The role of African women in the political development of Pre-colonial Africa: A historical analysis

Abstract

‘Women in Development’ has considerable implications for historical research, since it provides a focus for the attention of historians. Historiography is largely a matter of focus, and the issue of women’s contribution to the development of the various facets of the life of society has drawn attention to a class of society whose conditions of life have been infrequently and incompletely explored. In contemporary times, several useful works have appeared in the general area of the study of women in the past. These studies have had serious implications for the way society perceives and treats women as they have contributed towards liberating women from the shackles of male dominance and ‘intimidation’. The present study seeks to contribute in this direction by examining the role of African women in the development of the African continent. To this end, the contributions of women are analysed from the perspective of the political life of Africa. Thus, using the multi-disciplinary approach, the study does a critical examination of the contributions African women made to the political development of their respective societies in pre-colonial Africa. It first makes a survey of the pre-colonial African political terrain and reappraises the ‘political image’ of women in society. It then makes a selection from the historical record and evaluates the circumstances out of which some African women rose to become political leaders in their societies and the contributions they made to ensure the smooth administration and survival of those policies. Per the findings of the study, the paper concludes that the contemporary political stage of Africa owes much of its success to the contributions of some African women in the past. Finally, it maintains that there is the need for the contemporary generation to appreciate the political capabilities of women and place them in key political positions