We need to talk about feminism

“Feminism is about repairing and imagining a new way of changing the world.  It is not a set of demands, it’s about who we are,” in the words of activist and journalist Beatrix Campbell. Such a compelling call to action is surely something that we can all sign up to, isn’t it? The rallying cry for new social constructs and better political representation that is about the people, for the people.  The trouble is, too many of those terms are fluid, undefined and susceptible to manipulation if not misinterpretation – politics, identity, community, feminism.  Is it any wonder that we don’t know who we are or what we stand for, never mind knowing if we’re there yet?

From chaos comes order: Climate change and the case for hope

We’re blindly going where no-one has gone before.  Hurtling towards apocalyptic doom thanks to the industrial advances since the 18th century. The Anthropocene era is irrevocably changing the planet. But it doesn't have to be doom and gloom to the premature end.

Night terrors: The absurd theatre of sleeplessness

Agonising over sleep is a curse that afflicts a silent army of insomniacs every night.  It doesn’t even start in the night, more in the half-life of morning, around 3am, maybe 4am, and come 5am it’s a case of apocalyptic doom.  According to World Sleep Day's mantra, when 'sleep is sound, health and happiness abound'. Really?

Only nature can save us now

Irreversible species decline, catastrophic climate change, fresh water shortages and global food insecurity – it can be easy to despair when every day brings another slap in the face of a headline. With each new report, hope can disintegrate as surely as the ozone layer. But it doesn’t have to be like this – if we take the time to pause and reflect on the causes of despair, some say there is a chance we can save ourselves.

Women, know your place: Up front and ahead of the game

Here we are in 2015, approaching 90 years since women got the vote, being urged to celebrate all that we’ve achieved in honour of International Women’s Day. And there’s a lot to celebrate – we are not only more visible, we are also playing more of a leading role in society, politics, the economy and the arts.  However, there’s no denying that the struggle isn’t over, we’ve a long way to go yet.

My story: Recalling the journeys of the Ugandan Asian Diaspora

If days are where we live our lives then stories are where we remember them.  Whether fact or fiction, the telling of tales is one of the most compelling ways to chart journeys and worlds discovered by people Other than ourselves. As children, we relish fairy tales that introduce us to the concept of morality and allow us to invest hope and expectation in imaginary people and their adventures. 

Foggy bridges, clouded minds: Can art make us care for Earth?

It’s fairly evident that we’re a selfish bunch — developing technologies that help us live as fast and hard as possible, spending money on products that will prolong pleasure if not life itself (though that’s also a heavily financed desperate pursuit), mining foreign lands for all they’re worth, all with relatively little regard for the long term consequences.  But what of those consequences, and do we care enough to react?

Why I went back to vegetarianism

Buoyed on by Morrissey’s pronouncement that Meat is Murder, a love of animals, and a rampantly militant attitude towards anything conformist (i.e.: I was a moody teenager), in 1993 I swore never to eat another living creature again. For ten years I lived by that oath, embracing lentils, tofu and quinoa, riding the hippy wave of independent spirit that every generation mistakes as unique to itself.  Ten years later, I did the terrible thing that my teenage self would have hated me for — I started to eat fish. 

How photography captures more than just a moment

Good photography not only tells a story but prompts a series of questions about the subject — what happened to make that woman’s face so cragged, what happened to the child after the photographer turned away, how did that landscape become so ravaged, what’s going on inside the rooms of that building reflected on the shiny surface of that skyscraper?

Picturing the past: How Uganda changed one family’s fortune

Nearly all the families who belong to the Ugandan Asian Diaspora have either a collection of photographs or a series of tired-looking but carefully-preserved albums in which their past is visually documented. Photographs were one of the few things that were not confiscated by Idi Amin’s military as the Asian community reluctantly and with heavy hearts checked out through Entebbe Airport in October 1972.

Immigration & moral imagination: The role of fiction in asserting the facts

What does it mean to be an immigrant? How does it feel to leave your family behind in a state of crisis while you flee to a foreign land? How do you reconcile your past with your new present when integrating with a different culture? With so much talk - and misunderstanding - about immigration in the public and political spheres, these are questions that sorely warrant closer investigation.

6 reasons why writing is a skill everyone should cultivate

The question of what motivates and inspires writers has enduring appeal for anyone eager to pursue the creative life. It also reveals some fascinating insights from which anyone can benefit. We all have a story to tell, as individuals, organisations, communities, societies, businesses. And just like any story, if it’s interesting enough and told well, people will listen.

Who are we and does it even matter?

How many of us really think about the different components of our being — our identity as determined by our own actions and beliefs, and who we are as perceived by others? For most of us, it isn't until we face a struggle in life — for the right to justice, equality, political representation, even the basic struggle as experienced by all of us at one time or another to belong — that our identity starts to matter in dramatic ways.

Surviving rape: Life as a refugee woman

“It was the toughest moment of my life.  I was pregnant against my wishes as a result of rape, going to an unknown country, with no support. But I had to face reality.” Speaking from the coffee shack she runs in Nairobi, Jenet recalls the day she stood alone on the border of Ethiopia and Kenya, aged 17.  It was just one critical moment on a traumatic journey that would see her subjected to multiple sexual assaults over the next four years.

The changing face of development

High up in the majestic rolling hills of Rwanda sit some 100 men and women discussing how they intend to tackle the challenges that have beset progress in this remote village where soil erosion, poor harvests, heavy rainfall, precarious roads and lack of electricity are the norm. From improving their crop yields, to a desire for social structure, the people of Siganiro are eager for change.