I have encountered a variety of challenges that have been a catalyst for me to challenge the status quo. Trigger warning: sexual abuse. One of the main ones that stands out to me is being sexually abused as a child, and what I felt was robbed from me in terms of childhood and innocence and seeing the world in a brighter, safer way. This made me challenge the status quo because I would never want something similar to happen to other girls or children.
I know that, unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence in our society, and it shouldn't be. Challenging the status quo is so that things would be different and the most vulnerable among us don't have to fear exploitation, abuse, and their light taken away or dimmed - whether momentarily or, in some tragic cases, permanently. This motivates me to support, advocate for, and help create a world that better serves the most vulnerable among us.
It's not that people do not have a voice; everyone has a voice. The question is, who is willing to listen to those voices?
I have leveraged my experiences to create positive impacts by speaking out about societal issues and advocating for those whose voices are being ignored. It's not that people do not have a voice; everyone has a voice. The question is, who is willing to listen to those voices? So if my voice, relatively speaking, is heard more, then I have to be able to signpost and amplify the concerns of those that society likes to push further into the margins.
The experience of going against the grain and challenging the norm has been very lonely. It's a lonely process. First, there's the journey of knowing yourself and understanding why you do the things you do. Then there is observing people's reactions to what you do, what it brings up for them and what they might project.
When you frequently call things out, those who benefit from the system will try to distance themselves from you because they do not want to lose access, or even perceived access, to the successes - and perceived successes - that they see out there. Those who are seen to wield the power don't want to have anybody nearby who doesn't respect how they wield that power.
To me, a lot of these things aren't real; they are constructs. They are things we have agreed to and imagined, and then we've collectively decided to participate in this shared imagination. I believe our focus should be on the fact that we can reimagine all of this.
Some improvements could be made to better address the challenges I have encountered. For instance, I believe we should listen to children more, especially when they tell us their environments aren't safe. We should work towards creating better environments. While I think about abolishing prisons, I also believe there should be organisations or spaces for those who abuse young people or others in general. These spaces would provide the support and help they need, allowing us to simultaneously protect them from themselves and protect the most vulnerable.
I am the milestone I am most proud of. Being in this space, vulnerably talking about my experiences, my continuous growth, and my acceptance that I do not always get it right and don't know everything - in fact, I know close to nothing - is a superpower.
Additionally, from my own experiences growing up - including a time when we were homeless - I would prioritise implementing universal basic income for every single person. Ensuring that there is enough housing for everyone and that people feel valued is crucial. This means providing good housing and quality health care for all. Good accommodation and quality education are fundamental needs that we shouldn't have to battle for. Yet, in our society, we find ourselves having to battle for these basic necessities.
There are so many milestones I am proud of, but I am the milestone I am most proud of. Being in this space, vulnerably talking about my experiences, my continuous growth, and my acceptance that I do not always get it right and don't know everything - in fact, I know close to nothing - is a superpower. This acceptance allows me to open myself up to life and embrace learning new things. So, I am the milestone that I am most proud of because I am still here.
All the other achievements are fleeting; society makes it that way. For instance, if you publish a book and it's not a bestseller, does it receive the same praise? Or if I've had my studio for many years, why haven't I expanded it? There's always something else tied to those achievements or milestones that may evoke pride. However, simply being here - just existing and breathing - that's what I have. There doesn't need to be anything more than the fact that I am still here.
I am a Disruptor because I understand that none of what we are currently participating in is real, but the effects of participating in this unreal system are very real, and I want to disrupt the system.
I want to shake us awake. I want to encourage us to radically love and to reimagine what life can look like, to reimagine liberation and spend time imagining what life we could be leading, because we are currently not doing that. We are in a nightmare not of our choosing and if we want any chance of living in a world that feels closer to a dream than a nightmare, then we've got to start imagining together.
Kelechi Okafor is a Nigerian-born London-based lover of words - whether that’s crafting them into works of fiction or articles, performing them on stage or television, directing how others convey them on stage, or expressing herself and her thoughts on society one podcast episode at a time – with esteemed interview guests too. Known online as Kelechnekoff, she’s also affectionately known as “just a Baby Girl” by her followers, listeners, and community.
Kelechi has driven many culturally relevant conversations online and in broadcast, encouraging people to discuss and think deeper about what is impacting society and the power structures behind it. Whether that is discussing the way misogynoir shows up in pop culture and society, how cultural appropriators in music are supported on the continent, the anti-Black flattening of Black artists in the West, and so many other critical topics all framed through a lens and understanding that is firmly anti-colonial, white supremacist, heteropatriarchy.
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