Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History / Songhai's Women of Power: Queens, Scholars, and Traders
Transcript
- Lucas: For anyone coming with us through these conversations about West Africa, we've spent a lot of time on the kings, the generals, the scholars. But there's a whole other layer to Songhai that often gets overlooked, and that's the women who shaped the empire. Luna: You mean like Queen Amina? I've heard her name before, but I'm not sure how she connects to Songhai. Lucas: Exactly. Amina is usually associated with the Hausa city-state of Zazzau, in what's now northern Nigeria. She lived in the 16th century, right around the height of Songhai's power under the Askia dynasty. And she wasn't just a figurehead—she led military campaigns, expanded her kingdom's territory, and controlled trade routes that connected to the trans-Saharan network. Luna: So she was a contemporary of Askia Muhammad, then? Lucas: Probably a bit later, around the reign of Askia Dawud. But the Hausa states had a complex relationship with Songhai—sometimes tributaries, sometimes rivals. Amina's story comes down to us mostly through oral tradition and later writings like the Tarikh al-Sudan. She's said to have introduced the kola nut trade to the region, and she fortified her cities with those famous walls. Luna: Walls? Like the ones you still see in Kano? Lucas: Yes, the ancient mud-brick fortifications. There's a phrase—'Amina's walls'—that locals still use for any massive earthwork. But beyond Amina, there were other powerful women in the Songhai sphere. For instance, in Timbuktu, female scholars studied alongside men at Sankore Madrasa. The chronicles mention a woman named Nana Asma'u, though she's more Fulani and 19th century. But there were earlier ones, like the wife of Askia Muhammad, who was said to be a learned woman and advised him on matters of state. Luna: Wait, women were studying at Sankore? I thought that was mostly a male institution. Lucas: It was predominantly male, but not exclusively. The Tarikh al-Sudan and the Tarikh al-Fattash mention female students and even teachers. One example is a woman named Khadija, who was a jurist in Timbuktu in the 15th century. She taught both men and women, and her fatwas were respected. The Maliki legal tradition that dominated the region did allow for women to be educated, though of course social norms often limited their public roles. Luna: So there was a kind of intellectual space for women, even if it wasn't equal. Lucas: Exactly. And then there were the women in the economic sphere. The trans-Saharan trade wasn't just run by men. Women were active as merchants, especially in the salt and gold trade. Leo Africanus, the Moroccan traveler who visited Songhai in the early 1500s, noted that women in Timbuktu and Gao owned businesses and managed caravans. Some even had their own wealth independent of their husbands. Luna: That's fascinating. I can picture a woman in Gao negotiating the price of salt from Taghaza. Lucas: Right, and they weren't just small traders. Some were major players. For instance, there's a record of a woman named Fatima who was a leading merchant in Djenne around the 16th century. She traded in gold, slaves, and textiles, and she had a network that stretched from the Niger Bend to North Africa. Her story comes from a combination of local oral traditions and the writings of al-Sa'di. Luna: So these women were essentially running empires of their own, just on a smaller scale. Lucas: In a way, yes. And they also played diplomatic roles. There's an account from the Tarikh al-Sudan about a woman sent by the Askia to negotiate with the Mossi kingdoms. She was a relative of the emperor, and she successfully secured a peace treaty. That kind of soft power was crucial in maintaining Songhai's influence. Luna: It's amazing that these stories survive at all, given how much was lost. Lucas: It's partly because the chroniclers—mostly men—did sometimes record women's roles when they were exceptional. But we have to read between the lines. The Tarikh al-Sudan mentions the mother of Askia Muhammad, for instance, but only in passing. Still, we can piece together a picture of a society where women had more agency than we might assume. Luna: I guess that's true for a lot of pre-modern societies—the reality is often more complex than the stereotypes. Lucas: Absolutely. And one more example: the queen mother in Songhai, known as the 'magara'. She often held significant influence, especially during succession crises. After Askia Dawud's death, his wives and daughters were involved in the power struggles that followed, even if they weren't the ones on the throne. Luna: So they were kingmakers, in a sense. Lucas: Exactly. And this is where we come to a quick honest thing. A handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making this many of these deep dives. So if you've been enjoying learning about Songhai's hidden histories, that's one way to keep it going. Luna: Yeah, it's a small gesture that makes a big difference, and it keeps the show ad-free. Lucas: Right. Anyway, back to the women of Songhai. Another fascinating figure is the so-called 'Queen of the Tuareg' who allied with Songhai against the Moroccan invasion in the late 16th century. Her name isn't recorded, but she led her warriors alongside the Songhai army at the Battle of Tondibi. That's a level of military involvement that really challenges the usual narrative. Luna: I had no idea women fought at Tondibi. That changes the picture completely. Lucas: It does. And after the fall of Gao, when the Songhai court fled to Dendi, women were crucial in preserving the dynasty. They carried the royal lineage forward through marriages and raising heirs. The last Askia, Askia Muhammad Bano, was a product of that resilience. Luna: So even in defeat, women were holding things together. Lucas: Exactly. And that legacy continued in the oral traditions of the Sorko and other peoples along the Niger. Women's songs and stories preserved the memory of the empire long after the written chronicles were scattered. Luna: So when we talk about Songhai, we should really be talking about men and women together. Lucas: Absolutely. The empire wasn't built by kings alone. It was a whole society, and the women were integral to its economy, its culture, and its survival. And that's something worth remembering.