Yennega (Burkina Faso)
Yennenga (born 11th-15th century) was a legendary princess, considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso.She was a famous warrior within the Kingdom of Dagbon, now in present day Ghana. The founder of the Kingdom of Dagbon was her father, Nedega. Nedega refused to let Yennenga marry, resulting in her leaving the kingdom. On the run with her horse, she met a young hunter, Rialé with whom she had a child called Ouedraogo. Ouedraogo is a famous last name in Burkina Faso and means "male horse" in honour of the horse which led the princess to Rialé. Yennenga or her son Ouedraogo are considered the founder of the Mossi Kingdoms. There are different versions about the escape of the princess.
Quotes
[edit]- You say the harvest is past its time? But what about a woman who has not been married.
- "GENDER IN AFRICAN BIOGRAPHY-How gender matters in African history",Yennenga (12th Century, Burkina Faso),May 9, 2016,By Nicole Cambria
Quotes about Yennenga
[edit]- a bold and fearless woman, an Amazon, a warrior whom we, as women, want to resemble;Burkinabe artists
- Choosing the princess's name for her first album was "a way of saying we are today's Yennenga;Burkinabe artists
- Yennenga: Ancestor of Burkina Faso’s Mossi people,05/12/2021,by Richard Tiéné
- Princess Yennega was brilliant, fearless, and a badass woman referred to as Yennega the Svelte
- The princess was so phenomenal that her father, the king, wouldn’t let her wed for fear she would leave and the kingdom would lose one of its best warriors.
- Yennenga – An African Princess Women Can Actually Look Up To,Mar 8, 2018,by Katia Ulysse-Saint Vil
- She was also fearless during battle and extremely brave.
- Yennenga was a woman who demonstrated what was looked at as male dominated techniques and skills. Not only did she perform these techniques, such as battling, using weapons, and horse riding, but she performed them better than her brothers
- She planted a field of okra before the king’s house, and when it was ripe she left it past its time on the ground without harvesting it.
- From the age of 14, she fought with her father in battles against the Malinkes, whom neighbored Burkina Faso
- She was an expert with javelins, spears, and bows, along with being an exceptional horsewoman.
- "GENDER IN AFRICAN BIOGRAPHY-How gender matters in African history",Yennenga (12th Century, Burkina Faso),May 9, 2016,By Nicole Cambria
