Women’s History Month begins

Last year I wrote about a different woman every day during this important month, women who had achieved success in life but not had much recognition. Today I’m remembering Mary Kingsley 1862-1900. She worked in Cape Town ,stationed at the Simon’s Town hospital, where she treated Boer prisoners of war. Sadly about two months later she herself fell ill with typhoid and died. But Mary was renowned as a writer, an English ethnographer and explorer of West Africa and wrote several books on her experiences there. Historians have credited Kingsley’s work with helping to shape Western perceptions of Africa.She is known for criticizing Christian missionaries and their work for supplanting pre-existing African cultures without proving any real benefits in return. Her travels alone in Africa, living with local communities was rare for Victorian women to do, let alone for men. But she was unafriad and fascinated by learning about different African countries and their customs. Returning to England she lectured about her travels. She refused to be labelled a ‘new woman’ by suffragists and did not endorse feminists and their fight- but she lived a life which showed how a woman could do much alone. Her contributions of insights into life in West Africa was unique.