Amina of Zazzau, remembered as Sarauniya, is a semi-legendary Hausa queen credited with military expansion and the construction of defensive earthen walls in the sixteenth century. This article examines the oral traditions, later chronicles, and archaeological evidence that shape her story, and explores her enduring legacy in Nigerian political culture.
Yaa Asantewaa, the queen mother of Ejisu, led the last major armed resistance of the Asante Empire against British colonial rule in 1900. Her defence of the sacred Golden Stool transformed a local crisis into the War of the Golden Stool, revealing the deep political and spiritual authority of the ohemaa office. This article examines her leadership, the war’s causes and conduct, and her enduring legacy in African sovereignty and women’s political power.
Ndate Yalla Mbodj (c. 1810–1860) was the last great Lingeer (queen mother and co-sovereign) of the Kingdom of Waalo in present-day Senegal. A formidable political and military leader, she defended Waalo’s autonomy against French colonial expansion until the kingdom’s final annexation. This article examines her rise within Waalo’s matrilineal succession system, her spiritual and ritual authority, her strategic resistance, and her enduring legacy in Senegalese and pan-African memory.