Page 13 - Q1 2021

African women have always been known for This piece seeks to identify some of the many
their inner strength, brilliance, tenacity, loyalty African women in current times as they continue to
and leadership skills alongside their beauty and make their mark in their chosen fields of expertise
glamour. including but not limited to diplomacy, politics,
entrepreneurship, business leadership, arts and
The Dahomey Amazons were an all-female military entertainment.
army of the Republic of Benin which was known
at the time as the Kingdom of Dahomey. The There are so many names worthy of mention, but
kingdom was largely made up of the Fon people, we present in no particular order some prominent
who were situated towards the south of the country names to watch out for in 2021.
sandwiched by Togo to the left and Nigeria to the
right. They were so named by Western observers
and historians due to their similarity to the mythical
Amazons of ancient Anatolia and the Black Sea. Source: Wikipedia

Amanirenas was a queen of the Kingdom of Kush,
now Sudan, from 40 B.C. to 10 B.C. and famous for
leading the Kushite army against the Romans in a
five-year war from 27 B.C. to 22 B.C.

Nzinga Mbandi became queen of the Ndongo
and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people
in Angola in 1624 after her brother, King Ngola

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
On 15 February 2021, she was appointed
as Director-General of the World Trade
Organization (WTO). Her term will begin on
1 March 2021, when she will become the
first woman and the first African to hold the
office.

Mbandi, committed suicide following many failed
attempts to repel the Portuguese. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Born 13 June 1954, Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a
But the story does not end with history. Today, Nigerian-American economist and international
many African women continue to blaze the trail development expert. She sits on the boards of
of success and leadership setting indelible marks Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance
across the continent and the world at large. for Vaccines and Immunization, and the African

Jan - Mar 2021 | The Lion King | 13