Girls Resist – West Africa | #GirlsResistWA

The person sharing this story would like to remain anonymous. They are from West Africa, have fought for themselves, and are now doing the same for others. For our  conversation, we’ll use Anonymous to refer to them. 

In this interview, Anonymous first tells us about their childhood in West Africa as a young girl who liked cartoons, music, and wearing pants and combat boots instead of dresses and skirts. Then they resisted first for their sexuality and later for creating safe spaces for other marginalised people in our heteronormative and patriarchal society. 

This four-part conversation is part of our Girls Resist – West Africa series, exploring stories of resistance from west African women. 

Trigger Warning: This conversation contains mentions of violence and abuse that may be triggering for readers. Kindly take a moment to decide if you want to keep reading. If you proceed, we encourage you to focus on your well-being and stop reading at any point if you need to. 

Our four-part conversation with Anonymous:

Part 1: “I understood that I was different and I reconciled myself with it”

Part 2: “I don't want to be the kind of activist who picks sides and is not inclusive”

Part 3: “Resistance is having the power of questioning the system”

Part 4: “I think I've been able to free up voices”

Explore all the stories of the series here