Feminist Republik and Africans Rising present: A partnership to honor and celebrate women's greatness

The Feminist Republik initiative was set up to support African women human rights defenders and bring solidarity around issues of individual and collective care. It was created by Urgent Action Fund - Africa. As a feminist fund, it was influenced by grantmaking trends that revealed that the situation of African women human rights defenders, in their quest for social justice, was becoming increasingly difficult, violent and repressive. The rise of fundamentalist thinking, repressive regimes, and increasing restrictions on rights and freedom of expression meant that they needed more holistic support that addressed their need for security, well-being, and collective care to strengthen their resistance to oppression and discrimination.

The Feminist Republik Platform has established Pamoja Month - Pamoja is a Swahili word meaning "we are together", and this transcends the simple fact of being together and suggests the need to reconnect with our sense of interest - our sense of Ubuntu. Pamoja Month is an opportunity for us to honor and pay tribute to the lives and work of African women defending human rights. Our sense of resistance and resilience did not begin today, it is germinated in the minds of those who came before us and who decided to always fight for justice and freedom.

The partnership between Feminist Republik and Africans Rising aims to raise, celebrate and honor the voices and lives of African women and feminists who, through their stories, words and reflection, share the wisdom, understanding and practices of caring and healing for ourselves and our communities in our quest for rights and freedom.

Through blogs, articles, and reflections, we hope to illuminate and highlight the countless giants who have contributed immeasurably to transforming us to embody cultures rooted in and centered on radical justice and care.

We hope we can count on your commitment.

In Solidarity!

The rise of Africans and the feminist republic