When women are central to African religious history: On power, prophecy, and memory

This article examines the centrality of women's voices in Robert Baum's West Africa's Women of God, where African women emerge as prophetic figures and leaders in their regions, shaping both the political and religious scenes under colonial France. By recovering these women's stories, Baum is able to show how the colonial authority systemically attempted to discount the leadership and prophetic powers of these women, constraining them to private space and to rigid gender roles.