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Jamila Pereira

@millie_gp

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NOT HERE*
✍️🏿 3x PA @voltaparatuaterra_antologia
👩🏿‍💻 @blackballaduk @bantu_men & more
📝 Award-Winning Journo & Editorial PM
🎥 Founder @nopapia_

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CALL ME AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST, JAMILA PEREIRA 🏆💫

Ufff wow ... I'd say I'm speechless but I'd be lying because one thing I'll do is babble 😂

Receiving the award for Best Opinion Piece at the End Violence Against Women Awards is a deeply meaningful honour for me—not only as a writer, but as a Black woman committed to social justice. I come from a lineage of women, many of whom never had the chance to learn how to read or write, like my beautiful and amazing mother, yet I stand here representing them all, carrying the words they were never allowed to put on paper or even exhale.

This article is also an open letter to all my girlfriends who have endured heartbreak and bear scars inflicted by putrid men, but who are learning, every single day, how to love and be loved again. Watching them rise, heal, rebuild and choose tenderness despite everything reminds me that, against all odds, the bastards cannot bring us down.

This recognition also reaffirms the urgent need to confront all forms of violence against women, especially in a context where so many of us continue to be silenced, ignored, or dismissed by media structures that do not reflect our reality. The simultaneous devaluing and erasure of Black media are not coincidences, but symptoms of a system that has historically marginalised our narratives.

This is why the work of platforms like @blackballaduk is essential. They provide space, voice, and legitimacy to experiences so often pushed to the margins. Keeping Black women writers active, visible, and supported is fundamental to ensuring that stories are told in our own language, in our own truth. So, thank you @jendella for being such a guide and teacher and @iamtobioredein for keeping the lights on.

The fight to end violence against women also depends on our ability to preserve and strengthen the Black media ecosystem. I receive this award with gratitude, handed by no other than @evawuk , who keep doing the Lord's work, but also with the responsibility to continue writing, exposing, and inspiring—so that none of us are ever reduced to silence.

Now, head to the link in bio for the full article HOW TO DATE WHEN YOU DON'T TRUST MEN 🙂‍↕️📝 by @millie_gp

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10 months ago

What about that?

It'll be a big text because I'm emotional AF. So, swipe along and take it all in.

This year I took a leap of faith and decided to dedicate myself to full-time writing. It's really hard to juggle a 9–5 and a life as a freelance writer, as some of you know, because you constantly sad that you grind so much, feel like you're missing out on incredible stories or watching life pass you by — especially when the internet keeps feeding you a constant loop of supposedly “life-changing” moments.

And at a time where violence against women and girls continues to skyrocket and the dating pool feels like it’s shrinking by the day, this story emerged as a reminder of just how much we’re struggling out here, specifically women.

It was born from many therapy sessions, trauma bonding with survivors, long night conversations with close friends, hours doomscrolling, heartbreaking Substack essays, and that heavy collective sigh so many of us share but rarely articulate out loud.

Despite being nominated last year as well, this award hits different. It hugs me tight and whispers that the risks were worth it. That trusting my voice was worth it. That writing about the things that keep us up at night matters — not just for me, but for the women who see themselves reflected in these words.

For "How To Date When You Don’t Trust Men" to be nominated for Best Opinion/Comment Article at the EVAWs feels like someone pressed pause on the noise and said, “Keep going.” And I will. Because this is the work that chose me as much as I chose it.

And one thing I believe in is PURPOSE.

Thank you for reading me, challenging me, trusting me, and letting me speak on the things that often go unnamed. I’m proud of this piece, proud of the conversations it has sparked, and proud of the woman I’m becoming through the work.

SO 🗣 to @blackballaduk for giving me a platform to speak up and @jendella for being my favourite Editor and walking this journey with me. MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW @evawuk and ALL THE OTHER NOMINEES!

Here’s to more stories, more courage, and more truth. by @millie_gp

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a year ago

Let me reintroduce myself through these beautiful shots because they're simply fabulous.

I'm Jamila Pereira - a Bissau-Guinean woman, on her early 30s, born and raised in Portugal. Ironically, I spent my teenage years in Portugal but the most crucial years of my life in the UK as a migrant.

I'm also an opinionated firstborn daughter and a twin, survivor of SA, globetrotter, recovering people pleaser, multilingual babe, IR graduate and a hopeless romantic.

After many years trying to figure out what life was worth fighting for, I found myself on a journey quite foreign for many Black migrant women like me - I became a writer.

And now, although it feels like I'm constantly pushing against the tide, I bless the world with every single thought that flows through me. From politics of identity and cultural shifts to poetry and coauthoring, I can proudly say this is MY purpose.

A freelance writer, culture analyst, coauthor in three books, facilitator, poet, shortlisted member of Merky Books Writer’s Prize 2019, public speaker & a top tier troublemaker.

You can find my work on Black Ballad, BANTUMEN, Open Democracy, GRWN Magazine & other platforms.

So, head to the link in bio for the full package 🤞🏿 taken in London, United Kingdom by @millie_gp

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3 years ago

⚠️ Querida mulher, se pudesses dar um conselho ao homens da tua vida passada, presente e futura, qual seria?

Fez um ano desde que ganhei o prémio de melhor artigo de opinião com a @blackballaduk no Reino Unido na batalha para acabar com a violência contra mulheres, uma campanha @evawuk que se semelha bastante à @apav_online , e que tem como objectivo eradicar todas as formas de violência que assombram a vida de mulheres e meninas no dia à dia.

No entanto, reconheço que neste último ano pouca coisa mudou. E estes eventos só reafirmam a minha preocupação:

CV: @cnnportugal : PJ cabo-verdiana faz novas detenções em caso de abuso sexual de menores com 25 suspeitos (ISTO OCORREU APENAS ONTEM)
PT: @sicnoticias : Jovens 'influencers' violam e publicam abusos nas redes sociais - "A jovem era uma seguidora"
Reino Unido: @bbcnews : Sentencing of boy who stabbed girl 'appalling'
Brasil: @cnnbrasil : Brasil bate recorde de feminicídios pelo quarto ano seguido
EUA: @guardian_us : ‘Sadness, cynicism and deep disappointment’: the Cornell gang-rape case and the failure of #MeToo
Angola: @rtppt : Angola regista até abril quase 500 casos de abuso sexual contra crianças
Mozambique: @rfi_pt
: Moçambique tem mais de 500 denúncias por mês de abusos sobre crianças
África do Sul: @oglobo : O que se sabe sobre os casos de nove mulheres encontradas mortas com sinais de violência em dois meses na África do Sul

Deixando-me assim a perguntar até onde vai a minha voz, especialmente das versões mais novas de mim mesma que temiam ser vistas, e até onde podemos levar justiça e humanidade para que mulheres e meninas tenham o direito de viver sem ter medo da sua própria sombra.

No final do dia acho que seria muita ingenuidade da minha parte levantar os braços e pensar que um artigo acabaria com séculos de misoginia, patriarcado, supremacia branca e violência de género mas também não posso negar que esperava muito mais. De homens, de rapazes e até mesmo dos nossos círculos mais íntimos.

Se tens uma noção de como responder à minha pergunta, deixa um comentário e espero que encontremos uma cura todos juntos. by @millie_gp

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3 days ago

10 Livros Inspirados Na Guiné-Bissau Que Todos Vocês Deveriam Conhecer e Ler 🇬🇼

1. “Antes do Início” de @ernestomanejr
2. “The Moon Will Not Burn Us” de @ricci_s
3. “A Última Tragédia” de @sila_abdulai
4. “Unity and Struggle” de Amílcar Cabral
5. “Anos Ku Ta Manda” de @yasmeeener
6. “Fighting Two Colonialisms: Women In Guinea-Bissau” de @stephanie_urdang
7. “Furriel Não é Nome de Pai” de @catarinagomes.eu
8. “Volta Para Tua Terra: Não Há Abril Sem Imigrantes” de Jamila Pereira Et al. @voltaparatuaterra_antologia
9. “Cartas à Guiné-Bissau: Registros de uma Experiência em Processo” de Paulo Freire
10. “Entre o Ser e o Mar” de @odetecostasemedo

Se já leste algum ou se tens mais sugestões, partilha connosco nos comentários e não te esqueças de seguir a @nopapia_ para mais factos e entrevistas interessantes sobre a Guiné-Bissau 📚

Dá gosto, partilha, reposta e guarda 🤝🏿 taken in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau by @millie_gp

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5 days ago

Vou dizer às minhas sobrinhas que se podem alimentar de arte e desafiar a natureza com as suas palvras.

Telling my nieces they can feed themselves of art and defy nature with their words. by @millie_gp

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7 days ago

Ainda sobre o meu último post . by @millie_gp

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8 days ago

A lot of people asked me this week how do I combine award-winning advocacy journalism with art, what does poetry mean to me and whose stories am I telling when I delve deep into words, rhymes and stanzas.

And truth be told, I always explain that all my knowledge, flow and stories come from the women that came before or stand by me, either be my friends, my sisters, my cousins, my mother, my aunties and my grandmother's.

Yet, someone I often tend to forget to mention are the women and girls I've shed away along the years.

One's that sobbed in silence.
One's that fought to be heard.
One's that had their spirit broken day in and day out, with nowhere to turn to.

I recently spoke to one of my sisters and we were forced to discuss our definition of "survivor" or in this scenario, "WHO'S THE PERFECT SURVIVOR" in a political, white supremacist, patriarchal, misogynistic and racist society.

And after a whole lot of questioning, I came to the conclusion that:

1. Women are expected to minimise their own assaults, especially those that happened at a young age, - and if they're "fully functioning adults" - because it was a long time ago and it "doesn’t affect you like that".

2. They're often frightened or ashamed of being placed on the "survivor box" because that entails being a "victim".

3. Perhaps we're both high-functioning trauma survivors - her, myself and all the women I've been trying to hide away in the corners of my heart. People who maintain outer stability and success while internally managing the effects of past stress or injury. And how I do it brilliantly.

In the light of the latest news regarding the Cornell 7, the young girl that was stabbed 10 times by her teenage ex, or the incidents of feminicide all over SA, I wonder how can women pursuw justice and advocacy, while a lot of men stay silent.

Because in order not to be all men and boys, we need YOU to step away from and stand up to your toxic and abusive friends, we need YOU to raise your child to respect women and girls and we need YOU to openly discuss these issues with everyone around YOU. I NEED YOU TO DIVE INTO DISCOMFORT AND BATHE IN IT. by @millie_gp

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9 days ago

Just keep swiping 💳: Someone said the boobs and the face were giving main character, not the outfit but I'll have to disagree on this one 👀😫🤝🏿

If you're in 🇬🇼 make sure to order this beautiful jumpsuit from @milu_stils - SHE DID THEE THING

ALSO, CHECK OUT OUR FULL PERFORMANCE FOR BBC CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE ON MY PREVIOUS POST 💕 AND PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A FULL EXPERIENCE ON POETRY AND LYRICAL WITH CRAFT. taken in Manchester, UK by @millie_gp

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10 days ago

The Power to Redefine Paths w/ Poetry

Although I've been babbling non-stop about the opportunity to collaborate with the @nationalpoetrycentre x @vempraflup x @britishcouncil for the past year, while emphasising the importance of a proper investment in the arts, especially for racialised and marginalised communities. Still, there's something particularly special in being from a Luso-African background and taking up the due space in these tables. This exchange programme gave me an opportunity to think about the Black Atlantic as something lived. Through music, poetry and conversation, I was able to think more deeply about the connections between Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas, and the ways those connections continue to shape how we understand ourselves.

What stayed with me most throughout this journey was the creative exchange. There is something powerful about being in a space where people arrive from different cultural and geographical backgrounds but recognise certain things in one another. Sometimes that recognition happens through language, sometimes through rhythm, sometimes through the subjects we write about.

It also made me think more carefully about my own position within the Black Atlantic. As someone from a Luso-African background who has built a life in Britain, I am constantly navigating different histories and relationships to place. The programme gave me space to look at those connections as parts of my identity.

My Luso-African community is also a major source of inspiration. I am interested in ordinary conversations, family histories, music, language, migration stories and the heavy things people carry.

It also reinforced my belief that poetry can create conversations across borders in ways that academic or political language sometimes cannot. It also reminded me that collaboration can emerge from understanding our differences while recognising the histories and experiences that connect us.

May many more doors open across the globe where those that dream the most get to experience it, too.

Thanks to this amazing team 🥺🫰🏿 @khadijah.ibrahiim @paulettemorrisjo @kadishmorris @ondejazzmeucoracao @eusoumileny @chamouava by @millie_gp

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11 days ago

Recentemente, perguntaram-me porque é que tantos de nós, na comunidade PALOP, continuamos a falar da dor e da decolonização quando temos tanta alegria para oferecer.

E é verdade: temos uma alegria imensa para celebrar. A nossa biodiversidade, a nossa cultura, a nossa arte e claro, o nosso magnífico Flora Gomes celebrado em Veneza.

Mas também penso na nossa sobrevivência.

Hoje celebramos 53 anos de independência da Guiné-Bissau, mas a colonialidade deixou fragmentos que ainda atravessam as nossas vidas. A realidade não desaparece porque escolhemos celebrar.

E talvez seja precisamente por isso que precisamos de lembrar. Não para viver na dor, nem porque ela nos define por inteiro, mas porque a memória também faz parte de quem somos. Reconhecer o que fomos, o que vivemos e o que ainda enfrentamos é parte de podermos imaginar aquilo que queremos ser.

Eu só gostava que fosse mais fácil viver.

Que pudéssemos conhecer estabilidade, paz e prosperidade. Que as vidas perdidas para nos trazer até aqui não tivessem sido em vão. Que pudéssemos olhar para trás sem medo e, finalmente, caminhar em frente.

Feliz Dia da Independência, pessoal. 🇬🇼✨️ E espero que gostem do excerto do meu poema (1.30-1.36)

Disclaimer: No copyright intended/ I do not own any of this imagery. taken in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau by @millie_gp

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14 days ago

Relembrar que visitei o meu 31° país este ano, que comi o melhor peixe frito da minha vida, que Punta Cana é para gringos que apanham escaldão e ficam tipo lagosta, que me diverti tipo criança e que viagens para as Américas agora é só com essas duas 🙂‍↔️ taken in Dominican Republic by @millie_gp

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18 days ago