Diary of a Feminist: Kiki Mordi Sheds Light on the Enablers of Sexual Harassment
Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual harassment
In May’s edition of Diary of a Feminist, we spoke with Kiki Mordi, a feminist founder, investigative journalist, and filmmaker from Nigeria.
Kiki’s career boomed after the release of her documentary “Sex for Grades,” which uncovered sexual harassment inflicted by lecturers on their pupils in top Nigerian and Ghanaian universities.
This revealing BBC documentary was more than just a job for Kiki, it was personal. She was forced out of university when her lecturer sexually harassed her to the point where she had no choice but to drop out.
“I just went to school to seek education and there's nothing wrong with that. That shouldn't be an avenue for lecturers who are supposed to teach and guide students to take advantage of that and sexually harass their students,” Kiki poised.
In the documentary Kiki and her team planted undercover journalists, posing as students recording footage of how senior lecturers treated their students. The predators prayed on the female student’s vulnerabilities for sexual acts or relationships and in return offered good grades. The stomach-churning footage highlighted how men abuse positions of power even in well-regarded educational institutions.
Filming the documentary for Kiki, as someone who had lived through similar experiences, was emotionally draining: “I felt anxiety, I felt sad and sometimes I felt hopeless and then other times I felt very hopeful.”
To not blow the cover of the story, some of the interviews with survivors took place in Kiki's bedroom. “I heard some of the most gruesome stories in my bedroom. I couldn't even sleep in that room without having nightmares,” Kiki said.
Trying to silence her voice
The Nigerian journalist has traveled frequently since her career took off, but her prominent voice led to new challenges.
“I knew journalism came with its risks, but I didn’t anticipate the anxiety I would have to live with,” she added. Even after moving away from Nigeria the anxiety was still there, “It followed me to the new country; the fear or just the worry. To worry that someone is out to shut you up in any way possible, and it could be by harming you physically, mentally, or by coming after your job.”
All of this happened against the backdrop of when Kiki became increasingly prominent in her field. She explained: “It’s an unhealthy mix in Nigeria being a woman and being outspoken, and journalism, gave me that.”
This mentality is embedded into the patriarchal Nigerian society, Kiki said: “They were always trying to discredit me at every point because they knew that I didn't lack bravery. Because I wasn't scared of them.”
Kiki has been subjected to ongoing digital violence which she said is, unfortunately, something she has had to adapt to. “It’s weird, no one should ever have to adapt to violence whether it's physical or digital. However, “This is the reality for me and a lot of women like me” she explained.
Understanding why sexual harassment is normalized
Sexual harassment is being normalized in Nigeria and across the world as a result of numerous factors. Kiki said one of the key issues is “the continuous reference to young women as meat to be consumed by men, which is also normalized across pop culture.”
In addition, we see men in positions of power in society that objectify women and girls. In these situations, many women think: “This man is a leader. He's a person in power. I can't bring him down just because he's harassed me. But the truth is, the power continues to give him access.”
Kiki noted “that in allowing men to continue to harass women it's telling us to deprioritize women's safety.”
“I had no choice but to be a feminist.”
Throughout her life, Kiki said she is someone that “always questioned things, and always needed an explanation of why things are the way they are. I loved to seek knowledge,” she explained.
Being a feminist was something Kiki knew she had to do. “I didn't think I was less because I was a woman and I wasn't going to allow the world to treat me less or allow the world to get away with seeing me as less because of my gender or my sex.”
Throughout her life, she said she has and continues to encounter reasons why she should be unapologetic and not polite about her fight against inequality, especially regarding inequalities between sexes.
The journalist´s feminist personality shines through in her series of platform launches such as her digital media outlet Document Women, which battles erasure by documenting women´s stories.
What once started as a hashtag, Document Women then transformed into a platform, Kiki established the idea after growing tired of always seeing women´s participation reduced to a statistic. “There's a woman in every story. I will find her every day. And we'll fight her. Until there is no need to do that anymore,” she divulged.
How society needs to step up
Talking about advising on how society can work on prevention and change the rhetoric that normalizes sexual harassment Kiki said: “I hate to say this, but what if it was your daughter? I think people need to start imagining that it is their daughters in the room with these men, would they have the same level of trust?”
Punishment for perpetrators is another thing that needs to change, “They cannot get off with a slap on the wrist for sexual harassment.” She labeled the crime as “a devious abuse of trust and abuse of power, against a woman's body and a woman's mind.”
To respond appropriately to sexual harassment, “You need to be loud about the punishment and you need to name and shame,” Kiki advised.
About the Author:
Olivia Hooper is the communications co-lead at Politics4Her, she is a British journalist and editor with a degree in translation. Olivia uses her career in journalism to advocate on gender-based issues surrounding women and girls.
