About the Legacy Series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In the final episode of our Legacy Series with Françoise Vergès, we look forward to the politics of dreaming, imagining, and organising beyond the colonial systems of violence that shape our world, from the climate crisis to border regimes.
We explore how decolonial feminism offers not just a critique, but a vision for environmental justice, collective liberation, and the right to breathe.
Bio
Françoise Vergès is a political theorist, curator and writer
She writes on the afterlife of slavery and colonisation, decolonial feminism, the museum, and climate disaster and regularly works with artists. For the 2025 Bannister Fletcher Fellowship, she is organizing workshops on “Imagining the Post-Museum,” with in London, the Whitechapel Gallery, Mosaic Room and the Sarah Parker Remond Center for the Study of Racism and Racialisation at UCL, and in Paris, Cité internationale des arts and ULIP.
She is currently working on a film about struggles in Reunion Island and her parents’ personal archives. In 2024, she was, along with sociologist Fabien Truong, a curator and writer of the first edition of La Ville dansée in Paris.
Credits
Interviewee: Françoise Vergès
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Mr. Trumpet by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In the second episode of our Legacy Series with Françoise Vergès, we move from memory to critique. Françoise unpacks her analyses of carceral feminism and the NGO-isation of justice work, asking what happens when feminist movements become professionalised or absorbed by the state.
She challenges us to name the forms of violence legitimised in the name of safety, and invites us to imagine alternatives rooted in abolition, accountability, and disobedient archives.
Bio
Françoise Vergès is a political theorist, curator and writer
She writes on the afterlife of slavery and colonisation, decolonial feminism, the museum, and climate disaster and regularly works with artists. For the 2025 Bannister Fletcher Fellowship, she is organizing workshops on “Imagining the Post-Museum,” with in London, the Whitechapel Gallery, Mosaic Room and the Sarah Parker Remond Center for the Study of Racism and Racialisation at UCL, and in Paris, Cité internationale des arts and ULIP.
She is currently working on a film about struggles in Reunion Island and her parents’ personal archives. In 2024, she was, along with sociologist Fabien Truong, a curator and writer of the first edition of La Ville dansée in Paris.
Credits
Interviewee: Françoise Vergès
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Mr. Trumpet by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In this first episode of our Legacy Series with Françoise Vergès, we begin with formation: how place, memory, and the anti-colonial struggles of Réunion Island shaped Françoise’s early consciousness.
Françoise reflects on growing up under French colonial rule, the figures who shaped her early political thinking, and the role of memory as a site of resistance. Together, we explore how the personal becomes political, and how remembering can become a radical act.
Bio
Françoise Vergès is a political theorist, curator and writer
She writes on the afterlife of slavery and colonisation, decolonial feminism, the museum, and climate disaster and regularly works with artists. For the 2025 Bannister Fletcher Fellowship, she is organizing workshops on “Imagining the Post-Museum,” with in London, the Whitechapel Gallery, Mosaic Room and the Sarah Parker Remond Center for the Study of Racism and Racialisation at UCL, and in Paris, Cité internationale des arts and ULIP.
She is currently working on a film about struggles in Reunion Island and her parents’ personal archives. In 2024, she was, along with sociologist Fabien Truong, a curator and writer of the first edition of La Ville dansée in Paris.
Credits
Interviewee: Françoise Vergès
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Mr. Trumpet by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
Spotlight on Feminist Movement Builders School
These episodes are a conversation with participants from our second Feminist Movement Builders School convened in partnership with Just Associates in August 2024.
About the episode
In this episode of Runway to Feminist Justice, Nadia Asri speaks with Christie Banda, a feminist leader from Malawi.Christie reflects on her leadership journey, the power of collective feminist strategies, and the transformative potential of feminist Action Research.
As part of FMBS, Christie is one of the participants leading a collaborative feminist action research project examining the prevalence of conversion practices experienced by LBQ women in Malawi. She discusses the political and practical challenges of designing and conducting research in this context, and why knowledge production is central to feminist resistance and movement building.
This conversation speaks to the need to document community-based realities in ways that are participatory, strategic, and grounded in care.
Bio
Christie Banda is a feminist gender justice leader, social policy strategist, and Founder of the Woven Agenda Foundation, as well as Co-Founder of the LBQ Women Coalition in Malawi. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of research, advocacy, and community empowerment, her work spans transformative initiatives in gender equality, LGBTQI+ rights, and accountable governance. Christie’s impact is grounded in deep partnerships with grassroots movements and policy institutions. She has played a pivotal role in shaping national and regional responses to gender-based violence, child marriage, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and continues to lead inclusive policy change through intersectional feminist frameworks.
Credits
Interviewee: Christie Banda
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design and editing: Nadia Asri
Spotlight on Feminist Movement Builders School
These episodes are a conversation with participants from our second Feminist Movement Builders School convened in partnership with Just Associates in August 2024.
About the episode
In this bonus episode, Nadia Asri is joined by feminist and social Justice advocate Cyprine Omollo for a discussion on the obstacles and barriers she faces as an activist advocating for the rights of formerly incarcerated women.
Together, they explore how the colonial penal code continues to shape carceral systems across Africa, and the ways gender, class, and systemic inequalities intersect within the justice system. Cyprine shares her strategies for helping formerly incarcerated women reclaim dignity and agency, while also reflecting on feminist approaches to divesting from punitive systems and investing in community-based alternatives.
Bio
Cyprine Omollo is currently the Deputy Vice Chairperson of Sisters on the Outside, a grassroots movement uniting formerly incarcerated women across Africa. She is deeply committed to advancing this cause, uplifting women, girls, and children impacted by the complexities of the criminal justice system. She is also currently the Program Lead of Dignified Rehabilitation at Clean Start Africa where she oversees all stages of the program across 43 prisons in Kenya.
CreditsInterviewee: Cyprine Omollo
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design and editing: Almaz Anderson
Spotlight on Feminist Movement Building School
These episodes are a conversation with participants from our second Feminist Movement Builders School convened in partnership with Just Associates in August 2024.
About episode
In this episode, Nadia Asri sits down with feminist activist Grace Nyarath to discuss the obstacles she faces when advocating for sex worker rights and overcoming counter-productive ideology which excludes certain groups of women from social justice initiatives.
Bio
Grace Nyarath is a dedicated feminist human rights defender with a focus on empowering sex workers and advancing gender equality. As a program officer at the African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA), Nyarath leads a project on macroeconomics and sex workers' rights while coordinating the African Leadership Sex Workers Academy (ALESWA) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Credits
Interviewee: Grace Nyarath
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by:The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design and editing: Almaz Anderson
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In the final episode of our Legacy Series with Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, we explore how she extended her feminist work into politics during her tenure as the spouse of the Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Bisi reflects on transforming the symbolic role into a strategic platform for advancing gender justice, influencing public policy, and institutionalising support for women’s rights. Her reflections challenge assumptions about proximity to power and offer vital lessons for navigating political systems.
Content Note: This episode includes brief mentions of male sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.
Bio
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Feminist Activist, Gender and Development Practitioner, Policy Advocate, Leadership Coach, Philanthropist, Image Management Specialist, and Writer. She has a BA (1984) and MA (1988) in History from the University of Ife, Nigeria (now Obafemi Awolowo University). She also received an MA in Gender and Society (1992) from Middlesex University, UK.
Bisi served as the Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), an international development organisation for African women based in London, UK, with an Africa regional office in Kampala, Uganda, from 1991-2001. While she was the Director of AMwA, she established the African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI), a training, capacity building and networking forum for young African women which has produced well over 10,000 women leaders across Africa. She co-founded the African Women's Development Fund, (AWDF) and served as the first CEO from 2001-2010. Bisi was one of the founders of the African Feminist Forum and was a member of the AFF Working Group from 2005-2016.
Bisi has served as Trustee, Comic Relief (UK) (1998-2001), Co-Chair, International Network of Women's Funds (PROSPERA) (2004-2006); President, Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) (2003-2005); Board Member, Women’s Funding Network (2009-2012), Board Member and Programs Committee Chair, Global Fund for Women (2012-2016). She is also one of the founders of the African Grantmakers Network which is now African Philanthropy Network in 2009.
As First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria (2010-2014 and 2018-2022) she used her platform to influence legal and policy frameworks, for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls. She is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Center, King’s College, London, and serves on several boards such as the African Women’s Development Fund, St Ive’s Communications (owners of Women Radio), the Women’s Leadership Board at the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement.
Bisi is the author of ‘Speaking for Myself’: Perspectives on Social, Political and Feminist Activism in Africa (2013), ‘Speaking above a Whisper’, (2013) an autobiography, ‘Loud Whispers’ (2017), ‘Where is your Wrapper?’ (2020), ‘Demand and Supply’ (2023) and ‘A Tray of Locust Beans (2023). She also co-edited ‘Voice, Power and Soul’, with Jessica Horn (2008) a compilation of images and stories of African Feminists.
Credits
Interviewee: Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken by AudioWay, freesound.org; Hard Living by John Bartman, freemusicarchive.org
About this episode
In this episode Awino Okech sits down with South African award winning musician Simphiwe Dana to discuss 20 years in music, artivism and music as therapy
Bio
Simphiwe Dana, a multiple award-winning South African artist. Simphiwe’s commercial and critical success came with her debut album Zandisile in 2004. This was followed by The One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street in 2007, Kulture Noir in 2010, Firebrand in 2014, and An Evening with Simphiwe Dana Live in Concert and, the 2016 Simphiwe Dana Symphony Experience, featuring Buika and Asa and Bamako in 2020. Dana’s discography, the intellectual and spiritual content of her art primarily pulses with the Xhosa cosmology of her cultural background, is Afrocentric in its temperament and identity. In 2025, Simphiwe celebrates 20 years in the musical industry. We talk to Simphiwe about her work over the last two decades
Credits
Interviewee: Simphiwe Dana
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken by AudioWay, freesound.org; Feeling by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In part two of our Legacy Series conversation with Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, we examine her leadership in global feminist spaces. From the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing to the co-founding of the African Women’s Development Fund and the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, Bisi shares insights into building feminist institutions and networks. We also explore her role in documenting feminist histories through storytelling and film, and why memory is essential to sustaining movements.
Bio
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Feminist Activist, Gender and Development Practitioner, Policy Advocate, Leadership Coach, Philanthropist, Image Management Specialist, and Writer. She has a BA (1984) and MA (1988) in History from the University of Ife, Nigeria (now Obafemi Awolowo University). She also received an MA in Gender and Society (1992) from Middlesex University, UK.
Bisi served as the Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), an international development organisation for African women based in London, UK, with an Africa regional office in Kampala, Uganda, from 1991-2001. While she was the Director of AMwA, she established the African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI), a training, capacity building and networking forum for young African women which has produced well over 10,000 women leaders across Africa. She co-founded the African Women's Development Fund, (AWDF) and served as the first CEO from 2001-2010. Bisi was one of the founders of the African Feminist Forum and was a member of the AFF Working Group from 2005-2016.
Bisi has served as Trustee, Comic Relief (UK) (1998-2001), Co-Chair, International Network of Women's Funds (PROSPERA) (2004-2006); President, Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) (2003-2005); Board Member, Women’s Funding Network (2009-2012), Board Member and Programs Committee Chair, Global Fund for Women (2012-2016). She is also one of the founders of the African Grantmakers Network which is now African Philanthropy Network in 2009.
As First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria (2010-2014 and 2018-2022) she used her platform to influence legal and policy frameworks, for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls. She is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Center, King’s College, London, and serves on several boards such as the African Women’s Development Fund, St Ive’s Communications (owners of Women Radio), the Women’s Leadership Board at the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement.
Bisi is the author of ‘Speaking for Myself’: Perspectives on Social, Political and Feminist Activism in Africa (2013), ‘Speaking above a Whisper’, (2013) an autobiography, ‘Loud Whispers’ (2017), ‘Where is your Wrapper?’ (2020), ‘Demand and Supply’ (2023) and ‘A Tray of Locust Beans (2023). She also co-edited ‘Voice, Power and Soul’, with Jessica Horn (2008) a compilation of images and stories of African Feminists.
Credits
Interviewee: Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken by AudioWay, freesound.org; Hard Living by John Bartman, freemusicarchive.org
In this episode, we talk to FCRJ’s Activists in Residence Silvia Sánchez and Sonia Cardona, who have developed a thematic repository of booklets addressing violence against Indigenous women in El Salvador, Colombia, and Ecuador.
We explore how their project sheds light on the complex, multifaceted violence faced by Indigenous women. Silvia and Sonia discuss the importance of Indigenous women’s voices in shaping culturally appropriate solutions rooted in Indigenous cosmovisions.
Bios
Sonia Cardona is a social Worker from the University of Antioquia. She has a master's degree in community social psychology. She is a specialist in social and political processes that seek equality, equity and inclusion and has dedicated herself to promoting initiatives that ensure women's participation in all spheres. She is an active member of feminist collectives that advocate for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, as well as for ensuring women's political participation, such as Artemisas (Network of innovation and political advocacy of women from different regions of Colombia), the Sophias Foundation (socially political women), and as co-leader of Colombia in Amassuru (Professional Network of Women in Security and Defence in Latin America and the Caribbean). She is currently the Women's Councillor of the District Council of Citizen Participation for the period 2024 - 2028 in Medellín, Antioquia.
Silvia Sánchez is a Nicaraguan criminal lawyer. She currently lives and works in Spain. After working for the Public Prosecutor's Office in Nicaragua (2002-2011), she worked as an external criminal advisor for several local law firms with a regional presence in Central America. She has an impeccable professional career of more than twenty years in which she has stood out for her rigorous and reliable handling of highly complex matters.
She is an Expert in Economic Crime (School of Legal Practice, Complutense University of Madrid), Security Intelligence Analysis (Autonomous University of Madrid), General Theory of Crime (Autonomous University of Madrid) and Conflict Analysis and Peace Building (School of Government, Complutense University of Madrid).
She works as a researcher and independent legal advisor on issues related to criminal proceedings in Central America, citizen security and due process of law, economic and environmental crime, corporate crime, and has published articles related to rights of women deprived of liberty in Latin America, shadow economy in Latin America, racial or ethnic profiling, among other topics.
Credits
Interviewees: Sonia Cardona and Silvia Sanchez
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Translation: Daniela Cortés Vargas
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken by AudioWay (freesound.org)
Additional sounds: CarlosCarty (freesound.org),sgossner (freesound.org)
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In the first episode of our three-part Legacy Series with Pan-African feminist Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, we trace the early years of her journey from her birth in Liverpool in 1963 to formative experiences in both England and Nigeria. Bisi reflects on the activism and resistance that shaped her identity and her path into feminist work, grounded in the pursuit of justice and dignity. This episode charts her movement from academia and civil service to leadership with Akina Mama wa Afrika and the African Women’s Development Fund, laying the foundation for her transnational feminist legacy
Bio
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Feminist Activist, Gender and Development Practitioner, Policy Advocate, Leadership Coach, Philanthropist, Image Management Specialist, and Writer. She has a BA (1984) and MA (1988) in History from the University of Ife, Nigeria (now Obafemi Awolowo University). She also received an MA in Gender and Society (1992) from Middlesex University, UK.
Bisi served as the Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), an international development organisation for African women based in London, UK, with an Africa regional office in Kampala, Uganda, from 1991-2001. While she was the Director of AMwA, she established the African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI), a training, capacity building and networking forum for young African women which has produced well over 10,000 women leaders across Africa. She co-founded the African Women's Development Fund, (AWDF) and served as the first CEO from 2001-2010. Bisi was one of the founders of the African Feminist Forum and was a member of the AFF Working Group from 2005-2016.
Bisi has served as Trustee, Comic Relief (UK) (1998-2001), Co-Chair, International Network of Women's Funds (PROSPERA) (2004-2006); President, Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) (2003-2005); Board Member, Women’s Funding Network (2009-2012), Board Member and Programs Committee Chair, Global Fund for Women (2012-2016). She is also one of the founders of the African Grantmakers Network which is now African Philanthropy Network in 2009.
As First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria (2010-2014 and 2018-2022) she used her platform to influence legal and policy frameworks, for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls. She is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Center, King’s College, London, and serves on several boards such as the African Women’s Development Fund, St Ive’s Communications (owners of Women Radio), the Women’s Leadership Board at the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement.
Bisi is the author of ‘Speaking for Myself’: Perspectives on Social, Political and Feminist Activism in Africa (2013), ‘Speaking above a Whisper’, (2013) an autobiography, ‘Loud Whispers’ (2017), ‘Where is your Wrapper?’ (2020), ‘Demand and Supply’ (2023) and ‘A Tray of Locust Beans (2023). She also co-edited ‘Voice, Power and Soul’, with Jessica Horn (2008) a compilation of images and stories of African Feminists.
Credits
Interviewee: Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken by AudioWay, freesound.org; Hard Living by John Bartman, freemusicarchive.org
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
This is the third and final part of our legacy series conversation with Kaari Murungi. In this episode we explore Kaari’s legacy as co-founder of the Urgent Action Fund, her pioneering work in feminist philanthropy, and advancing women’s rights in conflict zones. Kaari also shares her reflections on Truth and Reconciliation commissions and processes, the place and process of leadership transition, and her advice to the next generation of feminists.
Bio
Betty Kaari Murungi is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a longstanding gender equality, social justice and peace advocate. Kaari has considerable experience in international criminal justice and accountability mechanisms and has worked in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Northern Uganda, South Sudan and her native country Kenya. Murungi co-founded the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Africa and served as the founding director growing and steering the fund successfully for eight years. Ms. Murungi has served in the following capacities: Vice Chairperson and Commissioner to the Kenya Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (2009-2010); Africa representative on the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court (2009-2013); Gender Advisor to President Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana and Chair of Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission – JMEC- South Sudan ( 2016); Senior Transitional Justice Advisor, JMEC, South Sudan (2017-2018); member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (July 2018- March 2019).
Credits
Interviewee: Betty Kaari Murungi
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Rockets by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
Content note: Listeners are advised that this episode contains graphic descriptions of the aftermath of genocide crimes.
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In Part 2 of our legacy series with Betty Kaari Murungi, we confront the difficult but vital realities of her work—documenting atrocities, seeking justice, and shaping global conversations on gender accountability. From witnessing the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide to advocating for survivors at the ICC, Kaari shares her experiences at the frontlines of international justice. We also explore the emotional toll of this work and the often-overlooked need for care, both for survivors and those fighting on their behalf.
Bio
Betty Kaari Murungi is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a longstanding gender equality, social justice and peace advocate. Kaari has considerable experience in international criminal justice and accountability mechanisms and has worked in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Northern Uganda, South Sudan and her native country Kenya. Murungi co-founded the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Africa and served as the founding director growing and steering the fund successfully for eight years. Ms. Murungi has served in the following capacities: Vice Chairperson and Commissioner to the Kenya Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (2009-2010); Africa representative on the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court (2009-2013); Gender Advisor to President Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana and Chair of Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission – JMEC- South Sudan ( 2016); Senior Transitional Justice Advisor, JMEC, South Sudan (2017-2018); member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (July 2018- March 2019).
Credits
Interviewee: Betty Kaari Murungi
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Rockets by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
Additional sounds: Kigali Suburbs by Rwanda SFX Library/Bardman; footsteps by kyles, Industrial Drone by Jovica, freesound.org
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
This is the first part of a three-episode conversation with Betty Kaari Murungi as part of our ongoing Legacy Series. In this episode, Kaari shares with us the early events that shaped her deep commitment to justice, from her childhood in Chogoria to her days as a student at the University of Nairobi. We’ll also discuss her experiences navigating colonial-era schools, her decision to study law, and her reflections on citizenship, responsibility, and activism in today’s world.
Bio
Betty Kaari Murungi is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a longstanding gender equality, social justice and peace advocate. Kaari has considerable experience in international criminal justice and accountability mechanisms and has worked in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Northern Uganda, South Sudan and her native country Kenya. Murungi co-founded the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Africa and served as the founding director growing and steering the fund successfully for eight years. Ms. Murungi has served in the following capacities: Vice Chairperson and Commissioner to the Kenya Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (2009-2010); Africa representative on the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims at the International Criminal Court (2009-2013); Gender Advisor to President Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana and Chair of Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission – JMEC- South Sudan ( 2016); Senior Transitional Justice Advisor, JMEC, South Sudan (2017-2018); member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (July 2018- March 2019).
Credits
Interviewee: Betty Kaari Murungi
Interviewer: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken by AudioWay, freesound.org; Rockets by Ketsa, freemusicarchive.org
FCRJ Director Awino Okech shares the rationale for setting up the legacy series.
Credits
Speaker: Awino Okech
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Intro, by Red Roses Realm, www.instagram.com/redrosesrealm/
Legacy Series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In the third and final episode with Sarah Mukasa, Awino discusses her transition to global philanthropy. Sarah explores the complexities of navigating private philanthropy as someone from the majority world, and the tensions between donor rhetoric and practice. Sarah concludes with her hopes for African feminist organising, and her message to younger feminists.
Bio
Sarah Mukasa is a Pan African feminist with over fifteen years of experience in leadership and management at senior levels in the not-for-profit sector in Africa and Europe. Sarah has worked with the Open Society Foundations as Deputy Director for OSIEA, Division Head of the Women’s Programme at Open Society Foundations – Africa, the Director of Programmes at the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) where she oversaw and operationalised the growth of the organisation to become one of the largest women’s funds and the head of Akina Mama wa Afrika in Uganda. She has written extensively on human rights, women’s rights, social justice and development, and has provided consultancy services to several agencies such as the Ford Foundation, DANIDA, Concern Worldwide, Action Aid International and the Judicial Services Commission of Uganda.Interviewee: Sarah Mukasa
Credits
Interviewer:Awino Okech
Interviewee: Sarah Mukasa
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken RNB Instrumental by The Audio Way; Can't Touch Me by Ketsa
About the series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
In part 2 of the three part conversation with Sarah Mukasa, we hear her insights on the creation of the African Feminist Forum, investments in feminist leadership, and the African Grantmakers Network.
Bio
Sarah Mukasa is a Pan African feminist with over fifteen years of experience in leadership and management at senior levels in the not-for-profit sector in Africa and Europe. Sarah has worked with the Open Society Foundations as Deputy Director for OSIEA, Division Head of the Women’s Programme at Open Society Foundations – Africa, the Director of Programmes at the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) where she oversaw and operationalised the growth of the organisation to become one of the largest women’s funds and the head of Akina Mama wa Afrika in Uganda. She has written extensively on human rights, women’s rights, social justice and development, and has provided consultancy services to several agencies such as the Ford Foundation, DANIDA, Concern Worldwide, Action Aid International and the Judicial Services Commission of Uganda.
Credits
Interviewer:Awino Okech
Interviewee: Sarah Mukasa
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken RNB Instrumental by The Audio Way; Can't Touch Me by Ketsa
About the legacy series
The legacy series is a long form conversation with senior feminists. These conversations take place over three or four episodes tracing feminist journeys and lessons over time.
About the episode
This is a three-part conversation with Sarah Mukasa as part of the legacy series. Awino Okech talks to Sarah over three episodes about her life, feminism and legacy.
Bio
Sarah Mukasa is a Pan African feminist with over fifteen years of experience in leadership and management at senior levels in the not-for-profit sector in Africa and Europe. Sarah has worked with the Open Society Foundations as Deputy Director for OSIEA, Division Head of the Women’s Programme at Open Society Foundations – Africa, the Director of Programmes at the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) where she oversaw and operationalised the growth of the organisation to become one of the largest women’s funds and the head of Akina Mama wa Afrika in Uganda. She has written extensively on human rights, women’s rights, social justice and development, and has provided consultancy services to several agencies such as the Ford Foundation, DANIDA, Concern Worldwide, Action Aid International and the Judicial Services Commission of Uganda.
Credits
Interviewer:Awino Okech
Interviewee: Sarah Mukasa
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing, additional scripting, production: Ellan A. Lincoln-Hyde
Music: Broken RNB Instrumental by The Audio Way; Can't Touch Me by Ketsa
Spotlight on Feminist Movement Building School
Over three episodes we will converse with four participants from our second Feminist Movement Builders School convened in partnership with Just Associates in August 2024.
About the episode
In episode 18, Nadia Asri sits down with feminist activist, Ann K. Holland to discuss the importance of youth involvement and inclusion in feminist and social justice spaces and how reclaiming anti-feminist rhetoric can be empowering.
Bio
Ann K Holland, is a dedicated advocate for gender equality and social justice from Zambia, who has tirelessly championed the rights of women, children, minority groups for over a decade. As the founder and director of Sistah Sistah Foundation and Feminist Climate, she intertwines her activism with her pursuit of a bachelor's degree in law to amplify her impact in the field of women's rights. Ann has spearheaded influential initiatives such as the Feminist Festival in Zambia and pioneered the country's first Feminist Comic. Ann's endeavors include leading impactful marches and campaigns against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), advocating for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and driving societal awareness and change.
Credits
Interviewee:Ann K. Holland
Interviewer: Nadia Asri
Produced by:The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design and editing: Almaz Anderson
Spotlight on Transnational Research Collaboratory
In episode 17, Lydia Ayame Hiraide is joined by Dr. Phoebe Kisubi Mbasalaki to discuss her involvement with ‘Queer and trans exiles: Dis/connections of home’.
They explore queer & trans organising in the face of discriminatory policies, and explore how the project takes an interdisciplinary approach of creative participatory action research that centres on documentary filmmaking, where creativity becomes the vocabulary or medium through which research is engaged with.
Dr Phoebe Kisubi Mbasalaki is a lecturer in the department of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Intimate Sexual Citizenship at the University of Essex. She has previously taught on gender studies programs at the African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town and Graduate Gender Studies Program, Utrecht University. Her research interests are in critical race, gender, class, sexuality, creative activism, public health as well as decolonial thought and praxis.
In 2024-2025, FCRJ is supporting five transnational research projects. Our transnational research collaboratory fosters connections between academics and social justice movements around FCRJ’s interconnected fields of inquiry, with the goal of co-creating research methodologies and outcomes that cultivate feminist and racially just worlds.
Interviewee: Phoebe Kisubi Mbasalaki
Interviewer: Lydia Ayame Hiraide
Produced by: The Feminist Centre for Racial Justice
Sound design, editing: Almaz Anderson