Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby, is an expansive and compelling anthology of words and writings by women of African descent across the centuries. Arranged chronologically, it traces a literary heritage from the ancient Egyptian queen Hatshepsut and the Queen of Sheba to celebrated writers such as Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Buchi Emecheta. Alongside these renowned figures are many lesser-known voices and anonymous traditional works that reflect the richness of oral traditions passed down through generations.
Bringing together literature and orature from Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe, the anthology reveals connections across continents and centuries, illuminating shared influences while preserving the distinctiveness of each voice. Its more than two hundred contributors—from Antigua to Zimbabwe, Angola to the United States—demonstrate the extraordinary geographical and cultural breadth of the African diaspora. Alongside translations from African languages, the collection includes works originally written in Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
While celebrating a shared heritage, Daughters of Africa also affirms the diversity of Black women’s experiences and forms of expression. Its wide-ranging selection encompasses autobiography, memoir, oral history, letters, diaries, short stories, novels—including experimental fiction, historical fiction, and science fiction—poetry, drama, humour, political and feminist writing, anthropology, journalism, speeches, essays, and folklore.
With an introduction by Busby, biographical headnotes, annotations, and extensive bibliographies, Daughters of Africa offers both a celebration of Black women’s voices and a valuable resource for exploring their enduring contributions to literature and cultural memory.
