The International Journal of African Historical Studies (IJAHS) has released a special issue, First Ladies of Africa—Beyond Femocracy or Wifeism, exploring the roles of First Ladies in post-colonial Africa. Guest edited by Jacqueline-Bethel Tchouta Mougoué, this issue highlights the active political influence of the First Ladies, both during and after their husbands’ political careers.

In her introduction to the special issue, Professor Mougoué emphasizes the need to move beyond limited frameworks like “femocracy” and “wifeism” that often reduce First Ladies to symbolic or ornamental roles. Instead, the issue presents them as dynamic figures, exploring how they wielded power and carved out spaces for themselves in African politics. Contributors to this issue examine the lives of prominent women in Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda through a feminist lens, rectifying their absence from historical accounts of postcolonial Africa.

Nancy Henaku, for instance, examines the complex legacy of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, who combined her First Lady status with political ambition, even running for president in Ghana. Jill E. Kelly focuses on Nokukhanya Luthuli, shedding light on her significant political influence as the wife of South African anti-apartheid leader Albert Luthuli. Jessica Ott’s piece explores the rise and fall of Fatma Karume in Zanzibar, while Alicia C. Decker examines the personal and political struggles of Miria Kalule Obote in Uganda. Kathleen Sheldon’s study of Graça Machel, the former First Lady of both Mozambique and South Africa, highlights her ongoing feminist activism and international influence. Finally, Amina Mama revisits the concept of “femocracy,” offering a critical reflection on how First Ladies have been instrumental in shaping state-driven gender agendas while maintaining their own political agency.

First Ladies of Africa—Beyond Femocracy or Wifeism? is an important contribution to the understanding of politics in postcolonial Africa and the women who helped shape it.

You can browse the articles from this issue once they are made public here!