This piece was written for the December 2024 edition of Postscripts, Shamillah Wilson’s monthly round-up of what’s been happening in feminist circles, her work, and some recommended reading suggestions.
I ended 2024 at the AWID International Forum in Bangkok where I met up with many old friends and made some new ones.
Before the Forum, I convened a one-and-a-half-day gathering of intermediaries (fiscal sponsors) who support bigger foundations to get funds out to grassroots movements. This was a very thought-provoking conversation. And it was interesting to see how grassroots organisations and movements were evolving and adapting. It was also a moment to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in all funding relationships and think about how to work more intentionally with it.
This was the 15th International Forum, and coming from a history of being the only global space for convening feminists, the space had grown to accommodate up to 4000 feminists from across the globe.
At the Forum itself, I was part of a conversation with organisations exploring the intersection of radical operations, programming and strategy. This was one of the only conversations with the word ‘operations’ in it, but it was nonetheless very well received. It set the tone for building a community of practice that brings radical operations to the forefront (and not the backend) of strategic conversations that align practice with accountability and care.
AWID put a lot of thoughtfulness and intention into being inclusive: acknowledging our differences, supporting our intersectionalities, and allowing the space for different agendas to have visibility. These efforts of inclusivity and diversity must be celebrated. It was amazing to see the level of attention to inclusivity. Yet, as always I am left wondering about the politics of resources, and who has the privilege of paying for space to make themselves more visible in such a space. These are all trade-offs, and I know that we never hit it all out of the park, but it still requires us to ask the questions and remain aware of what we are saying and not seeing because of power, positionality and resourcing.
Having been part of the AWID journey over the years, I also felt a bit of sadness. In trying to be all things to everyone, what I missed was a collective anchoring of where we are as feminists, the key issues/concerns we should be rallying around, and also the space for creating a collective vision for the feminist worlds we want to see take form.
All these as I say are my own reflections. Nevertheless, it was four days of being overstimulated daily, for which I am also thankful.
