Madam Yoko

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Madam Yoko

Madam Yoko , also Mammy Yoko or Mamie Yoko , née Somo (around * 1849 in Chiefdom Gbo ; † 1906) was a leader of the Mende and Queen of Senehun in what is now Sierra Leone . She was an important member of the Sande secret society . She was considered a successful warlord and significantly expanded the Mende empire before becoming the leader of the Kpa Mende Confederation.

Life

Madam Yoko changed her name from Soma as part of her first ceremony in the Sande secret society, which made her widely famous as a dancer. She married Gongoima a little later. After the marriage failed, Yoko married the chief of the Taiama , Gbenjei. He made her his royal consort , which gave her widespread recognition and economic power.

After Gbenjei's death, Yoko married Gbanya Lango . He was arrested by the British colonial army in Taiamawaro in 1875 . Yoko personally campaigned with Governor Samuel Rowe for the release of her husband, which followed shortly afterwards. In gratitude, Gbanya raised her to the status of his royal wife and sent her as a mediator and ambassador, which brought her further recognition in the community, the Sande secret society and especially among the Mende. After the death of her third husband in 1878 she became Chief of Senehun . In 1884 she was recognized as Queen of Senehun by the British colonial powers .

She died in 1906, possibly by suicide . Her grave in Moyamba has been a Sierra Leone National Monument since December 3, 2016 .

Trivia

A hotel belonging to the Radisson Blu chain and a helipad ( Mammy Yoko Helipads ) in Freetown are named after Mammy Yoko .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Kathleen E. Sheldon: Historical dictionary of women in Sub-Saharan Africa . Scarecrow Press, 2005, ISBN 0-8108-5331-0 , p. 272.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Michelle Zimbalist Rosal: Woman, culture, and society . Stanford University Press , 1974, ISBN 0-8047-0851-7 , p. 177.
  3. ↑ a b Sierra Leonean Heroes . Sierra Leone Web. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  4. ^ Mary Ebun Modupe Callow: Womanism and African consciousness . Africa World Press, 1997, ISBN 0-86543-541-3 , p. 46.
  5. ^ Judith V. Olmstead: Woman between two worlds . University of Illinois Press , 1997, ISBN 0-252-06587-5 , p. 228.
  6. ↑ a b c Torild Skard: Continent of mothers, continent of hope . Zed Books, 2003, ISBN 1-84277-107-8 , p. 168.
  7. ↑ a b c Jennifer S. Uglow: The Northeastern dictionary of women's biography . UPNE, 1999, ISBN 1-55553-421-X , p. 592.
  8. ^ Andrea Cornwall: Readings in gender in Africa . James Currey Publishers, 2005, ISBN 0-85255-871-6 , p. 23.
  9. ^ Kirstin Olsen: Chronology of women's history . Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994, ISBN 0-313-28803-8 , p. 145.
  10. ↑ Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel Radisson Blu. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
personal data
SURNAME Yoko, madam
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Yoko, Mammy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Sierra Leonean leader of the Mende
DATE OF BIRTH around 1849
PLACE OF BIRTH Gbo
DATE OF DEATH 1906