving across different regions in Africa.

Anasuya walks us through some important terms, looking at why “feminist” and “decolonizing” are the words used to describe the work being done by and through the DTI gatherings Whose Knowledge? has convened yearly since 2018. 

“The internet is not one of those, you know, fabulous breaks with history as many people make it out to be. It’s a continuation of the histories and structures of colonial capitalism,” she says. This makes an anti-oppressions lens compulsory when looking at the ways in which digital infrastructure and structures of power make themselves known.

Read the post-gathering summary report from the 2018 DTI and the 2022 DTI: East Africa.

In this episode, podcast guest Lena Anyuolo speaks to our hosts Kerubo and Youlendree about political organising in Kenya, leftist community library Ukombozi Library and how the future of the internet looks very, very queer. Plus, we end with some poetry from Lena’s poetry chapbook Rage and Bloom [available to purchase].

The work of Ukombozi Library as a hub of feminist, leftist and Pan-African literature is deeply woven into grassroots organizing - including setting up study groups and cells for radical consciousness-raising in places “where people live hand to mouth,” says Lena.

They explain further: “To actually ask someone to sit down and read, let’s say, Angela Davis, is just so tough. Even when you have the time to go through all that, to interpret - some of that work can be difficult. Our aspect of decolonizing is to understand that context and when we go out to the community it’s not a didactic exchange.”

Lena’s work cuts across art, activism, literature and on-the-ground mobilising. Their experiences are vital in crafting online worlds that are safer for artists, activists and queer people. Reflecting on their time dreaming at Decolonizing the Internet: East Africa, Lena says: “I would like to see a lot more queer content [online], queer beyond personal expression – queerness as political expression, queerness that subverts any oppression.”

Queer people deserve to enjoy the same rights and privileges as everyone else, although we see time and time again their rights being eroded by conservative politicians. In this episode, join Kerubo and Youlendree as they have an open and thoughtful conversation with Arya Jeipea Karijo, a transgender woman and a lesbian who views life through a young, African feminist lens. If you want to understand more about the LGBTQIA+ community and how decolonization of the internet and online spaces influences their wellbeing, this is the ideal episode for you.

The availability and accessibility of information online about queer people, especially queer African activists, ancestors and traditions can vary significantly depending on factors like geographical location, cultural context and internet surveillance and censorship. While the internet has undoubtedly provided a platform for sharing and disseminating information, it’s not immune to limitations and biases.

In the past, oppressed groups – including the queer community – have had a challenging time recording their history and getting access to reliable information. This is especially true for young, queer Africans who may have difficulty locating thorough and culturally contextual resources that accurately reflect their personal experiences. The absence of information and historical records can be attributed to several factors such as: social stigma and discrimination, cultural taboos and lack of representation.

According to Arya, there are measures that can be taken to preserve historical information on the internet and social spaces for young queer Africans to access. “Alot of our cultures have been erased but it’s possible to pick bits and pieces [...] it’s okay in shaping our Kenyan, African futures,” she says.

Documentation and archiving which involves collecting oral histories, digitizing existing materials, and establishing community-led initiatives to record and safeguard historical information are some of the options she provides. Arya affirms that the online space can and should function as a queer utopia – a space that is community-led and where cultural sensitivity, participation and queer freedom is enacted and embodied.

over a decade. This has resulted in a severe restriction of personal freedoms and opportunities for Eritrean citizens. 

The mandatory military service and its associated hardships, including limited rights, harsh living conditions, and lack of economic prospects, have led many Eritreans to flee their country in search of better opportunities and a chance for a more secure future. The prolonged conscription has been a significant driver of irregular migration, with Eritreans undertaking dangerous journeys across borders and across the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe or seeking asylum in neighboring countries. The documentary Sound of Torture follows Meron as she tries to help Eritreans who have fled through Eqypt’s Sinai desert and been capture by human traffickers. 

From an activist's point of view, Meron notes achieving knowledge justice requires systemic changes in education, research, publishing, and policymaking. It involves transforming existing structures and institutions to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in knowledge production and dissemination. By embracing knowledge justice principles, societies can work towards a more equitable and inclusive knowledge ecosystem that benefits all individuals and communities. 

Meron Estefanos is a Swedish-Eritrean activist who, in this episode, recalls how her activism work unceremoniously kicked off in a bid to rescue fleeing Eritreans as a result of the compulsory military recruitment. Under this policy, individuals between the ages of 18 and 50 were subject to mandatory military service, which was initially supposed to last for 18 months. However, in practice, many conscripts were forced to serve for extended periods, sometimes indefinitely, with reports of service durations reaching

In this episode, Sandra Kwikiriza, founder of Her-Internet joins Youlendree and Kerubo to explore knowledge gaps in terms of digital space and challenges faced by the queer community while using the internet.  

The discussion reminds us of the shrinking civic space and crackdown on queer communities in Uganda through such legislation like the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which has had significant consequences for queer knowledge production, safety of LGBTQIA+ people and much more. 

According to Sandra, addressing these gaps and challenges requires a multi-faceted approach involving platforms, policymakers, and society as a whole. Efforts should focus on combating online harassment, promoting inclusive representation, ensuring data privacy and security, bridging the digital divide, combating algorithmic biases, and fostering safer online spaces for queer individuals to connect, express themselves, and find support. 

In this episode, our very able hosts Youlendree and Kerubo invite Chipasha Mwansa; a feminist and activist working for Akina Mama wa Afrika, a Pan-African feminist organization. Listen as they explore whether the digital space can adequately accommodate and serve African women by implementing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through an intersectional lens. This involves recognizing and addressing the multiple dimensions of identity and power that intersect and shape individuals' experiences and access to SRHR services.

From her point of view, key considerations and approaches for implementing SRHR with an intersectional context need to bear the following points in mind [among others!]: understanding how intersectionality functions in specific contexts, analyzing power strategies and having inclusive policy and program development,

Chipasha also speaks about knowledge production, in conjunction with her reflections on how to apply that knowledge on the ground. “Our experiences, the lives that we live, our telling of ourselves in itself is knowledge, and it’s being transmitted from one generation to another,” she said. “No one can say we have not contributed to the world of knowledge, continentally or globally.”

Digital colonialism refers to the dominance and exploitation of digital platforms, services, and technologies by powerful entities, typically from developed countries, over less developed regions or communities. It involves the control and influence over digital infrastructure, data, and communication channels, often resulting in economic, cultural, and social inequalities.

This episode features Esther Mwema, an artist who questions Big Tech (like Facebook and Google) in Africa, through literary fiction, abstract art, and poetry.

“The African continent is surrounded by undersea cables owned by these big tech companies. And what is even more amazing about that is actually the audacity of Google taking the name of the Nigerian abolitionist, Equiano, and using that to name their undersea cable,” she pointed out. “For me, it is how these corporations can co-opt and also appropriate colonial knowledge and try and present themselves as liberators.”

Esther explores imagination as a starting point of decolonization, her activism around girls’ safety in online spaces, and how corporations perpetuate colonial structures and histories. “It’s about changing the narrative that the continent [Africa] needs to be saved, but recognizing the imbalance that exists — where big tech corporations from another continent can have so much power over the infrastructure that we are using.”

In this conversation with Kerubo and Youlendree, Memory Kachambwa, executive director at the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), reflects on the erasure of African women’s perspectives and contributions, what decolonization means, and the need to center African stories and imaginations in the digital space. 

As Memory points out, the internet as we know it is far from neutral. “We need to start really thinking: what are we consuming? Why are we being fed what we’re being fed? Where are the women? Where are the African women, where are the women of color? Where are the voices – who are they?”

She brings some of her learnings and musings from the sessions held at Decolonizing the Internet, East Africa, and what the convening meant for her. “For me, what I like about it is: we’re doing something. You know, it’s beyond just doing a protest, but I think it is how we move forward saying ‘yes, we’re going in, we’re going into Wikipedia, we’re going in, we’re going to change’ [...] If we want to have solutions, this is what the solution should be like, and then we code it, and then we use it.”