I wanted to dispel preconceived notions about women in Africa. Three goddesses capture the strength of African women and celebrate blackness.

“Uungu”

My short film is a joint collaboration with makeup artist Fatima Yunusa that presents three African goddesses. Its title, “Uungu,” means “god” in Swahili.

We were keen to produce a story that would capture the beauty of the African woman while telling the history of our people.

To challenge the preconceived notion that women on the continent have always been subservient, we decided to focus on female deities that existed in pre-colonial Africa.

We chose deities from three different regions of the continent: Mujaji of the Lovedu tribe from the south, played by Divine Nzosaba; Isis from Egypt, played by Safae Soufaih; and Oshun of the Yoruba tribe from Nigeria, played by Kambura Kinoti. It was filmed at my school, the African Leadership Academy in South Africa.

The film shows the strength and power that women from Africa have always possessed and celebrates blackness. The three African goddesses tell a history of greatness often not told.

(For more News-Decoder stories on Africa, click here.)


Gayle Trisha Were is a Kenyan studying at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. She is passionate about women empowerment and the arts. Her interests include photography, jewelry-making, fashion styling and music. Her ambition is to tell stories of her people and to reshape the way her continent is perceived.

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WorldAfricaWatch: African goddesses and a celebration of women