How my late grandmother, Veronica Isieke, defended the rights of rural women to own land and feed families

Growing under the watch of a focused, fearless, and nature-friendly grandmother contributed largely to my love for nature and belief that women have a right that should be preserved and respected.

How Uganda’s ecofeminists are fighting back against oil-industry land grabs

But despite women bearing the heaviest burden as primary farmers, they own only 7% of land and are marginalized in any decision-making on how the land is used. The lack of land-ownership means women do not benefit from compensation packages offered by infrastructure developments.

How a Native American Coming-of-Age Ritual is Making a Comeback

As one Ojibwe cultural leader recently told me, after a berry fast, the young woman is looked up to as a “leader” by her peers. It is “a beautiful and intentional year-long consideration of the power of womanhood,” she said.

Blockchain, Feminism and Affective P2P

Step by step, I can see little advances in people’s mentalities, or in local politics. For example, recently the Madrid council has received a UN Public Service prize for a collaborative free software platform called Decide Madrid. It is an excellent sign and means that our work and efforts working in the commons are important and can provoke social change.

Zapatista Women Inspire the Fight against Patriarchy

Women’s participation in Mexico’s 25-year-old Zapatista National Liberation Army, or EZLN movement, has represented an incredible organizational achievement since its original uprising in 1994. On International Women’s Day, the female militants of the EZLN did not fail to meet expectations when welcoming 7,000 people to the “First International Political, Artistic, Sports, and Cultural Encounter for Women who Struggle.”

Game Over?

In October last year, a volcano went off in the conversation around gender and power. You most likely heard it. Catalysed by courageous first person accounts of sexual harassment and assault, Harvey Weinstein – one of the biggest executives in filmmaking – was forced from his place of power in Hollywood while a wave of empathy and solidarity with those who spoke out swept across social media via the #MeToo campaign.