ALINAFE MALONJE & LERATO HONDE

MALAWI, 25 (AM), 25 (LH)

Project: To Whoever is Listening
Pronouns: She/Her (AM), She/Her (LH)

Founded by Alinafe and Lerato, The Wona Collective is an arts collective and media production company that uses arts and media to shed light on the lived experiences of Malawian women and marginalized groups. Their podcast, ‘To Whoever is Listening’, allows people to anonymously share stories of mental health/illness, gender-based violence, and discrimination as well as stories of sisterhood and happiness.

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Does your project explicitly address systemic inequity and injustice?

The first season of 'To Whoever is Listening' focuses specifically on sharing stories from victims and survivors of gender based violence as well as the stories of violence and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ women in Malawi, thus highlighting issues of sexual assault, harassment, discrimination and homophobia in the country. By giving these women a platform to share their stories, we are amplifying their voices and shining a light on the injustice that many women and LGBTQ+ people face in Malawi. We are also creating a space that lets other survivors and LGBTQ+ people know that they are not alone.

“We truly believe in the power of self and collective care. A community that is actively healing its wounds is in a better position to identify and fight its oppressors.”
Evan Wei-Haas