Ghanaian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah joins BBC’s 2022 100 Women list

Ghanaian author, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has joined global music phenomenon Billie Eilish and actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas on the BBC’s 100 Women list of 2022.

The list of 100 women compiled by the BBC annually is made up of inspiring and influential women from around the world.

Among the 100 on the list for 2022 are global music phenomenon Billie Eilish, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, actresses Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Selma Blair, the ‘tsarina of Russian pop’ Alla Pugacheva, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, record-breaking triple jump athlete Yulimar Rojas, and Ghanaian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah.

This is the 10th season of 100 Women, and so the BBC is taking the opportunity to explore what progress has been made over the last decade.

While there have been huge steps forward for women's rights - from the number of female leaders to the MeToo movement - for women in many corners of the world, there is still a long way to go.

The list also reflects the role of women at the heart of conflict around the world in 2022 – from the protesters bravely demanding change in Iran, to the female faces of conflict and resistance in Ukraine and Russia.

For the first time this year, the BBC has also asked previous 100 Women to nominate others who they felt deserved a place on the 2022 list.

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Ghana
Author

Her book The Sex Lives of African Women has been described as "an astonishing report on the quest for sexual liberation", in a dazzling review by Publishers Weekly.

It was listed by The Economist as one of the best books of the year, reflecting a diverse range of voices from across the continent and global diaspora.

Writer and feminist activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is also co-founder of Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women - a website, podcast and festival that creates content to recount the experiences of African women around sex, sexualities, and pleasure.

Feminists have succeeded in creating space for all women to be themselves. But we are facing a backlash, which is the result of our gains - and this backlash particularly affects gender diverse and gender non-conforming people.

Other African women featured on the list include:

• Asonele Kotu, Tech entrepreneur (South Africa)
• Judy Kihumba, Sign language interpreter (Kenya)
• Wegahta Gebreyohannes Abera, Humanitarian aid worker (Tigray, Ethiopia)
• Sarah Chan, NBA scouter (South Sudan)
• Samrawit Fikru, Tech entrepreneur (Ethiopia)
• Gehad Hamdy, Dentist and humanitarian (Egypt)
• Marie Christina Kolo, Climate entrepreneur (Madagascar)
• Hadizatou Mani, Anti-slavery campaigner (Niger)
• Ibijoke Faborode, Co-founder of ElectHER (Nigeria)
• Ons Jabeur, Tennis player (Tunisia)
• Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Law professor (Nigeria)
• Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, Referee (Rwanda)
• Monica Musonda, Businesswoman (Zambia)
• Kisanet Tedros, Educational entrepreneur (Eritrea)
• Esraa Warda, Dancer (Algeria/US)

What is 100 Women?

BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspiring women around the world every year. The BBC create documentaries, features and interviews about their lives - stories that put women at the centre.

How were the 100 Women chosen?

The BBC's 100 Women team drew up a shortlist based on names they gathered and those suggested by the BBC's network of World Service Languages teams, as well as BBC Media Action.

Candidates who had made headlines or influenced important stories over the past 12 months, as well as those who have inspiring stories to tell, or have achieved something significant or influenced their societies in ways that wouldn't necessarily make the news.

The pool of names was then assessed against this year's theme – progress that has been made across different areas over the past decade.

Topics that split opinion were explored, such as reproductive rights where one woman’s progress could be another’s regression, and nominated women who have created their own change. The list was also measured for regional representation and due impartiality, before the final names were chosen.

Some of the women on the list appear anonymously or without a surname in order to protect them and their families, with their consent and following all BBC Editorial Policy and safety guidelines.

Lina Abu Akleh, Palestinian Territories
Human rights campaigner

Dima Aktaa, Syria
Runner

Maeen Al-Obaidi, Yemen
Lawyer

Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Ira
Actress

Fatima Amiri, Afghanistan
Student

Aye Nyein Thu, Myanmar
Medical doctor

Velmariri Bambari, Indonesia
Activist

Velmariri Bambari

Sirisha Bandla, India
Aeronautical engineer

Sunny Leone
Nominated by 2016 100 Women laureate, actress Sunny Leone

Victoria Baptiste, US
Nurse and vaccine educator

Niloufar Bayani, Iran
Ecologist

Nathalie Becquart, Vatican
Nun

Nathalie Becquart

Taisia Bekbulatova, Russia
Journalist

Taisia Bekbulatova

Kristina Berdynskykh, Ukraine
Journalist

Selma Blair, US
Actress

Tarana Burke, US
Activist

Sandy Cabrera Arteaga, Honduras
Reproductive rights advocate

Ona Carbonell, Spain
Swimmer

María Fernanda Castro Maya, Mexico
Disability activist

Sarah Chan, South Sudan
NBA scouter

Sarah Chan

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, India
Actress and producer

Sanjida Islam Choya, Bangladesh
Student

Chanel Contos, Australia
Sexual consent activist

Eva Copa, Bolivia
Politician

Heidi Crowter, UK
Disability campaigner

Billie Eilish, US
Singer and songwriter

Sandya Eknaligoda, Sri Lanka
Human rights activist

Gohar Eshghi, Iran
Civil activist

Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Nigeria
Law professor

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Nominated by 2021 100 Women laureate, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Ibijoke Faborode, Nigeria
Founder of ElectHER

Samrawit Fikru, Ethiopia
Tech entrepreneur

Samrawit Fikru

Ceci Flores, Mexico
Activist

Geraldina Guerra Garcés, Ecuador
Femicide activist

Geraldina Guerra Garcés

Wegahta Gebreyohannes Abera, Tigray, Ethiopia
Humanitarian aid worker

Moud Goba, UK
LGBTQ+ activist

Dilek Gürsoy, Germany
Heart surgeon

Woman cutting her hair, Iran
Protester

Gehad Hamdy, Egypt
Dentist and humanitarian

Gehad Hamdy

Sofía Heinonen, Argentina
Conservationist

Judith Heumann, US
Disability rights advocate

Erika Hilton, Brazil
Politician

Erika Hilton

Kimiko Hirata, Japan
Climate campaigner

Jebina Yasmin Islam, UK
Campaigner

Sabina Nessa

Ons Jabeur, Tunisia
Tennis player

Sneha Jawale, India
Social worker

Sneha Jawale

Park Ji-hyun, South Korea
Political reformer

Park Ji-hyun

Zahra Joya, Afghanistan
Journalist

Reema Juffali, Saudi Arabia
Racing driver

Kadri Keung, Hong Kong
Fashion designer

Judy Kihumba, Kenya
Sign language interpreter

Marie Christina Kolo, Madagascar
Climate entrepreneur

Iryna Kondratova, Ukraine
Paediatrician

Asonele Kotu, South Africa
Tech entrepreneur

Layli, Iran
Protester

Mie Kyung (Miky) Lee, South Korea
Producer

Rebel Wilson
Nominated by 2021 100 Women laureate, actress Rebel Wilson

Ursula von der Leyen, Germany
President of the European Commission

Sanna Marin
Nominated by 2020 100 Women laureate, Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin

Erika Liriano, Dominican Republic
Cocoa entrepreneur

Naomi Long, Northern Ireland
Politician

Naja Lyberth, Greenland
Psychologist

Ayesha Malik, Pakistan
Judge

Hadizatou Mani, Niger
Anti-slavery campaigner

Nigar Marf, Iraq
Nurse

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukraine
Human rights lawyer

Laura McAllister, Wales
Professor and former footballer

Milli, Thailand
Rap artist

Zara Mohammadi, Iran
Educator

Narges Mohammadi, Iran
Human rights campaigner

Rita Moreno, Puerto Rico/US
Actress

Mia Mottley, Barbados
Prime Minister

Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, Rwanda
Referee

Monica Musonda, Zambia
Businesswoman

Ifeoma Ozoma, US
Public policy and tech specialist

Yuliia Paievska, Ukraine
Paramedic

Tamana Zaryab Paryani, Afghanistan
Activist

Alice Pataxó, Brazil
Indigenous activist

Malala Yousafzai

Roya Piraei, Iran
Activist

Alla Pugacheva, Russia
Musician

Alla Pugacheva

Sepideh Qoliyan, Iran
Political campaigner

Elnaz Rekabi, Iran
Climber

Jane Rigby, US
Astronomer and astrophysicist

Yulimar Rojas, Venezuela
Athlete

Yulimar Rojas

Yuliia Sachuk, Ukraine
Disability leader

Ainura Sagyn, Kyrgyzstan
Engineer

Ainura Sagyn

Roza Salih, Scotland
Politician

Sally Scales, Australia
Artist

Julia Gillard
Nominated by 2018 100 Women laureate, former politician Julia Gillard

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Ghana
Author

Suvada Selimović, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Peace campaigner

Geetanjali Shree, India
Author

Geetanjali Shree

Monica Simpson, US
Reproductive justice activist

Alexandra Skochilenko, Russia
Artist

Simone Tebet, Brazil
Member of the Brazilian Federal Senate

Kisanet Tedros, Eritrea
Educational entrepreneur

Efrat Tilma, Israel
Volunteer

Maryna Viazovska, Ukraine
Mathematician

Velia Vidal, Colombia
Writer

Velia Vidal

Esraa Warda, Algeria/US
Dancer

Zhou Xiaoxuan, China
Feminist activist

Cheng Yen, Taiwan
Buddhist philanthropist

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, UK/Iran
Charity worker

Olena Zelenska, Ukraine
First Lady

Olena Zelenska

Yana Zinkevych, Ukraine
Politician and front-line medical volunteer

BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?

credit: BBC