5 African Films That Celebrate Unstoppable Women

International Women’s Day, observed on March 8th, evoked mixed emotions this year. Despite global celebrations, we confront stark realities: women excluded rather than included, victims silenced in Senate chambers instead of being heard, rising femicides, and persistent inequality. These truths reveal how hollow ceremonial recognition can be. Yet we persist in the struggle, recognizing that forward momentum—however incremental—remains preferable to stagnation.

In times when progress feels slow, storytelling becomes a powerful means of resistance, reminding us of the strength, resilience, and complexity of women’s lives. As Women’s History Month continues, these five African films highlight female characters whose power isn’t defined by weapons, political status, or loud rebellion. Instead, their strength emerges in resilience within oppressive systems. Each film offers a different lens on how African women navigate and challenge their worlds, leaving an impact on both those around them and the viewers fortunate enough to witness their stories.

Lionheart 

Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut, Lionheart, was a groundbreaking moment for Nigerian cinema in 2018. As the country’s first Netflix original and its first (albeit later disqualified) submission to the Academy Awards, the film made history while delivering a powerful narrative on female leadership.

At its core, Lionheart follows Adaeze Obiagu, who steps up to run her family’s transport company after her father falls ill—a role rarely entrusted to women in Nigeria’s male-dominated business world. Despite her competence, she is constantly undermined by industry peers and even her own family, who struggle to accept a woman at the helm. Rather than adopting aggressive leadership tactics, Adaeze carves her own path, using diplomacy, intelligence, and quiet resolve to assert her authority.

Lingui, The Sacred Bonds 

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s 2021 Chadian masterpiece, selected to compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, explores feminine strength within oppressive societal structures. Lingui, The Sacred Bonds follows Amina, a single mother whose life is upended when her teenage daughter, Maria, becomes pregnant in a conservative community.

She gets caught between cultural and religious dictates demanding Maria carry the pregnancy to term and her maternal instinct to protect her daughter’s autonomy. What makes this narrative particularly compelling is its examination of how women exercise agency when all conventional avenues of power have been systematically denied them. Amina’s resistance is subtle yet resolute. Through her journey, the film highlights how maternal love becomes a force capable of transcending even the most deeply embedded social constraints.

I Am Not A Witch 

In Rungano Nyoni’s remarkable 2017 feature debut, I Am Not A Witch, we encounter Shula, a young Zambian girl whose life is irreversibly altered when her community brands her a witch. She gets condemned to a witch camp where inhumane conditions prevail. 

Shula navigates a system designed to erase her humanity while preserving her inner essence. Though she lacks the agency to articulate her resistance, her refusal to internalize the dehumanizing identity thrust upon her becomes a powerful act of defiance. Through Shula’s story, viewers witness how societies often punish women for their mere presence when it challenges established norms. 

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti

Bolanle Austen-Peters’ 2024 Nollywood biopic brings Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to life as a force of change in Nigerian history. From the first female student in the Abeokuta Grammar School to a formidable activist, she challenged both colonial rule and deep-seated patriarchy.

Iyimide Ayo-Olumoko captures her early years, where small acts of defiance hint at the revolutionary she would become. Kehinde Bankole steps into her later life, embodying the activist who, after returning from the UK, launched literacy programs that laid the foundation for wider social change.

Her defining moment arrives with the Abeokuta Women’s Union. She leads the charge against exploitative taxation, wielding nonviolent resistance as both a weapon and a statement. With tactical brilliance and commanding oratory, she forces colonial authorities and traditional rulers to reckon with her movement—one that grows beyond a single fight. FRK’s legacy continues to inspire generations in the fight for justice and equality.

Félicité

Alain Gomis’ powerful 2017 drama portrays Félicité, a nightclub singer in Kinshasa whose world implodes when her son suffers a serious accident. Thrust into crisis, she embarks on an urgent quest to secure funds for his life-saving surgery, confronting the brutal economic realities and institutional callousness of contemporary Congolese society.

The film, honored with the prestigious Jury Grand Prix at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, derives its emotional resonance from the protagonist’s extraordinary resolve. Félicité’s strength manifests through her refusal to surrender to circumstances. Beyond its narrative, the film offers a meditation on how African women often shoulder immense burdens of survival and sacrifice within societies that provide minimal support.