South-South learning and influencing the global feminist discourse. Piyumi Samaraweera (CREA World) interviewed.

In this week’s episode, we speak to CREA’s Piyumi Samaraweera about CREA’s position as one of few organisations led in and by the Global South. Piyumi describes how CREA approaches its intersectional feminist values to generate South-South learning through its Institutes across India, South Asia and East Africa.This conversation allows us to move away from the conventional centering of the Global North, and understand discourses about development and decolonisation from a Global South-led organisation. Piyumi also highlights CREA’s approach to working where their work will be valued, as well as learning from the work of others. Finally, Piyumi ends with a call to de-centre hierarchies of knowledge which value knowledge from the Global North, and instead to place vernacular languages at the centre of development and decolonisation learning.Piyumi Samaraweera is Programmes Director, Feminist Leadership and Movements at CREA World (CREA). CREA is a feminist international human rights organisation based in the Global South and led by women from the Global South. CREA’s work draws upon the inherent value of a rights-based approach to sexuality and gender equality. Based in London, Piyumi’s role supports CREA as it promotes, protects, and advances human rights and the sexual rights of all people by building leadership capacities of activists and allies; strengthening organisations and social movements; creating and increasing access to new information, knowledge, and resources; and enabling supportive social and policy environments.As a Sri Lankan-British feminist, and as someone who has lived, studied, and worked across Asia, the US, and the UK, Piyumi enjoys work that has a global outlook and is connected to women’s rights. The proud granddaughter of Sri Lanka’s first woman Mayor, Piyumi has a love for the arts and has starred as a lead in “Aksharaya”, a feature-length film that premiered at the San Sebastian film festival in 2005.If you’re interested to find out more about CREA’s work, take a look here:CREA's global dialoguesCREA’s events and conferencesCREA’s knowledge resourcesPeople and organisations referenced:JASS Just PowerAkina Mama Wa AfrikaAkili DadaSrilatha BatliwalaPiyumi’s recommended resources:CREA - Think Feminist PodcastCREA - All About Power (Also available in India, Nepali and Bengali)GADN - Reparations as a Pathway to DecolonisationAfrican Feminist Epistemic Communities and Decoloniality, Awino OkechKoni BensonCrossroads: I Live Where I Like: A Graphic History (Kairos) Paperback – March 16, 2021 by Koni Benson (Author), André Trantraal (Illustrator), Nathan Trantraal (Illustrator), Ashley E. Marais (Illustrator), Robin D.G. Kelley (Foreword)