Lauretta Macauley

Lauretta Macauley was born in Sierra Leone and moved to Greece in 1982, having experienced inequality and social exclusion in her homeland. For more than three decades, she has been tirelessly fighting for the rights of African migrants, refugees and their descendants in Greece. After living in the country without a residence permit for years, she was wrongfully terminated without compensation, which led her to found the organisation United African Women Organisation Greece (UAWO) as a way for African women in Greece to organise and fight for their rights, dedicating her life fully to the work of the organisation. Macauley uses theatre as a tool of social expression and empowerment, implementing EU-funded art programmes, and has taught jewellery making and African dance to boost women’s confidence and encourage financial independence. As an activist and representative of African communities, she contributes to public discussions, engages with the media, and participates in international social and artistic projects in collaboration with feminist and LGBT+ collectives working on human rights.