What comes to mind when you think of vaginal health? Have you ever heard of vaginismus? Does this term ring a bell, or does it sound like “a condition that’s basically… [the word for vagina] mixed with the word for Christmas”? (as Ella Langley tells us half-jokingly in her newest play Have I Told…
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Hadeel My redefining of effortless fashion comes after years of mimicking outfits and being frustrated by a closet that was not comfortable, flattering or fun. What’s been renowned as effortless was in fact just an ill fitting pile of clothes that looked so much better online — and usually a lot less see through. Effortless…
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“I aim to look effortless” – European slim university student wearing a simple white shirt underneath a simple designer jacket, combined with casual jeans and simple expensive trainers and, of course, a messy bun. Dangling from her arm is a simple designer bag with her MacBook safely hidden in a simple but stylish laptop case.…
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“When I think of what literature can do, and I think of the ways that literature has changed minds and opened imaginations, I want to say that we African writers must centre the African gaze. We must centre the Nigerian gaze, the Cameroonian gaze, the Ethiopian gaze, the Kenyan gaze. We need to be writing…
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The play Emilia is a great example of intersectional feminism – the story follows a black woman countering the stereotypes that are projected onto her by entitled white men. The actresses truly represent an intersectional cast countering racism, ableism, ageism and body shaming, alongside sexism. As such, we believe that inspiring performances like these can…
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Melanin Permission Slip by Jessica Fisher Hmmm, Brown skin, curly hair Intriguing Black? Latina? Native American? All three? Maybe, but surely too pretty to be black And not mixed with something Oh. Does that make it more acceptable to love me? Do you now have permission with the assumed dilution of my melanin? Could your…
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On the 15th of April 2019, the famous cathedral Notre Dame in Paris caught fire. I want to recall the digital discourses around the fire and demonstrate how a closer look at them shows the state of our current social, economic and political situation. At 6:20 p.m. local time on Monday, 15th of April…
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صوت المرأة ثورة Kandaka is the title used for queens in the ancient kingdom of Kush. However, Kandaka the word means “strong woman”. And where can you find stronger women than in Sudan? For four months now (really for many years), Sudanese people inside and outside the country have been protesting for the fall of […]
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The 2019 EU elections are coming up, and if it were not for my other European friends, I would probably not be locating the voting polls between 23rd and 26th July 2019. Before I urge you to run to the voting polls or complete your registrations (for those of you living outside your country…
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feminist fathers don’t exist in my home loving and supporting fathers do. impressed by independent mothers proud of outspoken daughters sometimes victim blaming always happily bathing in their pool of toxic masculinity though loving femininity (for women) not minding tears (for women) accepting fears (for women) therefore still patriarchal, still entitled and still surprised…
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My home is not Christchurch. My passport has never reached New Zealand’s border control. Despite this, when I awoke to the news that at least 49 Muslim men and women were massacred by a white supremacist during the holiest prayer of the week, my body reacted the way it would have had a bomb exploded…
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How does a production co-produced by the English National Theatre become testament to the devastating situation in Calais Camp? Refugees are literally trying to cross the French-British border to enter the same ‘national’ land in which the production is freely touring. ‘The Jungle’ is a production created by Good Chance Theatre which aims to to…
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Recently, a friend submitted the following text to be published on Kandaka: One of the familiar feelings that British people of colour (especially black people) experience is the feeling of being visibly different: otherised. The recent group trip to Paris that I partook in, to work with refugees, was no exception to this sentiment. We…
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“Islam has ended homosexual practices, not homoerotic sentiment” – Homoeroticism and homosexuality in Islam, Sabine Schmidtke In this paper, the relationship between homoeroticism and homophobia in Muslim countries will be explained while mainly focusing on Egypt, through mentioning a brief introduction about Egypt’s history and the rise of Islam, and reflecting the differences between the past…
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Mohini Can Scream Mohini woke up ten minutes before her alarm. On a normal morning, bombarded with images of the day’s to-do-list, she would have risen by instinct, deactivating her alarm prematurely and shrinking her every movement to not disturb her Sleeping Working Husband. But this morning even began different. Anand’s snoring had crystallised overnight…
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Why do we specifically label our feminism? Because different feminisms imagine different peace. In our opinion, most of the mainstream feminist visions are neither egalitarian nor liberatory. Feminism movement officially arose in what many refer to as the west, in the 18th century. In this context, first wave feminism is usually defined as the wave…
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My sexual preference wasn’t something I allowed myself to realise or explore until I turned seventeen. Nevertheless, my attraction to women was something I accepted relatively easily and within a couple of months of silently voicing the fact to myself, I found myself coming out to my friends. It wasn’t until a year later, having…
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Who am I? Who am I to myself and who am I to others? Does their opinion mold and influence who I am? A few questions that have crossed and constantly cross my mind. Well, I am a son, a brother, a student, a lover and more, but who is really me? I’ve struggled, like many…
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This essay will challenge the question arguing that gender issues should be inherent in all fields and thus we should avoid discussing gender dynamics as a distinct discourse impacting the Arab revolts. Instead, we can discuss the impact of activist individuals or groups in the Arab revolts that consider gender dynamics. Women are an integral…
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1 Learn from art; make art Your creativity is your safe space. Your room is your refuge; your pictures, your drawings, your books, your music and your writings are your tools for self-therapy. Be inspired both by yourself and other women. Share their strength, learn from them and learn from and about yourself. Listen to…
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My journey of grasping privilege started off in a Bavarian primary school full of immigrants’ children frowned upon by society and “destined” to leave education early. I was always top of my class, probably because I am smart, definitely because I spoke German perfectly. My German social-worker Mum had dragged me to virtually all museums…
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“Muskizism” is a poem by Amuna Wagner about her experiences living in Egypt for a year. The poem was turned into a short film using footage she captured while observing her environment with the help of her dear friend Ahmed Doola. It is presented and produced by kandaka.blog and edited by Hannah Wolny.
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Blood drips onto my ass as the pad I am wearing is swollen with my own blood. My menstrual blood. It is the third time in my life I am welcoming my period into my 12-year-old body. I’m scared and worried the blood has leaked through my pants. I quickly look down to the seat…
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“أنا هنا لأربككم” هو عنوان خطاب لمنى الطحاوي الصحفية المصرية والذي ألقته في TEDWomen 2010. وتستخدم منى الإرباك كوسيلة لتغيير وجهات النظر ومكافحة كراهية النساء في العالم العربي وأيضاً في الغرب حيث أن هناك صورة نمطية منتشرة عن المرأة العربية بكونها ضحية ضعيفة ومطيعة ولا تستطيع ان تدافع عن نفسها. وبالرغم من أن هذه الصورة…
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“I am here to confuse you” is the title of a speech the Egyptian Journalist Mona Eltahawy gave at TEDWomen2010. Mona uses confusion as a tool to shift perspectives and fight misogyny in the Arab world as well as in the West where Arab women are often times stereotyped as being helpless and obedient victims…
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i am magic tricks within magic within magic none have figured out rupi kaur The fourth video of our “I don’t care” series Directed by Amuna Wagner and Hannah Wolny Filmed and edited by Hannah Wolny Text by Véronique Belinga Song: Shining by Beatz Hub
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Nimo is a 21 year old BA History and Arabic student at SOAS, University of London, who is currently doing her year abroad in Alexandria, Egypt. Born and raised in London with Somali origins, she believes that her headscarf is a sign of her Muslim identity. Farah is as 23 year old Egyptian with a…
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A couple of months ago I got into a discussion with a guy about feminism (will I ever learn…). He said something along the lines of ‘I wouldn’t say I’m a feminist because I don’t like the word but obviously I agree with gender equality’. Here we go, I thought. I proceeded to listen for…
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I recently found the amazing Feminist Cartographer’s toolkit, a guide for co-creating fearless futures that had me spending countless nights imagining better worlds. One of its exercises is writing down beliefs that I hold and want to let go of. My friend wrote that she wants to let go of the belief that she will…
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Hannah interviewed and photographed her beautiful mother Petra who survived breast cancer and agreed to share her story with Kandaka. Hopefully, this can be of help to women who fight or help others fight illness. How did you find out about your breast cancer? In 2007, my gynecologist offered me to undertake an annual ultrasound…
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Dear fellow white people, https://twitter.com/pinko_snob/status/955485345457598465 This sign epitomizes white feminism / neoliberal complacency. If Hillary was president, we’d still have institutionalized slavery via mass incarceration, police brutality & class warfare, but you’d be at brunch not caring about it. pic.twitter.com/PDo6IM6oDO — Signe Pierce (@sigggnasty) January 22, 2018 if you look like me, you have no…
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Three of the top propositions I had to face up to as a young girl and woman: „Don’t make such a fuss!” „Nobody’s going to steal anything away from you!” „She really is embarrassed.“ It is true. I sometimes am kind of bashful. As my native language is German, when I started thinking about…
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TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE I have been calling myself a feminist since my sister called herself a feminist. Before I knew what it was, I knew I was one. I think of myself as a confident and independent woman, who knew what her boundaries were. I never thought I would put myself in situations where I…
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TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE AND WAR This essay was written a long time ago and does not necessarily reflect the author’s current views. In 2018, the world is being torn apart by international military conflicts, civil wars and terrorist threats with no lasting peace in near sight. The scholars of International Relations have been discussing and…
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What do you wanna be when you grow up? Have you started looking at any career options? I am on the verge of finishing my university degree: sketching a trajectory, defining my course of action and giving a shape to my aspirations has become somewhat pressing. In the West, we are brought from the youngest…
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KANDAKA 