Global Roundup: First Asian Armless Woman Driver, Nigerian Women in the Workforce, Somalian British Boxer and Model, Boston Police Reopen Trans Death Case, Queer Russian Artivist
Global Roundup: First Asian Armless Woman Driver, Nigerian Women in the Workforce, Somalian British Boxer and Model, Boston Police Reopen Trans Death Case, Queer Russian Artivist
Curated by FG Contributor Inaara Merani
Image: Matrubhumi. (She the People)
Thomas is a graphic designer at a leading art publishing house in Kochi. She was born without arms due to a congenital disorder. She always dreamt of driving a car in order to have a sense of self-independence, and this sentiment was amplified after she lost both her parents.
With the help of lessons at the Marina Driving School in Vaduthala and a private firm in Kochi which modified her car with disability-friendly adjustments, Thomas was able to take her driver’s test. Vi Innovations Pvt Ltd in Kochi used assistive technology to make the necessary electronic adjustments to her car, a 2018 Maruti Celerio. The engineers developed a voice commands-based system for operating indicators, wipers, and headlamps in Thomas’ car.
However, despite all the support and training she had, officials refused to issue her license. It was not until she approached the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, which cited a former case where an Indian man without arms was able to get their driver’s license, when she was issued her license.
Mobility was my biggest handicap and now I am excited as I have got the license thus getting over my biggest impediment. – Jilumol Mariet Thomas
After years of rejections and ableist mentalities, despite her proven experience and knowledge as a driver, her driving instructors and other members of her support system say they are extremely proud of her grit.
Lilian Ezeugwu says driving taxis in Lagos gives her more flexibility as a single parent than her old job running an arts centre. Photograph: Promise Eze. (The Guardian)
According to a report by the women and foreign policy programme at the US think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, Nigeria’s GDP could rise by 23 percent by 2025 if women can equally engage in the country’s economy like men. Experts have also said that although the Nigerian constitution advocates for gender equality, women are still economically marginalized because of cultural and gendered norms. Currently, only a fraction of women secure formal employment in Nigeria, and many endure workplace discrimination due to their gender.
However, things are changing in the country. 45-year-old Bunmi Adewale, for example, left her teaching job two years ago to sell locust beans in a store. When that did not work out, she borrowed money to pay half the price of a rickshaw, and was able to pay the balance off in seven months. She now works as a rickshaw driver, providing rides to individuals around Kwara state.
My friends were amazed when I decided to become a tricycle rider last year. They questioned why I would even consider taking up a job typically seen as meant for men. Some even laughed at me, thinking it was a joke. – Bunmi Adewale
Gift Udeh, a 25-year-old barber in Enugu in the south of Nigeria, passion has determined her choices. As a student at the Asia State Polytechnic College in southeast Nigeria, she persuaded her boss to teach her how to be a barber. He was hesitant to have a woman apprentice at his barber shop, but she persisted, and eventually landed a paid six-month training period under his guidance.
I have loved barbing right from childhood, and after completing my education I made the decision to work in a barbershop full-time. I wanted to pursue something unique, as hairdressing and clothing sales are common among females. Now my goal is to establish a big shop where other women can learn the skills. – Gift Udeh
With the rising costs of living in Nigeria, many mens’ salaries are not sufficient to support the household; the financial support that women are providing by working these jobs has supported their families and has become necessary.
Photograph: Dan Beleiu. (The Guardian)
Ramla Ali was only a toddler when her family fled from Somalia to the UK. Now, Ali is 34 years old, dealing with hair loss from alopecia, and is a professional boxer and model and set to have a biopic created about her life, In the Shadows, releasing in 2024.
After a treacherous journey from Somalia to the UK via Kenya, Ali’s family settled in Bethnal Green in east London. She secretly began boxercise classes for pre-teens in order to lose weight, however, she told her parents she was going for a run. After graduating to sparring in her teens at mostly male boxing gyms, she learned how to use makeup to hide her black eyes from her parents. Ali says that her mother would not have approved of her boxing because she had to show skin to compete and had to engage in violence, which contradicted her Muslim identity and their escape from a war-torn country.
Ali, however, continued to box and eventually became an amateur after a string of victories in 2012, gained a novice title in 2015, won both the English and British 2016 national titles and the African Zone championships in 2019 after she switched to representing the Somali national team in 2018. Being the first British Muslim woman to win many of these accolades drew lots of attention and publicity. In 2014, her brother saw her televised boxing event on TV and her family held an intervention begging her to stop, but she did not stay away for long, and finally went pro in 2020 at age 31. In the midst of her boxing career, Ali was signed by IMG Models agency in January 2019, the same agency that represents individuals such as the Hadid sisters.
The athlete and model has been very active throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza and says that although she was hesitant to speak out, she could not stay quiet, especially as an individual with first-hand experience fleeing a war.
The thing is, I had to say something. I think sometimes silence is just as bad as doing something bad. I was very conscious of being neutral. I remember saying, ‘Both sides are at fault.’ Innocent Israeli people have been killed just as innocent Palestinian people have been. Innocent people should not be killed, ever. And the only thing that needs to happen is a ceasefire. – Ramla Ali
Now, a biopic based on her life is in the works, which will offer her the chance to drive her own narrative. Produced by Lee Magiday and Madeleine Sanderson, and written by Ursula Rani Sarma, Ali has taken an active role in writing and developing the story.
Aside from her her boxing and modeling careers, Ali does not want to be remembered as a stereotype. She is often described as a Muslim woman, war refugee, and immigrant, which all carry preconceptions. And although Ali acknowledges she is all of those things, she is also a Londoner, a joker, and she comes from a big family. She wants to be remembered for what she achieved, not only through her career, but also through her activism.
Oh my god, listennn. It’s mad. There’s certain publications, I swear to you that – excuse my language – really piss me off. If I can mention them: the BBC, I hate them. Because, when I’m losing, I’m ‘war refugee’ but when I’m winning, I’m ‘British boxer’. Honestly? Sorry, but I hate that. I’m like, I’m no longer a refugee. I’m a British citizen. Yeah, I came to the UK to flee war, but I pay my taxes!…Why can’t you see me as a British citizen? – Ramla Ali
Cw: murder, death, transphobia
Rita Hester’s murder inspired Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual nationwide vigil that honours transgender murder victims. Courtesy OF Brenda Wynn’s. (them)
Rita Hester’s murder inspired Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual nationwide vigil that honours transgender murder victims. Her mother, Kathleen Hester, never stopped trying to find out who killed her daughter even after the detectives stopped calling her. From 1998 until 2020, she has continued to protest and has continued her activism for the trans community.
Now, 25 years after the murder of Rita Hester, the Boston Police Department announced that it would be reopening the case. Earlier this year, the department assigned a new detective, Matthew Fogarty, to the case. On the 25th anniversary of Hester’s death, on November 28, the department renewed its request for information from the public about her murder.
If they’re solving her case from 1998, then that means that when something happens to us in 2023, 2024 – well, then maybe they will take it seriously. – Chastity Bewick, activist and transgender health advocate
While the decision to continue working on Hester’s case was applauded by many, it was also met with controversy. Diana Hester, Rita’s sister, say that their family waited for years for justice and frequently asked for updates, only to be met with silence from the police. The night of the murder, the Hester family spent the night cleaning up Rita’s apartment because police officers do not clean up crime scenes and they could not afford to hire any cleaning services. Diana believes that the only reason the case has been reopened is because of the 25th anniversary of her death; she cites Rita’s identity as Black, trans and poor as reasons for the lack of support from the legal authorities, and says that media outlets and others only reach out around the time of Rita’s death, but never at any other time.
The relationship between the Hester family and the Boston police department has not been the strongest but, still, Rita’s family is hopeful about what justice this movement might bring.
Things are so different nowadays where people are more accepting. Hopefully, this new [detective] will probably invest in what actually matters…I feel so much more can be done. I feel more people know things. – Angela Smith, Rita’s niece
Wearing ethereal costumes made of found materials such as wire and tape, and donning striking, alien-like make-up, Gena Marvin pushes her body to extremes in her performances. (CNN)
These scenes are part of the opening of the new documentary Queendom, which follows Marvin as she creates artwork that challenges societal expectations and political situations, and the backlash she faces for it. Her performances and her existence as a queer performer is not always welcomed, and she faces risks such as physical violence, threats, and homophobic abuse. However, the nonbinary artist remains defiant and continues to pursue her art despite the dangers.
Whenever I go out in character, I’m on top of the world. No-one, even here in Russia, can scare me. I’m like a knight in armor.” – Gena Marvin
Initially, filmmaker Agniia Galdanova wanted to create a story about Russia’s drag community as part of a series; however, after meeting Gena, she realized she did not need another protagonist.
The idea was to bring onto the screen the story of people who really have no voice in Russia., not just to point out the social problems, but also to celebrate queerness and to show the beauty of this world. – Agniia Galdanova
The Russian government, in recent years, has included an explicit ban on same-sex marriage, and introduced the “gay propaganda law” in 2022 which banned all mentions of LGBTQ+-related content in the media. Just last week, the Russian Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT public movement” as an extremist organization.
In the film, viewers witness the hate and intolerance that Marvin faces on a day-to-day basis, whether it is being abused or beaten in public, or arguing with her grandparents about not following a traditional job or career path. The film focuses on Marvin’s journey from Magadan to Moscow to Paris, and raises issues about the universal queer experience in Russia. Although it was initially intended for a Russian audience, Galdanova hopes that people around the world will watch the film and learn about the reality of the queer Russian experience.
The film is really not about my own personal experience, or about me. It’s so much bigger: it’s about a whole spectrum of queer experience. It’s about the fact that a traumatized generation had to raise people like us, which was unbearably difficult. – Gena Marvin
Inaara Merani (she/her) recently completed her Masters degree at the University of Western Ontario, studying Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies with a specialization in Transitional Justice. In the upcoming years, she hopes to attend law school, focusing her career in human rights law.
Inaara is deeply passionate about dismantling patriarchal institutions to ensure women and other marginalized populations have safe and equal access to their rights. She believes in the power of knowledge and learning from others, and hopes to continue to learn from others throughout her career.