In the 19th century, large parts of present day Zambia was ruled by a fierce chief, whose kingdom was at least twice as large as any in the region. And when Portuguese slavers tried to subjugate the kingdom for its trade roots, the chief waged war and won.
That rarely told story is already remarkable, what makes it even more remarkable is that the chief was a woman: Chief Mwape. Although she ruled until her death in 1910, not much is known about this heroic figure, in part because of how women’s history in Zambia, and elsewhere on the continent, has been distorted.
This week the Women’s History Museum of Zambia launched an animated podcast series to balance that narrative. In about two-minute animations, the web series tells the stories of women from between the 17th and 19th century Zambia. The stories have categorized these women according to how they challenge stereotypes, “The Feminist,” “The Innovator,” “The Power Broker,” and premiering with “The General,”…
