Paula Akpan is a writer committed to historicising Black life in all its formations.

A picture of a Black woman with a shaved head smiling at the camera with her mouth closed, she is wearing glasses, gold earrings and a white and blue stripped shirt dress

WHEN WE RULED: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors (2025)

Paula Akpan’s debut book – a BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE and HISTORY TODAY book of the year – is out now in the UK published by Trapeze, and in the US published by Pegasus Books.

Discover the reigns of twelve African queens and warriors from across the continent in this immersive and pioneering history.

Njinga a Mbande. Nana Yaa Asantewaa. Makobo Modjadji VI. Ranavalona the First.

These queens and warriors ruled vast swathes of the African continent, where they led, loved, and fought for their kingdoms and people. Their impact can still be felt today, and yet, beyond the lands they called home, so few of us have ever heard their names.

In When We Ruled, historian Paula Akpan takes us into the worlds of these powerful figures, following their stories and how they came to rule and influence the futures of their people. Through deep research and discovery, Akpan will uncover new truths and grapple with uncomfortable realities, allowing us to be immersed in countless moments of bravery, intrigue, and, for some, the unraveling of their rule.

With reigns spanning from pre-colonial Nigeria to the rich lands of Rwanda, and from Ancient Benin to apartheid South Africa, these rulers shed new light on gender politics in these regions, showing how women were celebrated and revered before colonizing powers took hold, and continued to be long after.

In this game-changing narrative of twelve lives, Akpan takes us on a spellbinding, enrapturing, and immersive history that is nothing short of revelatory.

Praise for WHEN WE RULED

‘Beautiful prose helps us navigate emotions provoked by these women’s little-known yet incredible trajectories, providing enlightening insights into power, diplomacy and war in African kingdoms’ ― BBC History Magazine’s Books of the Year 2025

‘A treasure trove’ ― Bolu Babalola, author of LOVE IN COLOUR and HONEY & SPICE

‘Poetic and fierce, this volume is a compelling modern-day journey into past histories of impressive African queens’ ― Olivette Otele, author of AFRICAN EUROPEANS

‘Interesting contemporary interviews and travel writing, and beautifully reconstructed retellings of the royal histories’ ― The Times Literary Supplement

‘An exciting and rich work for anyone who is curious about African history… Akpan is plowing a furrow that many will gratefully follow in the future’ ― Paterson Joseph, author of THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO

‘A beautiful and thought-provoking archive of history… Written in such a brilliant narrative structure, the stories were vibrant and alive’ ― Stylist

‘An extraordinary book… PLEASE read it!’ ― Philippa Gregory, author of NORMAL WOMEN and THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL

‘Blending archival research, fieldwork, and personal reflection, it reminds us that political agency and leadership in Africa has a long and varied history that deserves to be better known’ ― History Today’s Books of the Year 2025

‘Pulsing with the voices of historians, storytellers, archivists and memory-holders Akpan communed with… WHEN WE RULED has love and care poured into every page’ ― Dr. Jade Bentil, author of forthcoming REBEL CITIZEN

‘An education and a celebration’ ― GLAMOUR South Africa

‘Vital and brilliant. A searing, nourishing journey through a history the world needs’ ― Bettany Hughes, author of THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

‘A rich, sumptuous and beautifully written tapestry of the past that makes my heart soar and ache all at once; this is the history we should have learned in schools’
― Candice Carty-Williams, author of QUEENIE and PEOPLE PERSON

‘Akpan complicates the sterile, often nationalist myths that surround some of these near-mythic leaders while also acknowledging the ways in which colonial biases and Western historiographic traditions distorted their stories and silenced their voices’ ― Booklist (starred review)