African feminist ancestors

In the AFF we embrace the concept of herstory as a way to rectify the absence of women and their contribution to our memory of historic turning points.  Recording African women’s struggles and achievements in the struggle for their (and their communities’) liberation is one of the critical projects of African Feminism . The birth of the African Feminist Ancestors Project is based on the commitment to ground our activism, movement-building and strategies on lessons and inspirations of how African women in the past have negotiated power, challenged patriarchal notions of womanhood and also women’s roles within society.

In this effort we profile African feminists who have played a critical leadership role in Africa.  In profiling these feminist ancestors, we hope to explore how these women have challenged power relations within African society, to make visible feminist participation in African anti-colonial  struggles, in projects of national liberation, and to address the absence of literature on African women in advancing social justice.