To celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, the British Deputy High Commission in partnership with ASIRI Magazine launched a cultural project titled “HerStory of Nigeria: Women, Power and Protest in Lagos (1910–1950).”
Formally unveiled on March 9, the partnership aims to spotlight the contributions of Nigerian women to the nation’s socio-political history, reclaiming their roles within the broader Commonwealth narrative of agency and social change.
Deputy Head of Mission at the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria, Simon Field, said the project represents an amazing opportunity to deepen cooperation on mutual priorities, from security, migration and shared economic growth, all whilst demonstrating what a modern, ambitious Commonwealth partnership it is.
Project Director, Dr. Oludamola Adebowale, in his remarks, recalled how the quest for documenting history connected with his familial relationships and then morphed into a national interest. With insight into the challenges of documenting women in history, he told the predominantly young audience how his background in brand research and communications placed him in good stead for championing cultural preservation.
“There’s so much in the current history we need to structure properly. It’s not just about telling the story, but telling the story with proper research and adequate information.”
With reference to his research work on film projects such as ‘Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’ and ‘The Man Died,’ Adebowale demonstrated his commitment to restoring unsung heroes to the centre of Nigeria’s historical framework.
“We started actually 13 years ago and consistently for 13 years, we’ve been promoting Nigerian history on our social media platforms. Six years ago, we started looking at the narratives of Nigerian women who have been exploited in the country and how their narratives have affected our social media platform. I would say it is an element of social media structure where I think the voices of women need to be heard not just about the past, but also the present.”
He remarked that HerStory of Nigeria is designed as an educational and historical legacy project designed to build a living digital archival repository dedicated to documenting and celebrating the history of women in N,igeria.
At its heart, the project seeks to bring women’s stories to the forefront, preserving their contributions, struggles, leadership, and cultural impact from the 18th century to the present day. Through research, documentation, and storytelling, the initiative aims to create an accessible historical platform housing photographs, documents, oral histories, and archival materials that reflect the depth of women’s roles in shaping Nigeria’s past and present.
Using history as a living resource to inspire leadership and civic consciousness among young girls, the panellists session at the event focused on how stories told to women as young girls matter.
At a fireside chat moderated by the chair of the board, Women Radio, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya; Criminal justice psychologist, child rights activist and Executive Director, Media Concern for Women and Children Initiative (MEDIACON), Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, she noted that the safe spaces are shrinking for women and girls to be protected from sexual or gender-based concerns.
