Erelu Fayemi Meets Namibia’s Former First Lady
Former First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has joined over 300 women leaders from across Africa and the Diaspora at the 5th African Feminist Forum, AFF, held recently in Windhoek, Namibia.
The AFF, convened by the African Women’s Development Fund, AWDF, first held its meeting in Accra, Ghana in November 2006. Subsequent editions took place in Uganda in 2008, Senegal in 2010, and Zimbabwe in 2016. While regional convenings have been spaced out, national chapters have remained active in the interim.
This year’s forum brought together participants from at least 45 African countries for critical conversations on the state of women’s rights on the continent.
Key issues discussed included the global far-right backlash against women’s rights, economic justice, women in governance, protection of women human rights defenders, creation of safe spaces for women in communities, and the future of feminist organising.
A special issue of _Feminist Africa_, a peer-reviewed journal on feminist issues in Africa, was also launched at the forum.
Erelu Fayemi said she was honoured to contribute to the publication by sharing the story of the creation of the African Feminist Charter and the early years of the AFF.
“It was a pleasure to meet HE Monica Geingos, Former First Lady of Namibia, who attended the opening ceremony,” Erelu Fayemi stated.
She added that Madam Geingos also invited delegates to visit the One Economy Foundation, her initiative described as “an impressive, one-stop facility that serves the needs of underprivileged youth in Namibia.”
Closing her reflections on the forum, Erelu Fayemi offered a simple definition of feminism:
“Who is a Feminist? Someone who believes that women have rights, dignity, a voice and a future.”
The 5th AFF ended with calls for stronger solidarity among African feminists to resist rollbacks on gender gains and to push for policies that advance equality across the continent.
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