“International Women’s Day held on March 8th is a global day for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This day also calls for action for accelerating gender parity.”
The theme for IWD 2021 is to “choose to challenge” the status quo. We believe a challenged world is one like iron going through fire to produce a fine product. A challenged world will forge ahead in advancement and ensure grounds are gained in the movement for gender parity.
The three ways we can all support the creation of a gender-equal world are;
Celebrate women’s achievement
Raise Awareness against bias
Take action for equality and equity
At Mossonyi, our 2021 IWD theme focuses on uplifting and amplifying the voices of 7 ‘women creatives’- who are making groundbreaking contributions within their communities by using their creativity to advocate for a fairer world. Leveraging their platforms as a medium for positive influence to spread truth, knowledge and support small businesses. Reclaiming the narrative by telling stories in their own words and teaching practical skills ranging from confidence, sustainability to upcycling.
These formidable creatives deserve to have their work shouted from the mountain peak, and we are doing just that!
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, in no particular order, I present to you 7 women creatives challenging the norm and making positive impacts within their communities.
Creative Avant-Garde artist and Film Director Oge Ebguonu @ogetheyogi who is known for directing documentaries- ‘Eye in the sky’, ‘Loving’ and her most recent body of work, (In)Visible Portraits which has garnered much positive attention and been featured on OwnTV.
(In)Visible Portraits reclaims the power of telling the stories of Black women in their own words. Depicting moving, soul-touching images and unravelling an authentic narrative.
The making of this documentary appears to have been written in the stars-from Oge being apprehensive to direct this body of work, to finding a village of Black women rallying around her powerfully and supporting her on this Director journey. Oge describes her amazement when she received a random call notifying her of this opportunity, and then was offered a blank cheque to take on the lofty task of telling stories that include immense pain, maltreatment, body experimentation, back-breaking work and eventual triumph of Black ancestors.
During the process of creating this work, Oge narrates how she first had to “heal the pain” she was carrying after researching this harrowing history. A myriad of emotions were purged as she allowed herself the “grace and space” to heal from the stories, so as to present a “pure vessel” to deliver an emotive, raw and real documentary.
Oge in her calm but resolute nature uses her platform to soothe through meditation, empower and educate her audience. Engaging the power of storytelling in filmmaking to highlight the fact that “Black women and girls matter, they are beautiful, their existence is valid and they can become whoever they wish to become”.
When asked what she hopes the take-home from this documentary is, she replied “I hope Black women and girls feel seen and heard and know they matter”. “ My intention is for this documentary to feel like a love letter, first and foremost for Black women, and secondly to serve as a re-education to everyone else about the treatment of Black women”.
Her work has been featured and celebrated on multiple platforms, like OwnTV, Vogue, The LA times, Coveteur and Verity.
Oge’s star is rising high and we are here to support, amplify and uplift her work.
The Creative Director of AAKS, Akosua Afriyie-Kumi @a.a.k.s is a Kingston University graduate with a B. A (Hons) fashion degree, who has brought forth the finest artisan finished product, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and America. The production of these globally-loved pieces of fashion heaven is set in a small serene village in Ghana, where Akosua is keen to share the beauty of these ethically sourced raffia bags, which are joyfully handmade by empowered women within her community.
The methods used to craft these spectacular bags are unique to this region of Ghana, passed down from generation to generation, yet precise as fingers of women indigenous to this terrain sit in synergy, weaving gently and carefully. Infusing every strand of raffia with love, laughter and goodwill. Hallmarked by their distinctive fingerprints, putting a seal of quality to every leather-finished product.
“Since launching in 2014, A A K S has been shortlisted as an emerging designer from Africa by Vogue Italia, featured by Elle Decoration, Vogue, CNN, Forbes Woman Africa, Guardian UK and many international publications”.
Fashionable and sustainable is the way the fashion world’s future should look like and Akosua is leading on this path.
Founder and idea generator of My Bump Pay @mybumppay, Tobi Asare, a mum of 2, who is “smashing the glass ceilings” and supporting mothers in navigating their way back to the workplace. A mostly arduous task, after time away on maternity leave and a major life change. Tobi’s social media community of engaged followers benefit from a masterclass she teaches, which focuses on confidence in returning to work and offers practical tips on achieving career goals. Also, as a previous fashion blogger, she suggests fashion tips for mums to look their best at home and whilst at work.
Leveraging on her experience and expertise, Tobi has been able to successfully negotiate pay rises and secure job progression for mothers. Her website offers a vast amount of resources from preparing finances for a baby’s arrival to free maternity pay budget sheets. She advocates for every company to offer paid parental leave.
Tobi’s inspiration to create ‘My Bump Pay’ community platform comes from her work and motherhood experience, which was “a steep learning curve”. With little or no information available for this journey, she went about researching and pooling together valuable resources to support mums in building successful careers, amidst the challenges and barrier of entry working mothers face.
Her goal is to work closely with mums, offering unique tools, practical solutions and the confidence to achieve their career goals. Her mantra is “Whatever your goal is, keep it in sight. NEVER let being a mum stop you from going after your dreams”.
Tobi’s incredible work has deservedly received many accolades. She has been featured on Sheerluxe and interviewed by Made By Mammas Podcast, to name a few. She was recently recognised by Holly Tucker, Founder of Not on the High Street, in a rosette-wall-style admittance into the Holly.Co small business by Female Founders Hall of Fame. We raise our bubbly-filled glasses, celebrating Tobi’s excellence.
Los Angeles based sustainable fashion blogger and labour rights activist, Aditi Mayer @aditimayer is a speaker on topics on social justice and the decolonisation of fashion and culture.
She views “fashion and culture through the lens of intersectionality and decolonisation”, with a clear message that rings true- “sustainability must mean decolonisation”!
Witnessing how fashion globally functions in a colonial mode, where BIPOC are disproportionate in representation, Aditi sought to understand the “historical and sociopolitical underpinnings” that give the fashion world the right of passage to operate in such a manner, where exploitation of labour and the natural environment is the norm, thereby harming both individuals and our planet.
Aditi’s interest in fashion sustainability piqued after the ghastly 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory, which was an 8-story high garment factory in Bangladesh. Even though deep cracks were noticed in the building, there was pressure from senior management to continue production, regardless of conspicuous health and safety hazards. This sad event which claimed over 1000 lives was the catalyst for Aditi’s sojourn into the world of sustainability advocacy and activism. One which is pertinent in our over-exploited present-day fashion world.
After this incident, fashion for Aditi was “no longer only about a pretty dress” but the fact that sustainability should not have to be bought but to begin at home. She argues, “true sustainability should be born out of the desire to curb constant consumption and accumulation of fashion items”. Her stance is, conscious consumerism is important, however, the onus should not only lie on the path of the consumer, the fashion industry should also bear high responsibilities to ensure fair pay, safe factories and sustainably sourced raw materials are used in the fashion production process. She thereby challenges the systems and structures set in place to normalise negative processes in the production industry.
Aditi is a leading voice in the movement of sustainability, who lends her voice to advocate for Indian cotton farmers safety, to ensure the farmers are not left vulnerable and at the mercy of big private corporations.
The farmers in India protest is a chance for fashion houses to wear the cloak of accountability and start righting some severe wrongs. She leverages social media to ensure a more inclusive fashion scene, keeping sustainable decolonisation at the centre of this narrative.
Aditi’s commendable work as a renowned sustainable influencer has been featured on vast high profile websites, like Refinery29, AGAATI Women Trailblazer Series and the Univesity of California, Irvine.
This trailblazer in the sustainable fashion world is one to watch as she advances in her activism for a more sustainable fashion world.
Mother, Midwife and Hypnobirthing teacher, Illy Morrison @mixing.up.motherhood is an advocate for safe birth work, highlighting the importance of this role in bringing about a more positive birth experience.
She emphasises, women at the birthing phase are at their most vulnerable and require advocates to ensure a safe birth. Illy teaches an in-depth masterclass for birth workers, garnished with the information required to carry out this role in the best interest of birthing mothers. She shares details about spotting the difference between “consent and coercion”, also understanding race in many cases plays a role in the manner of treatment birthing mothers receive, as highlighted in a recent study which shows the maternal mortality disparity between Black and White Women has widened. “This calls for more birth workers to advocate for safer births”, especially for Black mothers.
Illy uses her social media platform to discuss a multitude of maternally related challenges and debunks myths that cause mum guilt. Her platform is engaging and she injects humour into her post and stories.
Illy’s birth experience was the catalyst that led her on the journey to examine traumatic births and an appreciation of the ‘why’ and how to better equip birthing people in successfully bringing forth their offsprings.
She is passionate about positive birth experiences, “using hypnobirthing methods to ensure a calm and comfortable birth”. She also supports the healing process of negative birth experiences by providing practical tools and realistic solutions.
Her important work has been featured on Pop Sugar, Feel Good Motherhood, she has been a guest on Giovanna Fletcher’s ‘Happy Baby, Happy Mum’ podcast and was also nominated for the Glomama Awards.
To celebrate IWD 2021, Illy will be hosting live events on her Instagram handle @mixing.up.motherhood, having conversations over 6 consecutive days from the 7th to the 12th of March with the below formidable line up of women well versed in maternal topics.
@mrsgfletcher, author, presenter and creator of the happy baby, happy mum podcast. Conversations around the Good, the Hard and somewhere in-between.
@zoeadelle author and CEO of sayinggoodbye.org- Conversations around pregnancy, infant loss and grief support.
@clarebournephysio who will be answering pelvic health question in the story takeover.
@mybymppay- Conversations around pregnancy, balancing working and parenting.
@annamathur- Discussions about maternal mental load, overwhelm and pandemic parenting.
@everydayracism- Conversations around race, identity and raising mixed heritage children.
You can support Illy’s work by joining her Instagram live events and engaging on her platform @mixing.up.motherhood.
Colourful, fun, with crochet pins to hand, midsize fashion blogger Kristabel Plummer @iamkristabel has cut a colourful slice of the internet for herself, one which resembles a colourful butterfly, beckoning one to come in and indulge.
This bright-coloured front door opens up to deep conversations about race, racism and the advocacy for a more diverse workforce, also infusing visibility for black-owned businesses. Kristabel does a fantastic job at highlighting black businesses to her engaged audience, thereby gearing traffic towards these businesses which may not see as much light, given the power of the algorithm. Her small business highlight on Instagram is jam-packed with amazing businesses selling items from the cutest rainbow-coloured crates to hand-painted terrazzo coasters. This little piece of heaven is a sight for sore eyes.
Kristabel’s book recommendations are top-notch, these books from glorious food to basket weaving can be seen perched gingerly on her aesthetically pleasing, well-stacked bookshelves. There is so much value to gain from her work and she willingly puts out resources with an ever-bright smile.
Her work has been lauded under the best ‘content category’ by Cosmopolitan in 2018. She has been featured on Channel 5 News, BBC radio, Stylist Magazine and Grazia France to name a few. She has also been a contributor to the Evening Standard, Buzzfeed, The Debrief, Metro online and consulted for Pantene.
This Queen has been hard at work, so kudos to Kristabel, a creative woman, who is putting small businesses at eye level, celebrating small and great wins!
Mother and cardboard artist Sydney Piercey @sydney.piercey describes herself as keen on “sustainable crafts, creative play and slow living”. Sydney has created a vast number of cardboard home gadgets to engage and encourage creativity in little children. Cardboard can be put to good use by transforming a simple brown material into colourful creative educational models.
This form of art teaches children life skills, whilst sharpening their cognitive abilities and mesmerising their minds with different shapes and colours, thereby fostering a wide-ranging imagination and indeed creating the next generation of innovators, creators and engineers. Her pieces feature a multitude of home appliances to everyday implements, such as telephones, cameras, dishwashers complete with knobs, drawers with moving parts and of course, as we are in the digital age-laptops to illustrate this era.
Sustainability and upcycling are at the heart of her makes, and she is eager to demonstrate fascinating, educative toys can be made out of cardboard, many may relegate to the recycling bin, which reduces the use of plastic in children’s play.
She is influencing parents and caregivers to think outside the box and engage their young with home projects they can proudly show off whilst learning and keeping the planet Green.
Sydney’s work has been featured on educational and craft websites like Boredpanda, Mymodernmet, Interesting Engineering and Domino.com, alongside her contributions to school craft clubs in France.
These highlighted creative women powerhouses should be supported and their work amplified further, as a gesture to celebrate IWD 2021.
Indicate your pledge to challenge the status quo and support women making a difference by raising your hand high up.
Post written by Chichi Morris, contributing writer and editor at Mossonyi.
Chichi is a Writer, Lifestyle Blogger and Mum, who uses word artistry to paint pictures of life’s simple luxuries, whilst in the same breath harnessing the power of storytelling to encourage positivity. She is the Founder and Creative Director of @mumsnation, a platform that shares celebratory stories of fiercely fabulous mums.
Her work can be found on chichimorris.com and social media @thechichimorris @mumsnation.
Chichi is a Writer, Lifestyle Creative and Mum, who uses word artistry to paint pictures of life’s simple luxuries, whilst in the same breath harnessing the power of storytelling to encourage positivity.
She is the Founder and Creative Director of @mumsnation, a platform where she shares celebratory stories of fiercely fabulous mums.
Her work can be found on chichimorris.com and her social media @thechichimorris @mumsnation
