Reimagining Pan-African and feminist philanthropies: A vision for abundance

At a remarkable gathering in Lake Naivasha, Kenya and a defining moment for philanthropy, 100 African feminists, women’s funds and philanthropists gathered last month for an Indaba. Two hours’ drive from the capital Nairobi, the Indaba – a Zulu term for an important conference– could prove a defining moment for philanthropy. Charles Keidan reports.

Who gets to decide the philanthropy agenda – the dominant set of ideas, narratives and resources which shape not just philanthropy but the conversation about philanthropy? What place do pan-African and feminist movements have within that? And what place should they have?

To the African philanthropy practitioners – and several international funders – which were brought together by Urgent Action Fund – Africa (UAF-Africa) and Trust Africa for three days of intense debate, the answer was clear. It’s beyond time to build the power of pan-African and feminist philanthropies and challenge dominant ideas in philanthropy circles – rooted in capital acquisition and appropriation, patriarchy and white power.

The central question of the gathering was not whether but how to do this.

The conference began with a declaration of intent. ‘We’re aiming for powerful game-changing interventions and an ambitious programme’, Ebrima Sall, Executive Director of Trust Africa, told me before the meeting in an early indication that this movement meant business. ‘As philanthropy comes of age, we need institutions led by Africans and centring African agency in the issues facing the continent’. ‘This is deeply political work’ noted Njoki Njehu, the Board chair of UAF-Africa in the opening session.

What would this look like in practice, I wondered? Read more