Iyoba Idia: The Hidden Oba of Benin
TweetSourced: Nkiru Nzegwu. “Iyoba Idia: The Hidden Oba of Benin” JENDA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies: Issue 9, 2006. The task of piecing together women’s history has been difficult. So acute is the dearth of information, particularly documentary evidence, that some of the outstanding women in history have been mistaken for men...
The Queenmother, Matriarchy and the Question of Female Political Authority
The Queenmother, Matriarchy, and the Question of Female Political Authority in Precolonial West African Monarchy Journal of Black Studies 1997 27: 579-597. By Tarikhu Farrar
Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa
Yaa Asantewaa was an Edwesohemaa (Queen Mother of the Edweso tribe of the Asante) in modern day Ghana. She is often credited with empowering the people to rise up against the British.
The Queen Mother and the Golden Stool of Ashanti
The Golden Stool is a mysterious symbol of power and history of the Ashanti people. The myth is told that Okomfo Anokye conjured the famous Golden Stool from the sky and landed it on the lap of King Osei Tutu, the first King of the Ashantis.
The Warrior Queens of Dahomey
The kingdom of Dahomey, now called Republique du Benin is located in Western Africa, bordered by Togo on the west and Nigeria on the east. Dahomey has a unique feature in its history that reads like something out of Greek mythology - they had Africa's most well known corps of female warriors.