A Call to Action for Human Rights

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By Ruth Ajawu

Human rights are fundamental rights and freedoms that every person is entitled to, regardless of their nationality, sex, race, religion, or any other status. These rights are based on principles of dignity, equality, and respect. They encompass civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, ensuring that every individual can live a life of freedom, justice, and dignity.

Lessons for African Youth: Gender Equality

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By Adetayo Adetokun

Lesson 7: Gender Equality

Gender equality is a fundamental human right, and the seventh lesson for young African youth is a call to champion this cause. Africa, like the rest of the world, has made significant strides in advancing gender equality, but there is still much work to be done.

The Film Hangout: A Screening of ‘I Am Not A Witch’ by Rungano Nyoni

Film Enthusiasts at the Film Hangout in Abuja

By Marire Adebanjo

Every last Saturday of every quarter, Film Rats Club organizes a hangout for film enthusiast in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. On October 28, 2023, ‘I Am Not A Witch’ was screened. This hangout was anchored by Tobi Marho and was held at the Hearts Heartist Creative Centre. 

Revolutionizing Equality, Freedom, and Justice

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By Cynthia Umeh

The world frequently feels divided. Therefore the ideas of equality, freedom, and justice for all have evolved from buzzwords to crucial cornerstones of a just and fair society. For centuries, these values have served as the guiding lights of democracies and human rights movements around the world. 

Power to the People

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By Adetayo Adetokun

Africa's political landscape is a canvas painted with a troubling array of hues – stolen mandates, rigged elections, embezzlement of public funds, waves of protests, and a disregard for human rights. Within this complex portrait, power often eclipses the needs of the very people it should serve. This blog embarks on a comprehensive exploration of Africa's intricate political challenges, peeling back the layers of deceit and injustice that have seeped into the continent's governance. The reverberations of these fraudulent practices are profound, eroding trust in institutions and perpetuating cycles of instability.

Allow Us to Re-Introduce Ourselves

Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People (‘Shades of Us’) is a non-profit organization using storytelling to address the socio-economic issues affecting Africa, Africans and people of African descent. This is with a view to facilitating open and honest conversations that lead to introspection, analysis and perspective change towards the greater goal of a redefined continent and people.

Women's Rights in Conferring Citizenship

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by Emono Bwacha

A citizen of a country is basically someone who has legal ties to that country. One of the most common definitions of citizenship is that it is “the sum total of rights and duties ensuing for a given person by reason of his legal affiliation to a certain State”^[1] The concept of citizenship legally ties an individual to a particular region or country. As a direct result, the individual has obligations to said region or country and in return, the region or country grants the individual rights to enjoy as a citizen.

The Agony of Water Scarcity

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THROUGH THE EYES OF OJONUGWA YAHAYA

INTRODUCTION

Located in an atmosphere of serenity and decorated with the rich savannah vegetation, the communal life and practice of trade by barter is still held with great prestige in the community of Ojokpachi-Odo. 

When No One Is Looking

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As long as I can remember, I have always cared about the issues that affect Africa, Africans, and people of African descent, with special focus on how these issues affect women and children. Even as a child in primary school, I can remember expressing anger at people who treated women and children poorly and standing up for the girls in my class. It would not be far-fetched to assume I was born this way, having what can be described as a gnawing need to lend my voice to women's and children’s issues.

Cancel Culture

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If you have been using social media for any length of time, it is quite possible that you have heard (or used) the term, ‘Cancel Culture’. Like ‘misogyny’, ‘patriarchy’, ‘feminism’, ‘human rights’, this phrase is one of the buzz words of this generation that gets thrown around when heated socio-cultural issues are being debated – or fought over – on social media. It has become so predominant that many dictionaries now carry a definition for the phrase.

So, what is cancel culture? Dictionary.com has one of the more encompassing definitions.

Do Sex Workers 'Deserve' Abuse?

Image: Indonesia Expat

Disclaimer: This post has lurid details of sex.

I was scrolling through my timeline on Facebook when I stumbled on a post which, under other circumstances, would have thrown me off. The thumbnail was a naked black girl on all fours with what I could deduce was sperm on her face. Normally, I wouldn’t watch such videos and would report it to Facebook to be taken down for being sexually explicit content, but the caption stayed my scrolling fingers.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Not Just A Dreamer

Our man crush is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. He was an American Baptist minister and human rights activist. He was also a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.

Minding Your Business

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One of our previous posts, Accept Your Husband Like That, received some praise, a healthy discussion and some backlash. We were very happy! If we have people talking about the issue, we must have done a good job. But before we tell you more about our glee, let us discuss some of the issues raised.

Tolerance

Tolerance
Picture Culled from: ODYSSEY 

Tolerance.

Noun

tol•er•ance \ˈtä-lə-rən(t)s, ˈtäl-rən(t)s\

: Willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

A relatively simple word.

Why then is so hard to understand?

Why is it so difficult to apply in our everyday lives?

International Day for the Girl Child

Carefree Girls: What we aspire for every girl in the world.
Image: Unsplash.

Today, Shades of Us joins the world in commemorating the International Day for the Girl Child!

We believe every girl deserves the following;

Attacking Christians

I have always believed in, and respected the rights of every human being, as I expect my rights to be respected. Though I treat all basic human rights equally, I am partial to the rights to life, freedom, dignity of person, and freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, and expression. I believe in the fundamental principle that my rights should not impinge on another’s and vice versa.

We May All Be Bigots!

Four people holding quote movies.
Image: Pexels.

Bigot (noun) big·ot \ˈbi-gət\ {Merriam Webster Dictionary}

: a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc. : a bigoted person; especially : a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)

Bigotry [big-uh-tree]. Noun. Plural bigotries {Dictionary.com}

1. Stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.

2. The actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot.