A while ago I discovered the Ugandan based force of nature that is ‘No White Saviors’. Three women, operating from Africa for Africans, redefining the positive impact that social media can have.
NWS is actively challenging the ideologies and institutions that have presented themselves as harmless for decades. No White Saviors unapologetically removes the colonial bandage, so we can see the horrors that are still being inflicted.
Following No White Saviors has truly been a roller-coaster of continuous learning.
Learning about the illegal and harmful industry surrounding transracial adoption that is terrorizing African families. The pitfalls of white missionaries that mostly operate from a sense of entitlement and privilege. Or that an eighteen-year-old homeschooled white girl from America with no medical training ran an unlicensed medical clinic in Uganda! Claiming she had a ‘God-given’ vision…
These individual problems are mostly intersectional and are further empowered by us here in the west and our toxic view of Africa.
I myself had to learn that my black skin does not make me a natural ally of Africa. And to progress forward I had to unlearn a lot of the toxics notions that are widely believed here [The Netherlands].
The idea that Africa needs the world is very outdated. And No White Saviors is roaring it out loud for anybody that needs to hear it.
I will leave you with a piece of advice, courtesy of NWS, that has changed my attitude toward being confronted with new information. “If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not listening”