The BBC has released their selection of 100 inspiring and influential women from across the world for 2021, Malala Yousafzai and more. The list also covers a varied spectrum of powerful women from Afghanistan, the Culture & Education sector, the Entertainment & Sports industry, women in Politics & Activism, and women in Science & Health from across the world.
“This year 100 Women is highlighting those who are hitting “reset” – women playing their part to reinvent our society, our culture and our world… Women from Afghanistan make up half of this year’s list, some of whom appear under pseudonyms and without photos for their own safety… This year’s list recognizes the scope of the” BBC writes.
We are really proud of the African women, as well as other well-known powerful women from around the world, who have been recognized for their fortitude and achievements.
Here they are:
Nigeria’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
An acclaimed Nigerian author and feminist icon whose work has been translated into more than 30 languages. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie moved to the US at the age of 19 to pursue a degree in communication and political science. Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, published in 2003, won a Commonwealth Writers’ prize and in 2013 her novel Americanah was named one of The New York Times’s top 10 books. Adichie’s landmark TED Talk in 2012, We Should All Be Feminists, started a worldwide conversation about feminism and was published as a book in 2014. She recently wrote Notes on Grief (2021), a very personal tribute to her father after his sudden death.
Her quote: “Let’s use this moment to start to think about health care as a human right everywhere in the world – what a person deserves simply by virtue of being alive, not when you can afford it.”
Kenya’s Lynn Ngugi
Award-winning journalist Lynn Ngugi is known for her work on the Tuko digital news platform, where she covered a wide array of inspiring human-interest stories. She first worked as a volunteer, caring for cancer patients, and in 2011 she began a media career with Kiwo films and later with the Qatar Foundation. Ngugi is also regarded as a social media influencer and a celebrated media personality in her own country. She won the Cafe Ngoma humanitarian journalist of the year award in 2020 and this year’s iChange Nations community ambassador award.
Her quote: “I’d like the world to reset as a place where everyone feels safe.”
Kenya’s Halima Aden
The first hijab-wearing supermodel, Halima Aden is of Somalian descent but was born in a refugee camp in Kenya. In 2017, she signed to one of the world’s biggest modelling agencies, IMG Models, adding a clause to her contract that she would not be asked to take off her hijab when modelling. She was the first model to wear a hijab on the cover of British Vogue, Allure and Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. Aden campaigns to improve awareness and visibility for Muslim women and was a Unicef ambassador for children’s rights. In 2020, she stepped away from modelling as she found it incompatible with her Muslim faith, but she continues to make an impact within the fashion industry and beyond.
Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai
The youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani girls’ education activist and UN messenger of peace. She has spoken up for the right of young women to education since she was 11. Her activism began with blogs for the BBC about living under Taliban rule in Pakistan and the ban on girls attending school. In October 2012, a gunman boarded her bus, looking for her, and shot her in the head. Following her recovery, she has continued her work as co-founder of the non-profit Malala Fund, aiming to build a world where every girl can learn and lead without fear.
Melinda French Gates
Philanthropist, businesswoman and a global advocate for women and girls. Melinda French Gates sets the direction and priorities of one of the world’s largest philanthropic organisations in her role co-chairing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, an investment company working to drive social progress for women and families, and author of the best-selling book The Moment of Lift. French Gates has a degree in computer science and an MBA from Duke University. She spent a decade developing multimedia products at Microsoft before leaving the company to focus on her family and philanthropic work.
Rebel Wilson
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Hollywood megastar: actress, writer, producer and director – and a law graduate. Her acting career began on Sydney stages, where she often wrote her own work, and she made a name for herself in Australian comedy before moving to the US in 2010. For her Hollywood debut, she joined the cast of female-led comedy hit Bridesmaids. She had a role in the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit but is perhaps best known as Fat Amy in the box-office hit musical trilogy Pitch Perfect. In 2022, Wilson will be directing her first feature film.
Head over to bbc.com for the full list.
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