Art as Resistance: African Women Reclaiming Gender Justice
African women are turning art into a weapon of defiance. They are proving that art isn’t just expression, it’s resistance, reclamation, and transformation. On Tuesday, 24 March 2026, the African Creative Action Network (ACAN) hosted a virtual conversation titled “Women in Creative Activism: Using Art to Champion Gender Justice”. Moderated by Felicity Asibi Akwa, interim secretary at ACAN, the dialogue featured two powerhouse creative activists, Teniola Nafisat Balogun, a poet and sports enthusiast, and Ngozi Juliet Omenyima, poet and community mobilizer.
Ngozi affirmed that every woman, regardless of age, race or physical attributes, has the right to choose her own path, as long as it harms no one. Yet, she noted, women are often silenced, forced to endure terrible experiences. Her weapon is Poetry and storytelling. She weaves subtle resistance to patriarchy, never confronting it head-on but letting the truth speak through rhythm and narrative.
Teniola echoed this sentiment, describing art as an important drive for social change. She recalled a campus performance on gender-based violence, blending research with creativity to make the issue visceral. “Art makes injustice visible, easy and personal,” she said. It evokes emotion, reaches places policy cannot, and invites co-creation, especially in digital spaces.
Both speakers highlighted how gender, class, age and race intersect to disarm women through traditional narratives. Ngozi uses poems to re-portray these injustices, while Teniola believes art carries ideas to the heart of communities, sparking empathy and action.
The conversation didn’t shy away from obstacles on the frontline:
- Right platforms & safe spaces: It is Hard to find avenues that amplify without endangering voices.
- Funding scarcity: Creative activism often operates on shoestring budgets.
- Security issues: Threats arise when art challenges power structures.
- Institutional pushback: Tension between being heard and being accepted, creating resistance.
Key recommendations and advice to young creative activists include employing targeted digital strategies:
- Never lose purpose: Art must stay rooted in activism.
- Make activism effective: Use strategies that reach target audiences and engage stakeholders.
- Navigate governance: Avoid problems with the government by smart, strategic collaboration.
The dialogue closed with the reading of two powerful poems, one titled “Justice for the Female Gender”, a rallying cry against gender discrimination. Participants left inspired, ready to wield art as a torch for gender justice.
As ACAN continues to amplify these voices, the continent moves closer to a world where every brushstroke, lyric, and story rewrites the narrative of justice.
