Midwifing Movements and Reclaiming Joy for African Women

Penelope Sanyu is a feminist firestarter and the visionary Founder of Femme Forte Uganda, where she has spent the past eight years building unapologetic spaces for radical reflection, collective care, and feminist leadership. Her work is a vibrant mix of activism, advocacy, and audacity boldly shaping Uganda’s civic landscape through storytelling, movement-building, and truth-telling.

Claiming Power, Reimagining Possibility

Through Femme Forte, Penelope has nurtured over 1,000 young women across Uganda to boldly claim their power through initiatives like The Equip Circles, Kimeeza Dialogues, and The Feminist Leadership Retreats. Under her stewardship, the organisation has become a launching pad for feminist thought, action, and sisterhood.

Archiving Feminist Legacy

In 2024, Penelope launched Uganda’s first-ever virtual feminist museum, documenting untold stories and honouring the foremothers of feminist organising. This groundbreaking work is decolonising memory and shifting how history is written and by whom.

Champion of Joy, Wellbeing & Rebellion

Beyond boardrooms and dialogue spaces, Penelope co-leads Qweshunga, a unique wellbeing movement reviving African joy, play, and rest as tools of resistance. From barefoot walks to intergenerational play circles, her leadership insists that wholeness is political and that joy is revolutionary.

We honour Penelope Sanyu as a woman who moves not just nations, but hearts, systems, and futures.