The world has been shaken at many levels in 2020. From losing famous public figures to experiencing one of the worst pandemics in recent history, to global protests in demand for justice for oppressed citizens. Tensions have been high and African women have been at the forefront of many of these events calling for accountability.
As the first of our annual list of powerful African women and game changers in the global community, we’re spotlighting a few women whose efforts impacted the lives of those around them.
Opal Tometi: Human rights advocate and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement that led nationwide protests against injustices against Black people. Triggered by the murder of George Floyd, the protests spilled over to global communities and increased awareness about the injustices experienced by Black people around the world.
DJ Switch: An activist and famous Disk Jockey who, with unmatched bravery during the End SARS protest, live broadcasted attacks by the Nigerian army and police on unarmed protestors at the Lekki Toll Gate, an event that has now become known as the Lekki Massacre. She continues to call on the global community to prosecute all government officials responsible for the crimes on that day, while continuing to raise her voice about injustices, corruption and police brutality in Nigeria.
Damilola Odufuwa: Co-founder of the Feminist Coalition. She and other members of the Feminist Coalition raised over $380,000 in two weeks during the End SARS protests in Nigeria to provide support to protestors.
Odunayo Eweniyi: Co-founder of Piggyvest, a growing savings and investment platform that caters to customers in Nigeria. She’s also co-founder of The Feminist Coalition and worked with Damilola Odufuwa to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support End SARS protestors.
On December 16, 2020, The Feminist Coalition organized a food drive and donated 1000 bags of food to low-income women and their families.
Isha Sesay: UN Goodwill Ambassador and founder of We Can Lead, a NGO that supports girls in Sierra Leone through leadership development, education and building self-esteem. She has actively used her platform as a journalist, as she always has, to narrate stories of injustices against women and girls. One of such stories was about Kadijah Saccoh, a 5-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Sierra Leone. She also used her social media page to amplify voices of the End SARS protestors during and after the protests.
We raise our hand in salute to these five women for their vision, bravery, and efforts towards effecting change and impacting the world around them.