This is why collective refusal is so hard because it is not just simply saying no to future extraction but admitting that what we thought was success was actually managed exploitation. That the prestigious opportunities were extraction with good branding and that we helped legitimise systems that harm us. Our participation makes it easier for these... See more

Global North philanthropic organisations and development agencies are particularly notorious for this. They have the resources to bring Global Majority experts to these events, the convening power to assemble us, and the sophistication to frame extraction as “participatory strategy development.” But when it comes time to allocate implementation... See more

Justice cannot be built on stolen labor.

Extraction at its most sophisticated, they acknowledge your worth precisely to avoid compensating it. Your expertise was essential to their success, just not essential enough.

Fanon documented this phenomenon of how colonised peoples internalise colonial values and reproduce oppressive structures. The colonised intellectual who serves as intermediary, appearing to advocate for their community while actually facilitating continued extraction. These individuals gain proximity to power by performing what Fanon called... See more

Stop. Pay for the time and labor you have already extracted. Do not try to make us appear to be the villains for refusing to subsidise your project and organisation. Do not weaponise friendship to avoid paying for expertise. And please stop promising future payment or employment to justify present extraction.

A woman identifies a need, builds the framework, does the grueling work of coalition building, navigates complex political terrain, and absorbs criticism when things are difficult.

The project succeeds. Suddenly, men who were absent during the hard work appear. They fight over leadership positions, claim “founding father” roles. The woman who built... See more

The pattern is often the same, extract African expertise to make the pitch fundable, hire Africans for initial implementation phase to make it look locally driven, but keep decision making power, IP ownership, and the majority of funding in Northern hands or in the hands of intermediaries who have learned to perform extraction on behalf of Northern... See more

Walking away from extractive opportunities is not missing out but maintaining dignity and making it possible for the next generation to work with compensation and dignity rather than relying on hope and exposure.