“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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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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“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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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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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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“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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“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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This video is our latest and so far biggest project. We spent our summer in London where we met these incredible women who allowed us to share some of their private moments and thoughts with you. Kandaka wishes you a good start into 2018, may your resolution be to keep loving yourself and taking care…
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How do you view yourself? I see myself as a perfect mix between masculine and feminine as I am always playing with both genders, not only in pictures but in every aspect of my life. People often call me a fag, attempting to put me in the box of the hyper feminine gay man,…
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Trina is a photographer who was raised in the wilderness of British Columbia, Canada. Here is what photography means to her: “My sister and I were forced to be creative to entertain ourselves and in doing so I discovered my fiercest passion: Photography. I’m honestly not sure how to live without taking photos. Photography is…
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“Hadn’t it been for literature, I wouldn’t probably have written this. Right?! It’s so scary how I’m a product of something I produce. I write poetry. Does this mean anything in particular? Probably no. But I write my body, my thoughts, my feelings; and if all of this doesn’t qualify as poetry, I guess I…
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Follow Kandaka on Vimeo. Filmed and edited by Hannah Wolny Idea by Amuna Wagner and Hannah Wolny Text by Valia Katsi Song: staRo – Milk
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