Marie_Louise_Cassi_Nguabi

Pioneer Congolese educator and women's rights advocate

Marie Louise Cassi Nguabi (1870-1958) was a Congolese educator and activist who pioneered modern education in the Belgian Congo. Born into a Bakongo family in modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo, she established the first girls' school in Matadi in 1903 despite colonial restrictions. Her 1912 publication «Enseignement Féminin dans le Congo Belge» argued for women's education as essential for national development. She trained over 500 teachers through her network of schools, which became models for later independence leaders. Nguabi's advocacy for bilingual education and women's political participation laid groundwork for post-colonial reforms. Her legacy is preserved in the Marie Louise Cassi Nguabi Institute in Kinshasa.