India, March 7 -- For a layperson, Africa does not usually conjure images of feminism and women's empowerment in the first instance. African culture, for the most part, has been patriarchal and male-dominated, with tribes across the Continent being usually headed by men. Gender roles have been strictly segregated with men being viewed as providers and decision makers whereas women have traditionally been associated with domestic duties.

But time and again, across the long arc of African history, there have been women who have been exceptions to this state of affairs. Call them 'outliers', if you will, but these women have left their mark on history. Indeed, these women whom we are going to talk about did not just figure in African histor...