Anna Nzinga

17th-century queen who resisted Portuguese colonialism in Angola and reshaped African diplomacy.

Anna Nzinga (1583–1663), also known as Njinga Mbande, was a visionary leader of the Ndongo and Matamba kingdoms in present-day Angola. Her fierce resistance against Portuguese colonial expansion and her strategic diplomacy made her a pivotal figure in African history.

Nzinga rose to power during a time when the Portuguese were aggressively expanding their slave trade operations. She negotiated with the Portuguese as an equal, famously refusing to sit on the floor during a meeting and instead using a servant as a human chair to assert her authority. Despite temporary alliances, she later led decades of guerrilla warfare to protect her people from enslavement.

Her most revolutionary act was transforming Matamba into a refuge for escaped slaves and marginalized groups, challenging gender norms by training women as soldiers. Nzinga also forged alliances with Dutch traders to counterbalance Portuguese power, showcasing her geopolitical acumen. Her legacy as a "Mother of Angola" endures in folklore and modern anti-colonial movements.