Minna Salami is a Nigerian, Finnish and Swedish writer, blogger and speaker. She is the founder of the feminist blog, MsAfropolitan, which connects feminism with contemporary culture from an Africa-centered perspective. Referred to as “one of the key feminist voices of our times”, Minna is listed alongside Angelina Jolie and Michelle Obama as one of '12 women changing the world' by ELLE Magazine. She is the author of Sensuous Knowledge (Zed/Harper Collins US), forthcoming in 2019.
Through her blog, Minna is a frequently sought speaker at international platforms from the European Parliament to Yale University to the Oxford Union as well as the BBC, Channel 4 and Al Jazeera. Minna is a contributor to Guardian Opinion and writes a monthly column for the Guardian Nigeria titled “Gender Politics.” She has also contributed to The Observer, The Royal Society of the Arts Journal, The Independent, Al Jazeera and New Internationalist. She sits on the Editorial Board of The Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Sahel.
Her detailed bio is available here.
Synopsis of Minna’s 2018 Women’s Caucus Luncheon talk:
“Blue is a Feminine Color in Africa”
From the myth of the goddess Asi of Liberia to women’s ritualistic use of the blue gemstone Lapis Lazuli in Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and the indigo blue Adire of Yorubaland, many historical African representations of the color blue as a powerful color are linked to the female sex. By contrast, in contemporary westernized global culture, blue as a powerful color is associated with the male sex. When a baby boy is born, a majority of products targeting him – cards, clothes, blankets, feeding bottles, toys, etc. – are blue. Africans have imported the latter narra
tive, but even in the western tradition, as the originally blue-clothed portrayals of the Virgin Mary show, the color blue has a more complex history. The talk will intertwine myth, history, culture, feminist theory, scientific research and personal observation for a new and fascinating exploration of the feminist principle that “gender is a construct”. It will show how we are deeply conditioned into our identities as male and female but also, within an African context, how we also are freer and less constricted to gender norms than is generally believed.
The 2018 Women’s Caucus Luncheon and Lecture Saturday, December 1st 12:45-2:00pm
Purchase tickets for the Women’s Caucus Luncheon here.