Kenyan tax justice activist wins major award

Young people are increasingly contributing massively to the change process. One such person is Stella Agara, the Youth Advisor for Action Aid in Malawi, who on 18 June 2017 was named the 15th Bremen Solidarity Award winner. This was in recognition of her outstanding efforts in campaigning for tax justice and tax fairness in Africa. Stella has been campaigning for tax justice for years and is keen on recruiting young people to join the tax justice movement.

She stands at the forefront of the fight to promote social, economic and cultural development in her native Kenya, in Malawi and in Africa as a whole. She has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women’s rights in particular as well as tax justice.

Since 1988, the Bremen Solidarity Award is bestowed by the regional government of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen upon people who campaign for human rights, freedom, democracy as well as against racism and the consequences of colonialism. The award is presented every two years together with the sum of 5,000 Euros in an attempt to encourage action against injustice. Amongst the first laureates of the award were the South African President Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie for fighting against colonial domination and the racist regime.

This year’s Solidarity Prize is intended to draw attention to the important structural importance of fiscal justice and the problem of international tax avoidance and evasion and for tax fairness in Africa. It is estimated that Africa loses up to 50billion dollars annually as a result of IFFs (tax avoidance and evasion) which is double the amount that the continent receives in form of Oversees Development Assistance (ODA).

The winner receives a sculpture, which symbolises strength in solidarity depicting the “animal farm” story.

Stella’s vibrant message and dedicated work in Malawi is shown in this Oxfam video, made in 2016 when Stella participated in a Tax Justice tour in the UK:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZ_JFbCZ3YbEpR48qxZBaA?feature=emb_ch_name_ex

ou can follow Stella on Twitter: @NyarAgara.