Skip to content
HerStory AFRICA
HomeWomenTimelineArticlesOpportunitiesFavoritesAbout
Women · By cause
A collection · 3 women · 2 countries

African women who fought for political power

3 women in the archive worked for political power. They came from different countries and different centuries, but each of them saw a wrong that others accepted and set out to change it.

Start here

Three women to meet first

Portrait of Amina of Zazzau, Nigeria
Pre-Colonial · Nigeria · 1533–1610Amina of Zazzau16th-century warrior queen of Zazzau (modern Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria). Led 34 years of military campaigns,…
Portrait of Hatshepsut, EgyptPre-Colonial
HatshepsutEgypt · 1507–1458
Portrait of Queen Idia of Benin, NigeriaPre-Colonial
Queen Idia of BeninNigeria · 1460–1520
All 3

A to Z

Sorted by name
A
Portrait of Amina of Zazzau
Amina of Zazzau Nigeria · 1533–1610
H
Portrait of Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut Egypt · 1507–1458
Q
Portrait of Queen Idia of Benin
Queen Idia of Benin Nigeria · 1460–1520
Other causes
Women's rights47 women Education32 women Women's leadership28 women Human rights19 women Sovereignty & independence17 women Political leadership15 women Political rights15 women Anti-colonial activism14 women
HerStory AFRICA

The women history forgot to teach you.

Explore

All womenTimelineArticlesOpportunitiesAboutSuggest a woman

Browse

West AfricaEast AfricaSouthern AfricaCentral AfricaNorth AfricaAll women A to Z

Contact

hello.herstoryafrica@gmail.com

Stay in the loop

New stories of remarkable African women, straight to your inbox.

© 2026 HerStory Africa. An educational project.

Built with care for the women who came before us.