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Demere Kitunga

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Demere Kitunga is a Tanzanian feminist, publisher, and literacy advocate known for her work in promoting feminist ideology, social change, and literacy as tools for empowerment. She is the founder of Soma, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a reading culture through initiatives such as the Soma Book Café, a hub for learning, dialogue, and cultural exchange. Kitunga has created platforms like Vavagaa, which challenges patriarchal norms and promotes gender equality through storytelling and community engagement.[1][2]

As a mentor and writer Kitunga has contributed to literary and feminist collectives, including Kisima cha Mashairi and the Waka Poetry Consortium. Her work focuses on the importance of creating inclusive spaces for dialogue, critical thinking, and grassroot movements. Thus, she has worked in bridging digital divides and addressing issues such as bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, and societal inequities.[2][3][4]

Life and career

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Kitunga was born in Tanzania, East Africa. Alongside the late Professor Seithy Loth Chachage, she has four children, including Mkunde Chachage, a medical researcher in Tanzania[5] and Rehema Chachage, a visual artist and lecturer at University of Applied arts, Vienna, Austria.[6]

Kitunga has worked in the world of literature as an author, translator, and publisher. In 2007, Kitunga co-founded E&D Readership and Development Agency, also known as Soma,[7] a non-profit aimed at encouraging literacy, scholarship, and storytelling in Tanzania. This agency works alongside E&D Vision Publishing,[8][9] where Kitunga has also supported Tanzanian authors. In 2004, she wrote the book Lupompo and the Baby Monkey. She continued by translating the book When Trees Walked into her native language Swahili. [10] In addition to her literary career Kitunga has also co-written and appeared in research articles and books including: Reflections on Activism in Africa[11] (with colleague Marjorie Mbilinyi), On Being Counted: Gender, Property, and "the Family",[12] and Struggles Over Patriarchal Structural Adjustment in Tanzania.[13]

Advocacy

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Kitunga is a human rights activist, literary activist, and feminist who promotes reading as a way to educate and empower. Kitunga's agency, "E&D Readership and Development", was founded with a feminist perspective, emphasizing gender equality and cultural upliftment.[14] The organization also prioritizes research to illustrate the importance of reading, writing, and creativity for children in Tanzania. She advocates through mentoring and is a founding member of the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme[15] which promotes gender equality in Tanzania.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Francis, Lukelo (2023-06-13). "Vavagaa: A Feminist Storytelling Platform Seeking to Disrupt Tired Narratives - The Chanzo". Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  2. ^ a b "Demere Kitunga". African Feminist Forum. 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  3. ^ "Demere Kitunga". badilishapoetry.com. 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  4. ^ "Cultivating a reading and story writing culture". The Citizen. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  5. ^ "Mkunde Chachage". National Institute for Medical Research Tanzania.
  6. ^ "CHACHAGE Rehema Seithy". Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  7. ^ "Welcome to Soma… – Soma Book Cafe". Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  8. ^ "African Books Collective: E&D Vision Publishing Limited". www.africanbookscollective.com. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  9. ^ "E&D Vision Publishers Limited". edvisionpublishing.co.tz. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  10. ^ "Demere Kitunga". Barranca Press. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  11. ^ Hodgson, Dorothy L. (2007). Arnfred, Signe; Gouws, Amanda; Chacha, Babere Kerata; Mbilinyi, Marjorie; Rusimbi, Mary; Chachage, Chachage S. L.; Kitunga, Demere (eds.). "Reflections on Activism in Africa". Women's Studies Quarterly. 35 (3/4): 314–316. ISSN 0732-1562. JSTOR 27649722.
  12. ^ Chung, Youjin B. (2023), "ON BEING COUNTED: Gender, Property, and "the Family"", Sweet Deal, Bitter Landscape, Gender Politics and Liminality in Tanzania's New Enclosures, Cornell University Press, pp. 90–104, doi:10.7591/jj.130884.9?searchtext="demere+kitunga"&searchuri=/action/dobasicsearch?query="demere+kitunga"&acc=on&wc=on&so=rel&ab_segments=0/basic_phrase_search/control&refreqid=fastly-default:51c14ad3f261c599b9bb745a86826020 (inactive 21 March 2025), ISBN 978-1-5017-7201-6, JSTOR 10.7591/jj.130884.9, retrieved 2025-03-21{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2025 (link)
  13. ^ Mbilinyi, Marjorie (1993). "Struggles over Patriarchal Structural Adjustment in Tanzania". Focus on Gender. 1 (3): 26–29. doi:10.1080/09682869308519978. ISSN 0968-2864. JSTOR 4030264. PMID 12320727.
  14. ^ Aili Mari, Tripp (2017-02-15). "Women's Rights in Tanzania". In Badri, Balghis; Tripp, Aili Mari (eds.). Women's Activism in Africa: Struggles for Rights and Representation. Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78360-911-6.
  15. ^ "TGNP – Tanzania Gender Networking Program". Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  16. ^ "A leading feminist's juggling act as she advocates literacy". The Citizen. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
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