"We are strong as men and we cannot be bent": The impact of women's political activism on the transition from British trusteeship to Nigerian self-government between 1914 and 1960.

Abstract

British colonial indirect rule mediated through ethnic divisions, "native" courts, and warrant chiefs led to the deterioration of women's political, social and economic influence in southeastern Nigeria between 1914 and 1929. In spite of these obstacles, women, particularly those of Igbo origin, continued to play a seminal role in pushing for Nigerian self-government to replace British control of Nigeria. Their efforts eventually paved the way for Nigerian self-government in 1960.