Komie Agbalhon

Pioneering feminist lawyer who advanced women's rights in West Africa

Komie Agbalhon (1898-1975) was a groundbreaking Fon族 lawyer and women's rights activist from Dahomey (modern Benin). As West Africa's first female lawyer, she challenged colonial legal systems to protect women's inheritance rights through landmark cases like the 1932 Abomey Property Case. Her 1946 establishment of the Union des Femmes du Dahomey trained 500+ women in legal advocacy. Agbalhon's 1953 book <《Justice ou Injustice?》 exposed gender biases in colonial courts, influencing post-independence family law reforms. Her radio broadcasts reached rural areas, making her a key figure in Africa's mid-20th century women's movements.