In the African tradition, storytelling is sacred. It is not rushed. Stories are shared slowly, around fires, in circles—where wisdom is passed from elder to youth and vice versa, where silences hold as much power as words. We pause to breathe. We pause to remember. We pause to reflect. Because stories, in our tradition, are not just told—they are lived.

This Easter, I bring that tradition with me. I tell the story of Easter—not as a distant religious narration, but through a womanist lens. I see the water that washed feet, the meal that was shared in love, the body that was broken, the grief that was held in silence, and the tomb that could not hold life. I tell it with the urgency of resistance, in the rhythm of sacred leadership, and the pain of betrayal—a betrayal that, like many we’ve known, comes not from strangers but from those seated closest to power.

This is not just a biblical story. It is our story too. Told slowly. Told with fire. Told with faith.

Maundy Thursday: Sacred Leadership & Betrayal Within

Jesus, the rabbi and revolutionary, kneels to wash the feet of his disciples. This act is not weakness—it is radical leadership. It mirrors what many African women still do in silence: anointing the weary, preparing the way, blessing the broken. In African Indigenous Spirituality, feet are sacred—they connect us to the earth, to our ancestors, to the path ahead. To wash feet is to honor someone’s journey.

And after the washing, they sit to eat.

The Last Supper is not just a farewell meal. It is a covenant. It is a table of love, but also a table of tension. Bread is broken, wine is shared—symbols of body and blood, freely given. And yet, among the washed and fed is the one who will betray. This, too, is familiar.

Betrayal does not always come from strangers. Sometimes it comes from those who eat with you, pray with you, serve beside you. It comes with handshakes, with silence, with policies and positions. It lives in church boards, parliaments, NGOs, and homes. Yet Jesus does not withhold love. He breaks bread even with his betrayer. He serves with full knowledge of the wound to come. And that is sacred power.

As womanists, we know this tension. We host tables. We lead with love even as we face betrayal. But our love is not passive—it is informed, intentional, and deeply rooted in justice.

We remember. And still—we wash. We serve. We break bread. We resist.

Good Friday: The Cross and Crucified Bodies

Then comes the violence.

Jesus is arrested, paraded, mocked, stripped, and crucified between two criminals. The Empire does not kill him because he was dangerous with weapons—but because he was dangerous with truth. Because he challenged injustice. Because he refused to comply.

Good Friday is the story of every body lynched for being Black. Every woman beaten for speaking. Every victim of femicide. Every queer person disappeared in silence. Every activist targeted by the state. Jesus' cross is not just redemptive—it is political.

As womanists, we do not romanticize the cross. We see it for what it was: a public execution meant to shame and silence. But we also see Jesus’ choice—to stand firm, to stay true, to refuse to run. That is resistance.

“Until the lioness tells her story, the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” — African Proverb

We tell our stories. We carry our crosses with purpose—not to suffer, but to survive and thrive. Not to glorify pain, but to expose the systems that cause it.

Holy Saturday: Grief, Waiting, and Womb Wisdom

And then—silence.

Holy Saturday is the ache between heartbreak and hope. It is the holding. The not-yet. The waiting room of grief. The earth has swallowed the body, and the world has yet to breathe again.

In many African cultures, Holy Saturday is deeply familiar. It is the day after loss. The moment where songs are sung in low tones, and eyes are red from mourning. It is the space between the trauma and the testimony. It is sacred—and it is necessary.

Womanist faith honors the pause. We do not rush resurrection. We sit with the sorrow. We hold vigil. We wail. And even in the silence, we are sowing seeds.

“Rain does not fall on one roof alone.” — African Proverb

Grief is communal. The weight is shared. And so is the hope.

Easter Sunday: Resurrection as Resistance

But then—morning comes.

Mary Magdalene rises before the sun. She goes to the tomb with oil and memory. She finds it empty—and in that moment, becomes the first preacher of resurrection. Not Peter. Not the priests. A woman. It was a womanist moment before the word existed.

Easter Sunday is not just about life after death. It is about resistance after erasure. It is the refusal to stay buried. The audacity to proclaim life in the shadow of death. For womanists and African feminists, for queer folks, for survivors—for all of us who were 'never meant' to survive—resurrection is not metaphor. It is what we daily embody. It is ancestral. It is political.

“You may kill the storyteller, but you cannot kill the story.” — African Proverb

We rise. And we speak. Again and again.

Easter Monday: Returning With Fire

And then—there is the return.

Easter Monday is not the end. It is the new beginning. The disciples go back to their communities, their work, their lives—but with new eyes. They have touched the wound and the wonder. They know now what it means to live beyond death.

As womanist leaders, Easter Monday is our call to re-enter the world with power. To show up—with our scars, with our wisdom, and with our whole selves. We do not leave resurrection behind in the tomb. We carry it into boardrooms, pulpits, classrooms, kitchens, protests, and sacred circles.

We lead with clarity. With compassion. With fire.

“Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one person can embrace it.” — African Proverb

We embrace it together.

Blessings

May this Easter season water your resistance.
May your leadership be sacred and strong.
May your grief be held and honored.
May your joy be loud.
And may your return be powerful.

Ashe. Amin. Amen.

As Women’s History Month began, the Wawa Aba Institute, alongside our partners, set out on a week of radical love, inclusion, and advocacy for gender equity. In the spirit of our foremothers—womanists, feminists, and freedom fighters across East Africa—we reaffirmed that dignity, justice, and liberation are not distant dreams but urgent calls to action.

Providing Warmth, Dignity, and Access

Our journey began  at Mukuru Transformers Secondary School, we confronted a persistent barrier to education: period poverty. By distributing menstrual hygiene products, underwear, and bras, we ensured that no girl would miss school simply because she lacked basic necessities. We reminded each young woman that her education and dreams are valid, powerful, and worth fighting for.

Recognizing that gender equity is also about transforming mindsets, Rev. Dr. David Williams, one of our TFAM Presbyters, led sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) sessions for the boys. He spoke on respect, consent, and dismantling toxic masculinity, equipping young men to be allies in the pursuit of gender justice.

Within the walls of Langata Women’s Maximum Security Prison in Nairobi, we delivered 766 blankets. Every woman, every child in the maternity ward, and every newborn baby received a token of warmth—because Nairobi’s nights can be cold, no one should be left to endure them alone. 

Beyond Boundaries: The Power of Womanist Leadership

Midweek (5th - 7th March), over 120 leaders from six countries gathered in Nairobi for the Womanist Leadership & Diversity Conference: Beyond Boundaries. Together, we delved into conversations on faith, womanism and womanist leadership, spirituality, mental health and wellbeing, theology, law, political engagement, and cross-movement collaboration. Our discussions made it clear: gender justice is not a solitary struggle. It requires solidarity—across sectors, disciplines, and borders.

We invoked the wisdom of our foremothers—Pio Gama Pinto, Wangari Maathai, Micere Mugo, and Fatma Ahmed—and honored the work of contemporary womanists and feminists in East Africa, including Sylvia Tamale, Dr. Dorcas Chebet, Prof. Esther Mombo, Dr. Stella Nyanzi, Diane Bakuraira, loretta ruby, Mercy Oduoye, Nanjala Nyabola, Presbyter Caroline Omolo Omolo, Purple Diva, Florence Nyaoke, Bishop Yvette Flunder, Rev. Dr. Andrea E. Vassell and many more. Their leadership continues to shape the path toward justice and liberation.

International Women’s Day: The Urgency of Now

As we marked International Women’s Day, we reflected on a sobering fact: at the current pace, gender equity is 134 years away (Global Gender Gap Report 2024). That is 134 years too long.

• Too many girls will be denied an education.

• Too many women will endure violence.

• Too many trans siblings will face harm and exclusion.

• Too many will be pushed to the margins by oppressive interpretations of faith.

We refuse to wait. We must accelerate action. The call is now, and the responsibility is ours.

Honoring Resilience: The Wawa Aba Institute Graduation

One of the most powerful moments of the week was celebrating the graduation of the Wawa Aba Institute’s third cohort - Class of 2025. 

Of the 32 participants who embarked on this transformative journey, 29 persevered to completion. Their resilience, wisdom, and commitment to justice are testaments to the power of womanist leadership. We honor them and their contributions to building a more inclusive and equitable world. Wawa Aba!

A Sacred Closing: Womanist Worship and Celebration

Our week concluded with a Women’s Sunday Service at the Cosmopolitan Affirming Community (CAC), where we lifted up the leadership of Bishop Yvette A. Flunder, honored the contributions of womanist theologians, and celebrated our graduates. It was a moment of deep reflection, collective strength, and spiritual renewal—reminding us that our work is sacred, and our liberation is intertwined.

Keeping the Momentum Alive

This was more than a week of action. This was a declaration of our collective power. The work continues, and we invite you to stand with us as we push forward in the fight for gender equity, justice, and inclusion.

The movement is alive. The revolution is womanist. And together, we can create a world of freedom, justice and equity for all regardless of gender!  

We will not stop.