No White Saviors
- EA2021
- Mar 5, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: May 3, 2021
No White Saviors (NWS) started off as an Instagram page in 2018, aimed to disrupt the White Savior Complex (WSC) – when a white person provides help to a non-white person in a self-serving manner – in international development, as well as to amplify Black voices. Upon the rapid gain of over 200k followers in about a year, the Instagram page evolved into an advocacy campaign/organization led by four women in Uganda, ‘dedicated to revealing African people as the heroes of our own stories’. The women on the team, Alaso Olivia, Kelsey Nielsen, Lubega Wendy, and Sharon Nyanjura, are unapologetically loud, with their motto being ‘if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not listening’. From the success of the NWS instagram account, an Ugandan organization called ‘Kusimama Africa’ was born.
We believe this organization to be unique and powerful in the way that it transgresses status quos and challenges the often ignored issues of power, race, whiteness and white supremacy. By bringing these matters back into the discussion, 'whiteness' is made explicit and critically interrogated. Indeed, in development these notions remain largely unspoken, despite the many social movements around the world relating to issues of racialized politics. The development industry must open discussions about these topics which occupy such an important place in the field of international development. NWS has triggered this much-needed dialogue and is transgressing the main trends in development, to empower Africans to take back their continent. In order to convey the mission of NWS, we will go over the three sections that Kusimama has divided their organisation in: education, advocacy and action.
Education
NWS understands that ‘the education we are provided can either liberate or enslave us’. The group asserts that education must be carried out with the African perspective at heart. Not only are they targeting the education of people from the continent of Africa, but also that of people outside of Africa, so that the African perspective becomes incorporated into global affairs. NWS argues that the education of foreign nationals – from an African perspective – on what they can do to assist African people, could be a source of liberation for Africans. It would give them the power to determine their own fate, instead of being subject to an outside perspective on what is best for their country.
NWS’ most effective way of reaching the world is through its Instagram page, @nowhitesaviors. This page aims specifically at educating people on the White Savior Complex and on various African opinions about African liberation. Activist pages such as this one are becoming increasingly popular on social media, which helps to destigmatize these topics and make the discussion more mainstream. With over 800k followers on their instagram, NWS has the power to catalyze discussions and debates on sensitive and necessary topics, using it to push forward grassroots initiatives. As one might expect, the boldness required to be able to bring about these discussions is often criticized, which only encourages NWS to continue fighting for Black voices to be heard.
Advocacy
NWS believes that the worst perpetrators of white saviorism must be held accountable in the court of law, and that the lack of legal representation is the biggest hindrance for Ugandans to access justice. Thus, they advocate for legal cases by bringing them to the attention of Ugandan courts and the global community, as well as helping the victims of white saviors. The three main cases they have brought to the public eye are about healthcare, sex trafficking and human trafficking/inter-country adoption.
The biggest and first case they have been raising awareness about is the case of Renee Bach. Bach is an American missionary who came to Uganda with just a high school degree and no medical training. She created an NGO called Serving His Children, in which she provided “medical care” to children. She compromised the lives of hundreds of children, over one hundred of which died in her “care”, according to multiple news sources (The New Yorker, April 2020). NWS has brought this affair to the attention of the global community and Ugandan courts. They not only spread awareness, they also sponsored a significant portion of the legal fees for two of the mothers who lost their children.
Action
The main aim of NWS is to hold the people who are ‘getting it wrong’ accountable. However, they also see the value of amplifying and supporting people making positive changes in local communities. NWS, together with Ugandan-based NGOs, sponsors a total of six projects meant to empower Ugandan-led organizations by raising recognition and resources for these Ugandan led community projects. However, often, African-led organizations have seen their work dismissed or overshadowed by foreigners who often, subconsciously, take up the role of the white savior. So NWS makes sure to shift and ‘disrupt white saviorism by replacing it with African community power’ consequently enabling African communities to find their voice. One of the organization that NWS is supporting is ‘Lily of the Valley’, which is a community project focussed on young women who survived sex trafficking or sexual assault, providing them with a safe home, education, business skill training, and trauma-informed care. The women working for Lily of the Valley handcraft jewelry and bags supplying economic support to these young women. By keeping aid within the continent, without interference from foreigners, NWS is creating a shift in development and aid allowing ‘African communities to reclaim their own power and voices.’
Authors: Laura Mathieu, Mareike de Lanversin, Inès Stamatiadis, and Nienke Legemaate
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