“Wathinta abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo” is a common phrase that has been used since the 1950s. It translates to when you strike a woman, you strike a rock – enforcing the strength that women are. As we celebrate women’s day, we remember, not only South African women, but women from across Africa that helped pave the way to political liberation and contributed to the history of our continent.

Women are often forgotten in history and it is time to change that narrative so women’s contribution can be carved in stone. As I research for this piece, I was saddened by how difficult it was for me to find some pictures of the iconic women you are going to read about today.

It made it even more necessary for us to celebrate them and ensure that the world gets to know them and their contribution. To celebrate women’s month, we will profile some powerful women in our Women Creating Wealth community who are breaking barriers and working towards realising their fullest potential. We will build on the theme “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants” from the just ended African Youth Network Summit. This theme seeks to show the strengths of the people who have helped and inspired individuals realise success. Through this series, we also celebrate emerging giants who are making exception effort to help others realise their potential.

Mama Albertina Sisulu – South Africa

Mama Albertina would have been a hundred years this year and will always be remembered as one of the women who organized the historic Anti-pass Women’s March in 1956 where 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa to present a petition against the carrying of passes by women. It was one of the largest demonstrations staged in South African history.

The march was organized by Federation of South African Women, which Mama Sisulu occupied a leadership position which challenged the view that women were only good in the household. The famous march is celebrated in South Africa as Women’s Day on the 9^th of August. As a nurse and contributing to her community, Albertina dedicated more than 50 years of her life to the Albertina Sisulu Foundation, which works to improve the lives of small children and old people and the Albertina Sisulu Multipurpose Resource Centre/ASC.

In 1994 when South Africa became independent, she was in the first democratically elected Parliament. The World Peace Council honoured her for her contribution to end apartheid and elected her president from 1993 to 1996. The University of Johannesburg honoured her with an honorary doctoral degree in acknowledgement of her revolutionary role in pre-1994 South Africa.

Chief Kachindamoto

Not only does Chief Kachindamato lead 90,000 people of the Dedza District in the central region of Malawi, she is also known as the marriage terminator.; She has broken up 850 child marriages in Malawi and sent the girls back to school and banned their sexual initiations.

Mama Kachindamoto was appointed chief of the Dedza District in 2003 and when she saw that children as young as 12 were having babies and getting married,, she knew that she had to put a stop to it. Even though last year, Malawi passed a law that prohibits marriage to girls under 18 years, under the customary law of the traditional authorities the practice is still rife. Mama Kachindamoto instructed 50 sub-chiefs to sign an agreement to abolish early marriage under customary law, and annul any existing unions in her area of authority.

Not only did Mama Kachindamoto end child marriage, she put a stop to sexual initiations of young girls – which sends girls bound for marriage away to camps. For her efforts, Mama Kachindamoto was unveiled as the World Vision Malawi’s ‘End Child Marriages’ brand ambassador and in 2017, she was nominated in the New African Woman in Civil Society category at the New African Woman Awards.

Bibi Titi Mohammed

Bibi Titi Mohammed will be remembered for how she led the Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania (UWT) which was the women’s wing of Tanganyika Africa National Union (TANU), the party that led the country to independence in 1961.

Bibi, at the age of 29 first joined TANU in 1959 and she knew that this was an opportunity to open up a platform that created space for women’s unity in Tanganyika. Bibi ventured into politics in order to fight for women’s rights and for women to contribute to the fight for freedom.

With her charismatic character and as a powerful speaker, Bibi mobilized women to join TANU and created a space where women could express and articulate their thoughts and beliefs on their political future. She recruited beer entrepreneurs and enrolling them, her slogan was “Education, Income – Generation and Uhuru.” In her three months of UWT chair, she had already recruited 5,000 women.

Bibi also knew that Tanganyikan women can be transformed through independence –UWT unified women and gave them a voice in the fight against colonialism. UWT sold the ideals of TANU to the people and in 1964, the TANU constitution was amended that women would have membership rights in the party. UWT continued to mobilize women and to help with financial resources for the party and more importantly empowered women members economically, socially and politically. UWT played a big role in independence struggles in Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

Mama Chikamoneka

Described as a “torch bearer of the Women’s League”, Mama Chikamoneka’s fierceness saw her lead many protests and marches in Zambia.

In 1960, Mama Chikamoneka along with other fellow activists stripped down their clothes and marched half naked when Ian McLeod Secretary of States for the Colonies visited Zambia. Mama Chikamoneka and her peers were protesting against the colonial regime.

Before this Mama Chikamoneka was already involved in political activism. She was part of the freedom fighters who formed the Northern Rhodesia Teacher’s Welfare Association in 1948 which was later transformed into a political party called Northern Rhodesia African Congress. She led many protests and was effective at recruiting people to join the party.

In 1951, she was a founding member of for the Women’s Brigade which helped raise funds for freedom fighters who were jailed by the colonial regime.

One thing that stood out about Mama Chikamoneka was her resilience – after Zambian African National Congress (ZANC) which stemmed out of the African National Congress (ZANC was banned even after the effort to mobilize women to join) she never gave up. Along with other women formed a new party called the African National Independence Party (ANIP) – they petitioned the colonial authorities over the starving families of the detained leaders and also fought legal battles for their release. Mama Chikamoneka was honoured for her role in the nationalist struggle by former president Kaunda.

These four women show us the contributions women over the ages have been making on the African continent. As we reflect on these amazing women shaping Africa’s history, learn more about how the Graça Machel Trust has been working to advocate for women’s economic and social advancement.

.