Women and National Liberation in Africa

African liberation from colonial rule was the product of years of intense negotiation, compromise, and armed struggle. In 1957, Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan African country to receive independence. As president and “father of the nation,” Kwame Nkrumah symbolized liberation and potential to Africans across the continent. The following year, in 1958, Guinea's independence brought to power another important nationalist figure – Sékou Touré. Like Nkrumah, Touré personified the hopes and possibilities of the new nation. Shortly thereafter, others who also represented African independence and autonomy joined them: Patrice Lumumba (Zaire), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), and Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia). But “big men” were not the only ones responsible for their countries' liberation; many women also struggled alongside men for independence. In most cases, however, they agreed to put gender demands aside until the struggle was over. Few women assumed that their significant contributions would be forgotten; yet this is exactly what happened in country after country. For this reason, it is fair to say that African liberation was partial at best.