She was pregnant when she fought. She was pregnant when they captured her. She gave birth in a prison cell. The next morning, they hanged her!

Her name was Solitude. And she chose that name herself.

In this week's episode of Women & Resistance, hosts @Aya Fubara Eneli, Esq., and Adesoji Iginla bring you the story of La Mulâtresse Solitude — born 1772 in Guadeloupe, a woman whose life spans rape at sea, Maroon resistance, armed combat, and a state execution the morning after she gave birth.

In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstated slavery in the French colonies — erasing eight years of freedom that the people of Guadeloupe had fought for and built lives within.

Solitude — pregnant — took up arms alongside freedom fighters Louis Delgrès and Joseph Ignace. She fought in every major battle. She survived the mass detonation at Matouba, where 400 freedom fighters chose to blow themselves up rather than submit to re-enslavement. She was captured, imprisoned, and executed the day after delivering her child — because under colonial law, the child was her enslaver's property, and they could not destroy property before it was born.

Her story was nearly erased. Tonight, we restore it through an Afrocentric lens that situates Solitude in the long tradition of African women warriors: Nanny of the Maroons, Queen Nzinga of Angola, Yaa Asantewaa of the Ashanti.

We ask what her life means for Black women's bodily autonomy today. We ask whether her proposed entry into the French Panthéon is recognition or co-optation. And we ask what radical self-determination looks like for Black women across eras.

Takeaways

*History of slavery in Guadeloupe
*La Mulâtresse Solitude's personal story of resistance
*The impact of colonialism and slavery on African descendants
*Legacy of the Haitian Revolution and African resistance
*The importance of memory, history, and resistance in contemporary struggles

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to La Mulâtresse Solitude
01:19 The Life and Legacy of La Mulâtresse Solitude
04:02 Historical Context of Guadeloupe
05:52 The Story of Enslavement
08:41 Resistance and the Fight for Freedom
11:55 The Illusion of Freedom and Napoleon's Return
12:44 The Fight for Freedom
13:24 The Battle of Matuba
14:13 Demonisation and Resistance
15:44 The Role of Women in Resistance
16:58 The Indomitable Spirit
17:55 Legacy and Memory
20:56 The Impact of Revolt
23:20 Recognition and Erasure
25:27 The Role of Black Women in History
28:04 Connecting Past and Present

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Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

You're listening to Women and Resistance with Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla—where we honour the voices of women who have shaped history through courage and defiance...Now, back to the conversation.

That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!

They told her she couldn't play. She told the whole world she was Black. 🖤

This week on Women & Resistance, Aya Fubara Eneli Esq. and Adesoji Iginla go deep into one of the most extraordinary — and underknown — stories of resistance in the African diaspora: the life and legacy of Victoria Santa Cruz (1922–2014), Afro-Peruvian choreographer, composer, activist, and author of the poem that launched a movement.

Born in Lima, Peru, Victoria grew up in a society that had spent a century erasing its African roots through the colonial ideology of mestizaje — racial "mixing" that really meant racial whitening.

She grew up in a home full of Black artists and musicians, and grew up in a country that classified their art as folklore — charming, peripheral, not serious.

At age five, she was told by a white girl that she couldn't play. At age 91, she died knowing that those words had become a global declaration of Black womanhood.

In this episode, we explore:

*The Spanish colonial casta system and how it engineered the erasure of Afro-Peruvians from national identity
*How Victoria built Peru's first Black theatre company with no formal training — then took it to the 1968 Olympics
*Me gritaron negra — the 1978 poem that became the founding text of the Afro-Peruvian women's movement and went viral during Black Lives Matter
*The natural hair movement in Peru and how a single poem sparked it
*Her radical philosophy: "Before Marx, there was rhythm" — why she refused political labels while fighting the hardest political battles
*What it means to use rhythm, dance, and ancestral memory as instruments of liberation — and why colonial powers knew to ban the drum

Takeaways

*Victoria Santa Cruz's impact on Afro-Peruvian culture
*The role of rhythm and dance in resistance
*The history of racial hierarchy and erasure in Peru
*The importance of cultural memory and identity
*Victoria Santa Cruz's activism and legacy

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Victoria Santa Cruz
02:15 The Importance of Cultural Memory
03:56 The Caste System and Its Legacy
05:28 The Struggle for Visibility
07:17 Childhood Experiences of Identity
08:14 Embracing Black Identity
10:09 Cultural Revival and Resistance
11:55 Ancestral Memory and Rhythm
13:13 Empowerment Through Identity
15:01 Reclaiming Blackness and Cultural Heritage
16:29 The Historical Context of Afro-Peruvians
17:47 Teaching and Sharing Ancestral Knowledge
19:33 Legacy and Cultural Recognition
24:12 The Importance of Internal Transformation
25:42 The Ongoing Fight for Visibility
27:56 Connection to Ancestry and Resistance
28:32 Guiding Future Generations
33:03 Continuing the Legacy of Activism

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

You're listening to Women and Resistance with Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla—where we honour the voices of women who have shaped history through courage and defiance...Now, back to the conversation.

That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!

This episode explores the life and legacy of Queen Mother Moore, a pioneering Black activist and advocate for reparations, highlighting her contributions from the post-slavery era to modern movements for Black liberation.

Takeaways

*Queen Mother Moore's early life and heritage
*Her role in the Black activism and reparations movement
*Her involvement with African independence and Pan-Africanism
*Her advocacy for Black dignity and systemic change

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Women and Resistance
00:50 The Legacy of Queen Mother Moore
04:03 Queen Mother Moore's Early Life and Identity
08:09 The Call for Reparations
15:02 Activism and Advocacy for Black Rights
18:12 Challenging Norms: Love and Relationships
21:04 The Fight for Black Soldiers
22:45 Collaboration with Civil Rights Leaders
24:01 Galvanising the Community
26:22 Understanding Political Dynamics
27:28 Leaving the Communist Party
29:12 Founding the Universal Association of Ethiopian Women
30:51 Connecting with Africa
32:50 The Case for Reparations
35:22 Organisational Discipline and Activism
36:44 Honouring African Heritage
38:32 The Importance of Documentation

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

You're listening to Women and Resistance with Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla—where we honour the voices of women who have shaped history through courage and defiance...Now, back to the conversation.

That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!