Scope and arrangement
The collection consists of twenty-five audio recordings primarily of Stokes reading excerpts from her unpublished manuscript "Women of Africa," as well as notes for articles, and collected recordings. The manuscript documents the lives of prominent African and African American women living in Africa and contributing to the social and political development of the continent. Many of the original formats are grooved discs, containing two parts, one for each side of the disc. The sequence of sides is unclear for many of the recordings. Item titles are devised from the content of the recordings. Square brackets indicate partial information or unclear spelling.
Brief biographies of the women discussed in this collection as part of the "Women of Africa" manuscript are included below. These biographies represent a few of the many roles the women held in their lifetimes. When biographical dates are available, they are included. Unless otherwise noted, the women were primarily active in their country of origin.
- Abayomi, Oyinkansola (March 6, 1897 - March 19, 1990): Nigerian nationalist and feminist. Abayomi was the head of the Nigerian Girl Guides from 1931 until her retirement in 1982, and founded the Nigerian Women's Party in 1944.
- Ademola, Kofoworola Aina (May 21, 1913 - May 15, 2002): Nigerian educationist and writer. Ademola was the first Black African woman to earn a degree from Oxford University in 1935, and the first president of the National Council of Women's Societies of Nigeria from 1958 to 1964.
- Amarteifio, Evelyn Mansa (1916 - 1997): Ghanaian women's organiser. Amarteifio co-founded the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1952. In 1953, she established the National Federation of Gold Coast Women (NFGCW).
- Awoliyi, Elizabeth Abimbola (1910 - September 14, 1971): First Nigerian woman physician practitioner in the country. Awoliyi served as the second president of the National Council of Women's Societies of Nigeria from 1964 until her death in 1971.
- Azikiwe, Flora Ogbenyeanu Ogoegbunam (August 7, 1917 - August 22, 1983): Inaugural First Lady of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966 as the wife of President Nnamdi Azikiwe. Azikwe was a member of the Eastern Working Committee of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (later changed to the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens) (NCNC), and co-founder of the women's wing of the NCNC in 1956, serving as its first president.
- Brooks, Angie Elizabeth (August 24, 1928 - September 9, 2007): Liberian diplomat and jurist. Brooks was the first woman to serve as the assistant attorney-general of Liberia from 1953 to 1958. In 1958, she was appointed assistant secretary of state of Liberia. Brooks was the first African woman, and second woman overall, to serve as the president of the United Nations General Assembly, from 1969 to 1970.
- Christian, Angela (1916 - 2002): Ghanaian diplomat and foreign service officer.
- Ekpo, Margaret (July 27, 1914 - September 21, 2006): Nigerian women's rights activist and pioneering woman politician. Ekpo was among the few women delegates to the Constitutional Conferences held in London from 1953 to 1958. She co-founded the women's wing of the NCNC in 1956, and served as the second president from 1960 to 1962. She was a member of the Aba Market Women's Association and the Eastern House of Assembly.
- El-ghamrawy, Nafessa (1918 - 2001): Pioneering figure in Egyptian women's sports and academia, and the second woman pilot in the country. El-ghamrawy was the first woman to serve as the dean of the Faculty of Physical Education for Girls in Egypt.
- Gcabashe, Dolana Beatrice (d. 1970): South African medical pioneer known for being the first African registered nurse in Natal to successfully obtain a joint general nursing and midwifery registration.
- Gcabashe, Hilda Luthuli (also known as Thandeka Luthuli Gcabashe, b. 1934 -): South African nurse and anti-apartheid activist.
- Gecau, Margaret Karioki: First Kenyan to qualify as a public health nurse.
- Houphouët-Boigny, Marie-Thérèse (b. September 17, 1930): Inaugural First Lady of Ivory Coast from 1960 to 1993 as the wife of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
- [Hussein, Madame Ahmed]: Wife of Ahmed Hussein, Egypt's minister of social affairs from 1950 to 1952. She was an active worker for social reforms in the country.
- Ibiam, Eudora Olayinka (1906 - 1972): Pioneering Nigerian educator, dispenser, midwife, and missionary. Ibiam was the First Lady of Eastern Nigeria from 1960 to 1966 as the wife of Eastern Nigeria Governor Akanu Ibiam.
- [Ibrahim, Miss Mary]: Of Tanganyika (now Tanzania), founder of a school in an unidentified village in Tanganyika.
- Imru, Judith (Yodit) (d. 2007): Ethiopian diplomat and one of the founders of the Pan African Women's Organisation. Imru served as the deputy minister of foreign affairs for Ethiopia from 1971 to 1975; and was the country's first woman ambassador, as ambassador to the Scandinavian countries from 1975 to 1977.
- Jiagge, Annie Ruth (October 7, 1918 - June 12, 1996): Ghanaian lawyer, judge, and women's rights activist. Jiagge was the first woman in Ghana and the Commonwealth of Nations to become a judge, and co-founded the YWCA in the Gold Coast (now Ghana).
- Kiano, Ernestine (1925 - 2010): Born in the United States, Kiano was the wife of Julius G. Kiano, Kenyan minister of commerce and industry from 1963 to 1966. In 1963, she became the first Black woman elected to a leadership position at the YWCA in Kenya. Kiano lived in Kenya from 1956 to 1966, when she was deported following marital issues.
- Kisosonkole, Damalie (1929 - July 12, 2010): Nnabagerekka (Queen consort) of the Kingdom of Buganda (Bantu kingdom within Uganda), as the first wife of Mutesa II of Buganda. She was Uganda's inaugural First Lady when Mutesa II served as president from 1962 to 1966.
- Kisosonkole, Pumla Ellen Ngozwana (1911 - 1997): South Africa-born Ugandan politician and women's rights activist. In 1957, Pumla became the first African to serve as president of the Uganda Council of Women, a position she held until 1961. From 1959 to 1962 she was president of the International Council of Women. In 1963, Prime Minister Milton Obote appointed her to Uganda's delegation to the United Nations.
- Konie, Gwendoline (October 9, 1938 - March 14, 2009): Zambian poet, diplomat, and politician. Konie served as ambassador to Scandinavia from 1974 to 1977, and Germany from 1992 to 1997; and permanent representative to the United Nations from 1977 to 1979.
- Martei, Margaret Selina: Ghanaian politician. Martei was a member of parliament for the Asamankese constituency from 1965 to 1966. She also served as the general secretary of the National Council of Ghana Women.
- [Mattie, Marie]: Physician and church leader in Leopoldville (now Congo).
- [Mhlanga, Elsie]: A leader in the Christian community of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and wife of Gideon Mhlanga, member of the African Teachers Association.
- Mokelu, Janet Nwadiogo (February 7, 1910 - March 31, 2003): Nigerian politician, philanthropist, nurse, teacher, headmistress, and businesswoman. Mokelu served as the general secretary of the NCNC in 1944, and was a onetime member of both the Eastern House of Assembly and the Eastern House of Chiefs in Nigeria.
- Moore, Jaiyeola Aduke (also known as Jaiyeola Aduke Alakija, March 1921 - March 2016): Nigerian welfare officer, lawyer, and ambassador to Sweden from 1984 to 1987. Moore served as the executive assistant to the general manager of Mobil Oil, and legal advisor to Mobil Oil Nigeria.
- M'Timkulu, Clytie (d. 1987): Batswana (major Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa) princess, ecumenical leader, and community advocate. M'Timkulu was the wife of Donald G. S. M'Timkulu, a pioneer of Black higher education and one of the earliest Black South Africans to attend Yale Graduate School.
- Nambooze, Josephine (b. 1930): Ugandan physician, public health specialist, academic, and medical researcher. Nambooze was the first East African woman to qualify as a physician circa 1959. She is an emeritus professor of public health at Makerere University School of Public Health.
- Nyerere, Maria (b. December 31, 1930): Tanzanian educator and the country's inaugural First Lady from 1964 to 1985 as the wife of President Julius Nyerere.
- Scarbrough, Ellen Mills (November 13, 1900 - March 1983): Liberian educator and politician. Scarbrough was elected to the House of Representatives of Liberia in 1959, becoming the first woman in the legislature.
The Olivia Pearl Stokes audio collection is arranged in two series:
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circa 1960s-196522 audio_recordings
The series contains twenty-two audio recordings, arranged chronologically. Twenty-one recordings are of Stokes reading excerpts from her unpublished manuscript "Women of Africa," including profiles of prominent African and African American women in Africa, and discussions on marriage customs in Africa. One recording is Stokes reading notes about homes and Christianity in Africa, likely for articles she was writing. Item titles are devised from the content of the recordings.
"Women of Africa" documents the lives of prominent African and African American women living in Africa. Stokes began writing the manuscript during the period of national liberation for many African countries. It was intended to educate Americans about the role of African women and their organizations in the process of rebuilding post-colonial Africa. A short biography of each woman is also included in the items' descriptions. A few women share the same last names, and in these cases they are referred to by their first names. Some women have multiple profiles.
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1971-19773 audio_recordings
The series consists of three audio recordings arranged alphabetically. Two of the recordings accompany educational filmstrips related to the Caribbean and African cultures and mission work. The filmstrips are not included in the collection. The third recording is a single by Canadian pop and rock band Skylark.