History becomes "Her-story" in West Africa: Representations of the female gender's role in the past, present, & future of West Africa

The history of West Africa has often been the story of men. Whether European colonial administrators or indigenous Africans, the perspective of these men dominates the context of West Africa's history from before, during, and after colonial rule. In our course "West Africa in the 20th Century," we made a point to consider the viewpoints of African women. Colonial systems of administration had profound effects on these women, yet that did not stop them from …

…once oppressed under colonial rule. Their stories are often left out of history books because the colonial administrators saw these women as inferior and less advanced than even the indigenous African men that they also exploited. But the women fought back and have earned their present right for continuing advancement in the African economy as successful family leaders, business women, and political activists in Africa's changing social, economic, and political structures of the 20th century.