Can Feminism be African?

In this shining, powerful polemic, Minna Salami opens up a new view of gender equality through two simple questions. What happens when we consider feminism through an African lens, and Africa through a feminist one?



Why does feminism matter in Africa and how does African feminism relate to black liberation and global feminism? What does African feminism show about the individual and belonging? What are the challenges and opportunities of African feminism? Can African feminism transform society, or does postcolonial African identity clash with women’s freedom? Is there a tension in the very notion African feminist?


In its short but impactful history, the feminist movement of Africa has been met with a vicious backlash and antagonism. The backlash has both strengthened and derailed the ambitions of African heritage feminists. Bringing social criticism and personal narrative together, Can Feminism be African? shows how patriarchy and culture stifle feminist spirit – and how we search through language, history, and soul to reawaken it.


Written in the tradition of The Right to Sex, The Soul of a Woman, Of Africa and other books that unwaveringly ask the hard questions about feminist- and/or African revolution, Can Feminism be African? exactingly explores feminist awakening in relation to Africa.


In a first of its kind book, author and social critic Minna Salami guides readers through a thought-provoking and emerging world of feminist thought.