How Nigerian Women are Building Online Communities.

By Angel Nduka-Nwosu

In December 2019, Wine and Whine, a women's group created by Dami Odufuwa and Odun Eweniyi, held a women only party. From the bouncers to those selling drinks, everyone at the party was a woman. Although done in person, the event painted an important picture of how women are curating the spaces that they occupy. In the case of Wine and Whine, it was fulfilling the need for women to party without fear. 

Prior to the creation of Wine and Whine, other women-only groups were present in Nigeria, providing safe spaces for women, such as the Nigerian Feminist Forum and Female In Nigeria.  

Female In Nigeria, a Facebook group for women, was started in 2015 by former journalist Lola Omolola,  in the aftermath of the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok Girls. According to Lola Omolola, she wanted a space where women could discuss the kidnapping and gather resources to help women without the fear of male judgement that was rampant elsewhere on Facebook. The private group currently has 1.7 million members and has been touted as the first large-scale online safe space group for Nigerian women.

Before the advent of the internet, most women's groups emanated from religious spaces and cultural meetings. In my Igbo culture, for instance, there are women-only groups that have existed for hundreds of years, such as the Umuada and Nwunyedi associations where daughters from a town or women married into a community can network and support each other. 

With the advent of Facebook and Whatsapp, traditional women's groups are also going online. For instance, my mother's Nwunyedi group has a community on Whatsapp where they share resources such as loans and plan to support each other.

The Need For Online Women's Safe Spaces In Nigeria.

Since Wine and Whine, other groups striving towards empowering women have emerged. Some of them are Feminist Coalition (notable for its contribution to the ENDSARS protests), As Equals Africa, Women's Group Lagos and The Emecheta Collective. 

I co-created As Equals in 2018 to be a space where issues regarding feminism could be discussed without fear. I wanted a space where feminist theories could be debated and where both men and women could collaborate to achieve equality.

However, I noticed that women felt uncomfortable talking about their bodies, periods and relationships when men were present. Sometimes, I also observed that the men in the group tried to dismiss the women when they spoke up. It soon began to feel as though the women's voices were stifled by a small minority. In order for the group to truly feel safe, I had to remove the men. Since doing that, more women feel freer speaking up compared to before.

Since the creation of the group, it became clear that with the rise of social media, the internet was now a vital place for women to seek support, network and even fundraise for their businesses. Job searches have gone digital, healthcare has evolved with the rise of telemedicine and businesses are reintegrating their digital images as an essential part of their brand outlook.

What does the digital age look like for Nigerian women?

These days, more young women in Nigeria use Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok and less Facebook, however, Facebook is still a very powerful form of networking amongst the older generation of women in Nigeria. There are women's groups on there that help women in their careers, businesses and mentoring. 

Sparkling Sisters In Business is another notable Facebook group that offers training, funding and mentoring to women who want to go into business. I had the privilege of speaking with Brenda Okonofua, an entrepreneur, member of the group and mother of two girls.

Brenda told me that "Online women's groups can provide a supportive community for women to connect, share experiences, and find inspiration and resources. In particular, online women's groups like Sparkling Sisters in Business can be especially helpful for women who are entrepreneurs or who are looking to start their own businesses. These groups can provide access to valuable resources, such as networking opportunities, mentorship (ongoing), and educational materials. Additionally, they can offer a platform for women to showcase their work, gain visibility, and build their brands (trade fairs)."

When asked why she strongly supports women's groups, Ms Okonofua commented: "The sense of community and camaraderie can be empowering, motivating, and uplifting. Groups like Sparkling Sisters in Business offer a sense of belonging and support that can be invaluable for women seeking to build successful careers and businesses."

Creating online spaces beyond the Western experience.

Amongst the younger generation of Nigerian women in business who partake in careers such as product design and UX, one safe space community is the Interakt community. The community was founded by Adaku Nwakanma and Cynthia Ugwudike to be a safe space for African women who need support in their design careers.

Ms Nwakanma explained that the narrowing down of the community into African women was majorly because existing communities were very U.S-centric and tended to crowd out the voices of women. She went further that this crowding out of African women's voices could discourage those just starting in careers such as product design because the U.S centric communities did not address problems unique to African women living in Africa.

A space for every Nigerian woman.

The online experience is not just limited to business and career development. Groups such as Mamere help women who are single mothers and need a space to lean on each other without the fear of societal judgement lurking.

Mamere was founded in December 2022 by Tolu Ipinlaiye, a UX Designer and single mother. Its goal is to be a support and networking site for single mothers and a haven of support. Speaking with Ms Ipinlaiye on the necessity of Mamere and what pushed her to create it, she tells me that she started Mamere because even amongst mothers in Nigeria, "the circumstances of parenting are different". She explained that as a single mother at 18, she often felt lonely and found it difficult to talk to the people around her about her experiences.

"It's hard. Dealing with the ups and downs of motherhood, alone, and dealing with the shame and stigma. So I said, excuse my language, fuck it. I'll get women like myself together. At the very least it's a space to rant. To feel less alone. At most, it becomes this hub to help mothers like myself thrive.”

In a world where people are constantly plugged in, seeking and finding communities of like-minded people has become essential. The internet is here to stay, and as we know, it is not impervious to the sexism and misogyny that exist in the “real world” - in some cases, it is more harmful. 

In a patriarchal society like Nigeria where women do not have equal access to opportunities, the creation of online communities has become necessary in providing women with the tools to access opportunities in the digital spaces and offline. Through these communities, they are also assured that they are not alone in their struggles. 

Regardless of the structural inequalities that still persist, it is hoped that through these spaces, women will develop the necessary skills or the renewed confidence to compete, strive for more and thrive in their chosen paths.