This talk highlights a chapter from the book Pan-African Lives: Racial Politics and Belonging in Africa. It tells the stories of African-born women like Cameroonian Esther Tanyi, who traversed West Africa. These women gained social, political, religious, and intellectual influence by navigating mid-20th-century West Africa on behalf of the Baha’i Faith-a religion emphasizing racial, cultural, and gender equity, founded in 19th-century Iran. I focus on dreams to explore their aspirations for religious prominence, social mobility, and unity, both figuratively and literally.
Analyzing four of Esther Tanyi’s nighttime dreams, I show how their lives reflect efforts toward gender equity, racial harmony, and global harmony – goals that transcended religious views and cultural boundaries.
