We Are…: Women Warriors

She is a vision of goodness—a protector, a nourisher, a provider. Cradling her child in her arms while focused on a distant goal in the future, she sits upright adorned with attributes of Kongo leadership—including a chief’s knotted hat—and beauty, bearing elaborate scarified tattoos, filed teeth, and a smooth, serene composure. This figure likely served as a phemba, an icon associated with Kongo religious groups focused on healing and motherhood, particularly during periods in the 18th and 19th centuries when the trade in enslaved peoples on the coast was at its most disruptive. Collected before 1914, this figure is one of six known examples in this particular style, attributed to an as-yet-unnamed master artist.

Submitting to no European, she kept her kingdoms intact.

• A skilled diplomat and military tactician, Njinga was queen of the kingdom of Ndongo, later conquering Matamba when forced out of her original court.
• Nzinga offered sanctuary to runaway slaves while resisting the Portuguese who sought a more pliable leader for the kingdoms.
• Nzinga negotiated a treaty with the Dutch against the Portuguese—pitting one European power against another.

When meeting with the Portuguese governor, Njinga was given a mat, rather than a chair, on which to sit so as to indicate her subservience to the European power. Njinga ordered one of her servants to sit on all fours and sat on his back—looking the governor in the eye.

The embodiment of generosity. Potentially functional, this spoon was also a personal monument to a woman celebrated in her community for her capacity for openness and philanthropy. Both Dan and Wè communities honored women who held the distinction of providing not only for her own household, but also for unexpected visitors, traveling musicians, and seasonal farm workers. The emblem of her achievement became a specially commissioned spoon that may have also served as a generalized portrait of the owner. Such spoons were trophies of a woman’s capacity, quite literally, to bring her community together.

She led Liberian women in a non-violent campaign to end the civil war.

• Gbowee is a Nobel Peace prize winning activist whose interfaith organization, Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, is credited with helping to bring end to Liberia’s fourteen-year civil war.
• Gbowee gathered thousands of women from throughout country and across ethnic/religious divisions in organizing protests and strikes in Monrovia—and at the peace talks, held in Accra, Ghana, themselves.
• When talks appeared to be breaking down, Gbowee and 200 other women formed a human barricade, preventing warlord Charles Taylor and his representatives from leaving until peace had been achieved.
• The close of the conflict paved the way for the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state.

“Women are the ones that bear the greatest burden. We are also the ones who nurture societies.”

—Leymah Gbowee

Potentially functional, this spoon was also a personal monument to a woman celebrated in her community for her capacity for openness and philanthropy. Both Dan and Wè communities honored women who held the distinction of providing not only for her own household, but also for unexpected visitors, traveling musicians, and seasonal farm workers. The emblem of her achievement became a specially commissioned spoon that may have also served as a generalized portrait of the owner. Such spoons were trophies of a woman’s capacity, quite literally, to bring her community together.

The “Iron Lady,” she was Africa’s first elected female president.

• Born and raised in Monrovia, Sirleaf went on to study economics and public administration at Harvard.
• Sirleaf served as finance minister under multiple pre-civil war Liberian administrations, earning a reputation for integrity in her clashes with the military governments. She was arrested several times, and went into exile.
• In exile, Sirleaf served with multiple global institutions, including the World Bank, Citibank, and the United Nations.
• Sirleaf returned to Liberia in 2003 to chair the Commission on Good Governance, which sought to prepare the county for elections following two devastating civil wars.
• Elected twice to the presidency (2006-2018), she worked to secure foreign investment and to have Liberia’s entire foreign debt forgiven. She instituted a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to address Liberia’s devastating recent decades, on which Leywah Gbowee, with whom she shared a Nobel Peace Prize citation in 2011, served.

"If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."

-Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, delivering commencement remarks at Harvard, May 26, 2011

Yoruba mothers are not to be messed with. Women of a certain age in Yoruba communities, often market traders and people of considerable authority and referred to as àwọn ìyà wa (our mothers), were historically considered to have great capacity—for good, or otherwise. Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ developed as a masquerade to honor and soothe these powerful women. Performed by men, Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ always depicts women, often with elaborate superstructures placed above conventionally stylized faces. This mask is one of four identified as being by the same individual, an unidentified artist from the Anago region of Benin. The distinctive arrangement and size of the features are consistent with characteristics of this master, as are the flat-topped, rectangular ear, the profile of the eyelids, and the precise, triangular chip carving.

The ‘Lionness of Lisabi,’ she fought for suffrage and equal rights.

• Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a Nigerian womens’-rights activist, political campaigner, and teacher—and also the mother of Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti.
• She was an advocate for female suffrage, founding a womens’-rights organization, that became a national union of women.
• Ransome-Kuti founded the Commoners People’s Party; she was a delegate to independence negotiations with the British.
• She was murdered during a raid ordered by Nigeria’s then military government on Fela’s compound in 1978.

“There has not been a—ny—body, in these whole politics in Africa—only two people have walked on the streets to [have] people follow the way they are going—Nkrumah, and my mother!”

—Fela Kuti, speaking of his murdered mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

The very existence of this sculpture is a feminist act.

Born in a Kalabari community in which women have historically been prohibited from sculpting in wood and metal, Sokari Douglas Camp has taken up her welder’s torch as an artist in calm defiance of such restrictions. Douglas Camp’s large, semiabstract, often kinetic, figurative works have been inspired by the sounds, movements, and colors of both communities to which she belongs—African expatriates living and working in London, and Kalabari society in the Niger Delta.

This clapping figure recalls the coming-of-age ceremony (iriabo) that initiates Kalabari girls into womanhood. When presented to the community, the initiates are typically dressed in valuable cloth wrappers and adorned with coral beads and necklaces. Small Iriabo (Clapping Girl) claps her hands as though preparing the way for a major event.

She is one of the continent’s clearest voices for women’s rights.

• A recipient of a MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant,’ Adichie is one of Africa’s most critically and popularly lauded current writers.
• Her novels and short stories, including Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), and Americanah (2013) address Nigeria’s troubled history and the experience of race in America, among other themes.
• Her essay and TED talk, We Should All Be Feminists (2014), has been a widely shared touchpoint for contemporary debate on feminist issues; Adichie has also written on behalf of LGBT rights in Nigeria.

“The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are.”

—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists

She’ll tease you. She may unease you. She is the very embodiment of grace and charm. This serene, show-stopping masterwork is the epitome of youthful feminine beauty. The mask represents a beautiful young woman adorned with tattoos, earrings, and an elaborate coiffure. Historically, Chokwe communities organized pwo to dance in honor of the founding female ancestor of a particular family’s lineage. A male dancer would be dressed like a woman in a costume of braided fiber that completely covers his body and hid his identity. In the dance, he wears a loincloth, carries a fan, and moves in slow, precise steps to emulate a graceful young woman. Celebrating her beauty, pwo also honors the dignity and moral worth of a well-respected family.

Miss Universe aims to combat ugly stigma still associated with HIV/AIDS.

• Prior to entering beauty pageants, Lopes studied business at university in the United Kingdom.
• Upon being crowned Miss Universe in 2011, Lopes become only the fourth African woman (of 60) and the first Angolan to earn the title.
• With her global profile, she aims to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and the discrimination those with the disease experience globally.

“Being Miss Universe is much more than having a sash and crown. It is about taking pride in my commitment to serving as an ambassador to my country, and to women everywhere.”

—Leila Lopes

How could the “Mother of the Nation” have done that? An activist in her own right—and the global face of resistance to apartheid during her then-husband Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in prison—Winnie Mandela’s reputation never recovered from the stories that arose about her through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In the words of the South African artist, Sue Williamson: “Although [the TRC] was undeniably an essential process in beginning the healing of the country, the ‘truth’ proved elusive. One of the most poignant hearings involved that of Winnie Mandela . . . The killing of a young teen [Stompie Seipei] in December 1988 at the hands of the Mandela United Football Club [her bodyguards] brought her reputation into disrepute. Dr. Abu Baker Asvat was a beloved Soweto doctor who was assassinated by two men in his office in January 1989. Many believed he was killed because he refused to supply false medical records clearing Winnie Mandela of involvement in the death of Seipei, whom Mandela accused of being a police informer.” The lithograph depicts the confusing and sometimes contradictory testimonies surrounding Winnie Mandela. Williamson adds: “If it is confusing to the viewer, [it was also so for] the nation’s audiences who in the face of Winnie Mandela’s denials were left to make up their own minds. I was attempting ... simultaneously to present the drama of the historic moment of confrontation with the confusion left behind.”

The “Mother of the Nation,” she was a symbol of the best and the worst in the struggle.

• Trained as a social worker, Winnie Madikizela met Nelson Mandela in 1956, and became his second wife two years later.
• During the 27 years of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment, Winnie Mandela was continually harassed by the government, facing banning orders, travel restrictions, internal exile, and 17 months in jail herself.
• Throughout her husband’s long imprisonment, she remained a resilient symbol of resistance, keeping his memory and message alive, in South Africa and beyond.
• The kidnapping and beating of four young activists, and the murder of one, Stompie Seipei, in 1988 forever damaged her reputation. She was convicted of kidnapping in 1991, though the sentence was later reduced. Nelson Mandela separated from her in 1992; they would divorce in 1996.
• Later in life, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela swung between moments of achievement and disrepute: She was a deputy minister in the first democratic government, but resigned under corruption charges. She was elected as a Member of Parliament, but was convicted of theft and fraud. She was reportedly at Mandela’s side as he lay dying in 2013, with his third wife, Graça Machel, but later sued his estate for control of his home (and lost).

“To those who oppose us, we say, ‘Strike the woman, and you strike the rock’.”

—Winnie Mandela, 1966

"Together, hand in hand, with our matches and our necklaces, we shall liberate this country."

—Winnie Mandela, 1986, alluding to the notorious practice of lighting a gasoline-soaked tire, placed around the head of an opponent, ablaze.

She sees you—and celebrates you—for bringing your best self. Nontsikelelo “Lolo” Veleko’s series entitled Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder (2005–ongoing) presents compelling photographic portraits that document the innovative street fashion scene among the young people of South Africa’s cities. The creative, individual styles sported by her subjects demonstrate a confident sense of beauty and optimism that counter perceptions of South Africa’s urban neighborhoods as beset solely by crime and poverty. Through Veleko’s lens, we see “sartorial success” stories about stylish young people “following their own creativity and casting aside all the rules.” Here, a young man stands on an empty, city street. He is stylishly attired in bright orange-red pants, a light blue short-sleeved shirt, striped tie, hat, and black-and-white shoes. Through his sunglasses, he looks confidently ahead.

The “Madonna of the Townships,” MaBrrr, South Africa’s “Queen of Pop,” her reputation was built on a fearless self-image.

• A precocious and talented singer from a young age, Fassie made it big with a hit single, “Weekend Special,” at the age of 19, propelling her next album to multi-platinum status. In the 1990s, she became associated with kwaito, a genre of house music that sampled African sounds.
• She was celebrated as a voice of South Africa’s disenfranchised—during apartheid, and after.
• Fassie was often compared to the American pop singer Madonna—for the fearlessness with which she promoted her image, but also for the controversy that followed with her. Fassie struggled with drug addiction, and endured turbulent relationships with men and women in the public spotlight.
• Fassie publicly came out as a lesbian in 2003.
• In addition to her music, Fassie is remembered as a pioneering fashion icon, who died tragically young. Brenda Fassie delighted in breaking style taboos and innovating new trends.

“I’m a shocker. I like to create controversy. It’s my trademark.”

—Brenda Fassie, 1998

“I’m going to become the Pope next year. Nothing is impossible.”

—Brenda Fassie, 1999

A member of the “born-free generation,” Dada Khanyisa creates a range of works—from sneakers and graphic art to paintings—intimately connected to South African politics and popular culture. Dada self-identifies as gender nonconforming and has also produced work under the name The Mighty Whale. In AMA #WCW, six young women are at a nightclub or restaurant enjoying cocktails, cigarettes, and chicken. But, most importantly, almost everyone is close to their smartphones. Three women are taking selfies; three other phones are actually embedded on the surface of the table, adding to the sculptural depth of a painting with hair extensions, jewelry, and fabric appended to its surface. An isiZulu caption sits in the foreground alongside the Instagram-style “tagging” of one of the women in the image. The painting takes on the look of an Instagram post—even as further posts are likely being framed and composed on other smartphones at the very moment the painting depicts. Its title recalls multiple acronyms regularly used on social media—“#AMA,” or “ask me anything,” and “#WCW” or “Woman Crush Wednesday.”

They blazed a trail for intersectional human rights—maintaining that “gay rights are human rights.”

• Ditsie and Nkoli are activists who had an important early role in creating legal and cultural space for LGBT people in South Africa in the early 1990s. Together, they were part of a cohort of activists who founded GLOW (Gay and Lesbian Organization of the Witwatersrand), the first national black LGBT organization in South Africa.
• A committed activist, Beverley Palesa Ditsie was the first out lesbian woman to address the United Nations on LGBT rights, speaking the Beijing Women’s Conference in 1995.
• Arrested as an anti-apartheid activist, Simon Nkoli came out while in prison. He used the moment to try to change the attitude of the African National Congress (ANC) toward gay rights.
• After 1994, Nkoli met with President Mandela and campaigned for the inclusion of protections for LGBT people in the new constitution. In 1996, South Africa became the first country to constitutionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
• Together, Ditsie and Nkoli organized the first Pride March in Africa, in Johannesburg in 1990.

“Anyone who is truly committed to women’s human rights must recognize that every woman has the right to determine her sexuality free of discrimination and oppression.”

—Beverley Palesa Ditsie, addressing the Beijing Women’s Conference, 1995

“I am black and I am gay. I cannot separate the two into secondary or primary struggles.”

—Simon Nkoli