The story of Queen Nijinga of Ndongo (1583-1663), one of the most skilled diplomats and military tacticians in African history, is a perfect way to usher in Black history month. There is simply not enough space here to do this ruler’s legacy full justice, but today people in modern Angola recognize her as one of the great leaders who expanded her kingdom while resisting the European encroachment of West Africa.
There were many cards stacked against Queen Nijinga: she was a woman, she had to deal with a brother who felt threatened by her, she was caught in the cross-fires of various regional groups like the Imbangala and the people of Matamba. But most challenging of all were the Portuguese, who held immense military and economic power in western Africa at the time.
Like a masterful chess player, Nijinga played a long game, using her intelligence to maneuver herself and her people into the best possible positions. For instance, since she had expert knowledge of Portuguese, Nijinga’s brother, the king at the time, had her lead a diplomatic mission with the Portuguese in 1622. Attending, Nijinga elected to go against the grain and wore her traditional clothing rather than putting on European attire. When the Portuguese gave her only a mat to sit on, some accounts say that she showed her equality when her attendant contorted his body into a chair, so she could negotiate eye-to-eye.
Whether it was through blending religious traditions (Catholic and traditional Imbangala and Matamba rituals), playing enemies off each other (she was in communication with the Dutch, and with various disaffected groups under Portuguese control), using her knowledge of written European languages (Pope Alexander VII wrote to her, praising her conversion to Catholicism), she knew how to govern successfully. During one particularly bellicose phase of her reign, she dressed in men’s clothing and required to be called “king.” Later, she went back to wearing women’s garb and even married her favorite concubine.
The statue of Queen Nijinga shown here is a photo I took at the Jamestown Settlement Museum in the summer of 2025.
