This edition and return of New Wave is dedicated to the late Wanjiku Kamau, a colleague and comrade who passed earlier this year, during the pandemic. All those who you met, you have touched and inspired. We will never forget your fierceness, joy, and your dedication to collective liberation.
I’ve taken a long break from writing. And I’ve also taken a long break from my work in the “human rights/nonprofit/foundation” space. Many of you have noticed that New Wave has been on hiatus. Truthfully, I didn’t know if or when I would be back here. I quite simply burnt out earlier this year - from my ambition to grow this project and take it off Substack, from the NGO-industrial complex that has disappointed me one time too many, and from the pandemic in general. I was also experiencing some characteristics of “languishing”, as some experts have defined it - put simply, I didn’t want to do anything at all. I went into automatic pilot mode, perhaps an automatic kind of healing journey. I turned to music and for the first time in my life, began to rely solely on my DJing and record sales for income. That’s a whole other story, but it has been, and continues to be, incredibly nourishing and fulfilling. But I knew that something about my work at New Wave was unfinished. Sometimes, when people asked me when I would come back to this newsletter, I would gulp back tears. My work here isn’t over.
I’ve updated the About page as I will also incorporate an intergenerational aspect into this newsletter that is still aimed towards younger feminists and their supporters. And I will begin to interview more feminist artists and independent creators alongside feminist activists, which was also my original intention. As I try to cultivate a sense of hope again inside of me, I know that so many feminist communities around the world are doing the same, and we can try to do so together. In that attempt, there is meaning.
“Do not be afraid to disappear for a while… and see what comes to you in the silence.” - Michaela Coel
Your art will save your life
Welcome back ♥️