Let's Talk About the F Word!

[@irenenamarah]

Thank you, Penny and Kemi for this beautiful episode on the Hall of Femme. You have talked about something that has been weighing on my mind lately. The African women writers of non-fiction. I'm currently helping a client research for his PhD and the first thing I realized in the very first month is how few African women writers are available as sources to quote or even code from. I was especially bothered by this that I made a conscious decision to give women writers/researchers priority, a decision my client was really excited about because it brought a fresh perspective to his research paper. It also took me on a journey I should have started long ago, which is to read as much from female writers as possible esp when it comes to theory and academics. I never knew there were so many African women to quote from until this year. Perhaps this ignorance stems from either African writers or publishers not doing much work in marketing female works of non-fiction, or we the potential consumers still have the gender bias of thinking African women are better at sharing stories than they are at sharing knowledge or theories. Whichever it is, I hope that one day it will be broadly discussed on the Hall of Femme. By the way, you forgot to mention Primah Kwagala, she also has written some very amazing work.

[@femmeforteuganda]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experience, Irene. We are glad to hear that your efforts have not only benefited your client's PhD research but have also sparked a personal journey of discovery for you. Your decision to prioritize women writers and researchers is not only commendable but also enriches the academic discourse with diverse perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked. And thank you for mentioning Primah Kwagala!