Dr Jacqueline-Bethel Mougoué
Esther Dreams: African Women's Lives Across Borders
Abstract
This research talk highlights one chapter of a book project that tells the story of African-born women who traversed West Africa from the 1950s to the 1970s. Women like Cameroonian Esther Tanyi accumulated a unique form of social, political, religious, and intellectual power as they navigated mid-20th-century West Africa on behalf of Baha’ism—a religion founded in 19th-century Iran that emphasizes racial, cultural, and gender equity. These women exemplified feminist action through maternal power (a form of “public motherhood”), nurturing their communities and demonstrating cultural influence and mobility. Many traveled as Baha’i "pioneers"—volunteers who relocated to teach the Baha’i faith and help establish communities.
I focus on the theme of dreams to examine their aspirations for social mobility and racial and cultural unity, both figuratively and literally. Using four of Esther Tanyi’s recalled nighttime dreams, I explore how their lives offer a historical perspective on how African women pursued gender equity, racial harmony, and international peace—goals that transcended their religious views and crossed both real and imagined cultural boundaries. These dreams inspired them to propose alternative messages for a more equitable world, reflecting the power of hope and aspiration in the face of adversity.
Date: May 13, 2025, 6 to 8 pm at Iwalewahaus
Anthropology Lecture Series: https://uni-bayreuth.zoom.us/j/66517803038?pwd=BszsdX0acMSFakiREI1zVUTs7NAwbO.1, Meeting-ID: 665 1780 3038, Kenncode: 191801