Yaa Asantewaa

A West African queen who led a historic resistance against British colonial rule in the Gold Coast (modern Ghana).

Yaa Asantewaa (c. 1840–1921) was the Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire (present-day Ghana) and a legendary leader of the 1900–1902 Ashanti Uprising against British colonial forces. Her defiance against British imperialism made her a symbol of African resistance and female leadership in the early 20th century.

Born into the Asante royal family, Yaa Asantewaa rose to prominence during a period of crisis. In 1900, the British exiled the Asante king, Prempeh I, and seized the Golden Stool—the spiritual and political symbol of the Ashanti nation. To reclaim their sovereignty, Yaa Asantewaa rallied warriors and led a guerrilla campaign in the Battle of Kenten, besieging British troops in the city of Kumasi. Though ultimately captured and exiled to the Seychelles, her courage galvanized pan-African movements for decades.

Unlike many male leaders of the time, Yaa Asantewaa’s leadership was rooted in her role as a mother and elder. She famously declared: 'If you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. I shall call upon my people to fight until the last of us falls in the battlefields.' Her legacy inspired figures like Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, and remains central to feminist and anti-colonial discourse.

Today, Yaa Asantewaa’s story is celebrated in Ghanaian history textbooks and festivals. Despite limited surviving records, her name endures as a testament to the power of grassroots resistance and the agency of women in African liberation struggles.