Minna Salami

Minna Salami (born 1978) is a Finnish Nigerian journalist who has propagated information on African feminist issues, about the African diaspora, and Nigerian women through her award-winning blog MsAfropolitan, which she created and has been editing since 2010.

• Feminist is a person who believes that feminism is the best tool (movement, framework, ideology) for the cultural, political, sexual and psychological liberation of women, men and all genders.
  • Her definition of feminism

• ...I believe that if there is a purpose to life, then it is self-actualisation.
  • Her opinion on the use of the word ’empowered’ as a marketing tool

• At the end of the day, it is up to women to use and change the law to effect change. The law is our best weapon against patriarchy.
  • Way to solve the biggest challenges facing professional women

• We need to cultivate a culture where women feel the opposite of lack, namely a sense of wholeness.
  • Advice to women

• ....Equality should evidently be driven by other reasons than capitalism. It should be driven by visions of a holistic and prosperous society in which people of all genders gain satisfaction/value from their work.
  • Discourse about empowering women for the sake of economic growth

• You don’t need to claim power to understand that you have power. You don’t have to take power from other people to have it.
  • How the world needs to be changed

• I think we have to realise that we essentially have to unlearn everything we know, because society has so many problems: delusions about our purpose, our education, illusions about how religious life should be, illusions about what our relationship with the environment is - which is so damaged and abusive.
  • Illusions

• A lot of feminist movements, like all other political movements today, have got to the point where we think just shouting about stuff is enough. I think we need to think about the kind of qualities like diligence and strategy, and looking back at history and really looking at it in detail, to understand how patriarchy has been built so that we can ruin it.
  • Minna's opinion on the need for feminist movement to be smarter, by using brains, instead of bodies

• ...the way you shape and change people’s minds is through ideas.
  • How she is changing inequality values (11 March 2017)

• I believe the time for women’s revolution is now. And though there are young women who are trying to make it happen, but sadly, there are not enough of them.
  • Comparison between Nigerian women and women of the same generation in other more developed climes (2017)

• Women are more connected to the land and the land is where the riches are. Once we can understand this, we are a step closer to solving a myriad of issues.
  • Her view on how the government should look into doing good things for the girl child

• I believe we can change laws, but the important thing is to change our psychology to empower women, to tell the society that we can do what we want to, whether it’s getting an education, choosing to stay unmarried and so on.
  • Encouragement needed for women to surmount several obstacles and patriarchal mentality (March 2017)

• I believe Nigerian feminism is a humanist one, in the sense that it is about both inner and outer changes, compared to the West that is all about outer changes. Our feminism is expressed through art, writing, pottery and so on.
  • Brand of Nigeria feminism, and how it effectively works for Nigerian women and keeps perspective balanced

• There is nothing more fully human than having a voice and being able to do it publicly.
  • Reasons for few female writers when compared to the number of male writers

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Minna Salami