Have you read our article about famous people from Sierra Leone? Our readers loved it, so we thought about dedicating another article to extraordinary Sierra Leonean women, from the past and present.Sierra Leone has given birth to many remarkable women who have made significant contributions to history, culture, and society – in our country and beyond. From educators to journalists, from politicians to groundbreaking activists, here are 5 famous women from Sierra Leone!
1. Hannah Benka-Coker
Hannah Benka-Coker was an educator from Sierra Leone, born in 1903. At the time, very few girls were able to get an education – Benka-Coker campaigned tirelessly to create a school that would offer a program for girls, leading to the establishment of the Freetown Secondary School for Girls in 1926.The school accepted students from all over West Africa, regardless of their ethnicity and creed. For her efforts, Benka-Coker was awarded an MBE in 1944.
2. Zainab Bangura
Zainab Bangura is a renowned diplomat and women’s rights activist, who served as the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict from 2012 to 2017, and is now Director-General of the United Nations office at Nairobi.Bangura has started her activism when the country was still ruled by the military junta, and has dedicated her career to fighting sexual violence and promoting gender equality.
3. Sylvia Blyden
Sylvia Blyden is a physician, journalist, publisher, and former Sierra Leone minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs. As the first female editor of a major newspaper in Sierra Leone, Blyden has been an advocate for press freedom and democracy.In 2002, she became the youngest party leader in the history of Sierra Leone, and has expressed interest in running for president one day.
4. Nancy Steele
Nancy Steele was a Sierra Leonean politician and labour activist. She was the leader of the National Congress of Sierra Leone Women, the women’s wing of the All People’s Congress political party.She was an influential activist, raising awareness on the poor treatment of Black people in Britain, and campaigning against maintaining British military bases after independence.
5. Constance Cummings-John
Constance Cummings-John was a politician and women’s rights activist, who made history as the first woman to join a municipal council, and as the first female mayor of Freetown in 1966.In the latter part of her life, she moved to London where she joined the Labour Party and became an important voice in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.Her pioneering efforts, alongside those of Nancy Steele and the other women mentioned in this article, paved the way for future generations of women in Sierra Leonean politics.
