新澳门开奖结果

15 Most Famous African Women Who Changed The World

Many African women have personalized the statement, the world is your oyster and have gone out of their way to make history. These women have defied societal norms and all limitations placed on them to emerge as trailblazers in their respective industries. From women in governance to activists to entertainers, these remarkable women have shattered barriers, fought for justice, and paved the way for future generations.

In this article, we delve into the lives of 15 of the most famous African women who have changed the world. Their contributions, ranging from environmental activism to literature, from human rights advocacy to entertainment, have not only shaped their respective countries but have also influenced the world. Their stories of resilience, courage, and achievement serve as an inspiration to all, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural divides. 

1. Wangari Maathai

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Wangari Maathai a Kenyan by birth spent the better part of her life battling for natural issues. A Nobel Prize laureate, she was the principal African lady and the primary tree hugger to be offered the renowned honour. Other than this, she has various firsts shockingly, the principal being the main African lady to be granted a doctorate qualification.

It was during the 1970s that she established the Green Belt Movement, which included planting trees to moderate the earth. In the course of her life, she became a politician. Chosen as a Member of Parliament, she filled in as a colleague serving for Environment and Natural Resources in the administration of President Mwai Kibaki from January 2003 and November 2005. In 2006, France offered to her perhaps the most elevated enrichment, Legion D鈥� Honneur. Read more on top 20 famous Kenyan people. 

2. Obiageli Ezekwesili

Obiageli Ezekwesili is not only an activist, she鈥檚 also an economic policy expert, an advocate for transparency, accountability, good governance and a humanitarian.

After nearly 300 mainly Christian girls were abducted from Chibok by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Ezekwesili utilized the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy group to draw attention to the plight of persons who have been abducted by terrorists. She was instrumental in the start of the viral #Advocacy and #BringBackOurGirlsCampaign campaigns on social media, which trended internationally.

3. Gra莽a Machel

Gra莽a is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.

Machel is a philanthropist and activist for girls鈥� access to education and basic human rights. In her activism, she founded the Gra莽a Machel Trust. This was meant to protect girls from childhood marriage and female genital mutilation. Machel believes that adolescent girls need to have the same educational opportunities as their male counterparts in order to contribute to the development of their communities.

4. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Sirleaf is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2004 to 2018. From 1971 to 1974, she worked as Deputy Minister of Finance and later worked for the World Bank in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Ellen was the first elected female head of state in Africa. In 2005, she won the presidential election and took office on January 16, 2006. She was noted as the first woman in Africa elected as president of her country. In 2011, she won the Nobel Peace Prize and was recognized for her efforts to bring women into the peacekeeping process.

5. Miriam Makeba 

Miriam Makeba, also known as Mama Afrika, was a South African singer, songwriter, and anti-apartheid activist. Makeba used songs to share the story of what was happening in South Africa during the apartheid era with the rest of the world.

This led to her being exiled from the country as a result of using art as an expression against the government. In 1963, Makeba gave a speech before the United Nations General Assembly speaking out against apartheid. Read more  interesting facts about Miriam Makeba.

6. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Adichie is a Nigerian writer and feminist. Her popular novels are that thing around your neck, Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, and Half of a Yellow Sun. Chimamanda is one of the African writers who have popularized African literature globally and among the new generation of readers.

In 2015, Chimamanda was named in Time magazine鈥檚 list of 100 Most Influential People. Two years later, in 2017, she was named one of the World鈥檚 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine. She has also received dozens of honorary doctorate degrees from universities in the United States and Britain. Chimamanda also advocates for women鈥檚 rights.

7. Joyce Banda

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Joyce Banda is a Malawian politician who was the President of Malawi from April 7, 2012, to May 31, 2014. Joyce took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu Mutharika.  She was the founder and leader of the People鈥檚 Party which was created in 2011. Joyce is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009. 

Joyce had served in various roles as a member of Parliament and as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare before she became the President of the Republic of Malawi. She was Malawi鈥檚 fourth president and was its first female president and second female head of state.

8. Brenda Fassie 

Brenda Fassie was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the 鈥淨ueen of African Pop鈥�, the 鈥淢adonna of The Townships鈥� or simply as The Black Madonna.

Her bold stage antics earned a reputation for being outrageous. Ironically, her Xhosa name, Nokuzola, is a feminine name that means quiet, calm or peace.

9. Winnie Mandela

Winnie Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2003. From 2009 until her death, and was a deputy minister of arts and culture from 1994 to 1996.

A member of the African National Congress political party, she served on the ANC鈥檚 National Executive Committee and headed its Women鈥檚 League. Mandela was known to her supporters as the 鈥淢other of the Nation鈥�.

10. Tiwa Savage 

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress who has been called the Queen of Afrobeats. Savage sings in English and Yoruba; her music is a blend of Afrobeats, R&B, pop and hip-hop. 

Tiwa Savage has performed alongside great artists like Mary J Blige, Chaka Khan and Spice Girls. She is talented in songwriting and has won prestigious awards such as the 鈥楤est African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards. Savage was the first woman to ever win this award. In 2014, she was the first female Nigerian artist to be nominated for BET awards. Tiwa works with the youth and campaigns for breast cancer awareness and screening in her country. Here are more amazing facts about Tiwa Savage. 

11. Angelique Kidjo

Kidjo is a Beninese-French singer-songwriter, actress, and activist noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards. She is a 2023 Polar Music Prize laureate.

In 2007, Time magazine called her Africa’s premier diva. She performed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on July 23, 2021. On September 15, 2021, Time included her in their list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

12. Lupita Nyong鈥檕 

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Lupita Nyong鈥檕 is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. She had her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen鈥檚 biopic 12 Years a Slave in 2013, for which she received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Aside from acting, Nyong鈥檕 supports historic preservation. She is vocal about preventing sexual harassment and working for women鈥檚 and animal rights. In 2019, Nyong鈥檕 wrote a children鈥檚 book named Sulwe, which became a number-one New York Times Best Seller. She also received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for narrating two episodes of the docu-series Serengeti. In 2020, Nyong鈥檕 was named one of Africa鈥檚 50 Most Powerful Women by Forbes.

13. Yemi Alade

Yemi is considered as one of the biggest artists in Africa. Her album King of Queens was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2015 Nigerian Entertainment Awards and the 2015 Headies Awards. In 2015, Yemi won the MTV African Music Awards for Best Female. In the same year, she was the first African female to be nominated for the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Yemi is the second Afrobeats artist and the first female to hit 100 million views for a single video on YouTube. She is also the first Nigerian female artist to hit 1 million views on YouTube in 24 hours.

14. Fatou Bensouda

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Fatou is a Gambian lawyer and former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who has served as the Gambian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since 3 August 2022.

She served as Prosecutor from June 2012 to June 2021, after having served as a Deputy Prosecutor in charge of the Prosecutions Division of the ICC from 2004 to 2012. Before that, she was Minister of Justice and Attorney General of The Gambia from 1998 to 2000. She has also held positions as a legal adviser and a trial attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

 15. Stella Nyanzi

Stella is a Ugandan scholar, human rights advocate, medical anthropologist and queer rights advocate. She published No Roses From My Mouth which is a collection of poems that she wrote while in prison.

The author was sentenced to 15 months in prison after she posted a poem on Facebook that is alleged to have insulted the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni. Nyanzi deserves more recognition as she writes inspiring and unapologetic pieces on different topics that affect society. Read more on Underrated African Authors You Need To Read Now.