Yaa Asantewaa (Queen Mother of Ejisu / Ashanti Heroine)

When British Governor Sir Frederick Hodgson arrogantly demanded to sit upon the Golden Stool (Sika Dwa)—the sacred vessel containing the soul (Sunsum) of the entire Ashanti nation—the royal court was paralyzed. Yaa Asantewaa rose in fury, stating: "If you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women."

Appointed military commander, she besieged the British fort at Kumasi for months before being captured and exiled to the Seychelles, forever remembered as Africa's premier symbol of female martial leadership.