Augusta Jawara

Augusta Jawara (née Mahoney) was an influential Gambian nurse, playwright, and social activist who advocated passionately for women's suffrage, education, and maternal wellbeing.

Educated in Banjul and England, she became one of the country's most vocal reformists in the 1950s and 1960s, authoring the theatrical drama 'The African Woman' (under the pen name Ramatoulie Kinteh), which challenged gender inequality and traditional forced marriage.

In 1960, she ran for legislative office in Bathurst, becoming one of the earliest female political candidates in Gambian history and inspiring generations of female civil servants.