by the We Will Lead Africa Founders
At We Will Lead Africa (WWLA), centring personal narratives is an essential part of how we support the movement of everyday African leaders. We have been intentional about taking on the identity of Griots. In the traditional African sense, griot (or djeli and other synonymous terms) means a knowledge keeper who passes on history, culture, and wisdom through oral traditions, artistic mediums (storytelling, music, dance), and ceremonial practices. We have expanded the term to include documenting our written stories, personal and collective.
Here’s why:
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Why we centre personal narratives at WWLA
About a year before we met and the seed for WWLA was sewn, all three founders were working on African leadership narratives. In researching a paper for a conference on African Leadership, Yabome was shocked by the prevalence of a narrative about African leadership that one writer called the narrative of ‘monumental leadership failure’. Yabome used the opportunity to document what she called the ‘lament narrative’ and to challenge the conference community to think about the possibilities for a narrative of hope (and action), based on case studies of positive African leadership experiences and outcomes. Simultaneously, Sarah and Judith—in a collaboration they called Tomorrow by Design—were working with groups and leading strategic conversations, on the continent and in the diaspora, about building the Africa we want grounded in African leadership values and principles.
When we met in the fall of 2015, we connected over our shared dissatisfaction with the dominant narratives of despair about African leadership, and the lack of nuanced, documented examples of transformative leadership which we knew existed (each of us could point to role models in our immediate families/networks!) and that we used in our separate and collective work. From this came the mission to gather, document, and uplift the stories of everyday African leaders in their own voice and words. And so, the first question we ask these leaders to answer emerged: What’s your story?
Personal narratives are not about individualism, but about collective transformation
Storytelling is deeply embedded in African culture—it has always been a technology for transformation. Through stories, we inspire, remember, teach, heal, connect, and galvanise for action. This is why we describe WWLA as a movement of people inspired to action on behalf of the collective. Leadership is not about standing alone; it is about being part of something greater.
We don’t focus on personal stories because we believe in individualism or the hero narrative. We encourage leaders to write their stories because they reveal the connection between us and across the web of experiences that shape African leadership. For example, the personal narratives in our volumes have highlighted the interconnectedness of everyday African leadership challenges and triumphs, showing how individual leaders contribute to broader, system-wide transformation. They may be individual stories, but they link together to shape a collective narrative … one that is quite different from the dominant one frequently espoused.
Countering dominant narratives about African leadership
For too long, Africa’s leadership stories have been shaped by external perspectives. The world has heard and repeated these limited (and limiting) narratives so often that they have become the dominant belief about African leadership—flattened, one-sided, and incomplete.
At WWLA, we counter these narratives by uplifting the voices of everyday leaders who are driving real change and extraordinary impact. These stories do not erase the challenges, but they offer a fuller, more complex picture, one that includes resilience, innovation, and hope. This may seem like an uphill battle, but from our work as change and transformation consultants and leaders, we also know that dominant narratives are countered by uplifting and highlighting the alternative narratives that are possible—and that are in fact already present and happening.
When we publish personal stories, we are also gathering collective truths. Leadership is not a theoretical concept; it is made up of real people, in real places, doing real work. Across our four volumes of published stories, themes have emerged. These repeating patterns remind us that leadership is not just personal—it is a shared, collective experience.
Rehumanising leadership: storytelling as a way to inspire and heal
In a world that has often dehumanised African people, storytelling is a powerful way to reassert our humanity. The concept of leadership can sometimes feel distant or abstract, but a personal story makes it real. It reminds us that leadership is not for an elite few. It is for anyone willing to act from where they are, with the agency they have.
For young leaders, reading about someone with similar struggles who has persevered and succeeded can be transformative. A story is not just a lesson: it is a call to action, a reminder that leadership is not out of reach.
For those sharing their stories, the process can be deeply healing. Many of our contributors have never thought of themselves as leaders until they see their own journey reflected back to them. Writing their story allows them to recognise their own resilience and impact.
A call to remember who we are
In today’s world, where we are bombarded with countless narratives about Africa—many of them negative or oversimplified—our stories are at risk of being drowned out. This is why we must tell these everyday African leadership stories.
Africans have always used storytelling as a way of passing down knowledge. Across the continent, elders share wisdom through proverbs, parables, and other oral traditions. By reclaiming this tradition, we preserve the richness of African leadership and offer a new generation the stories they need to inspire them.
We, at WWLA, don’t just tell stories. We create spaces where everyday African leaders can see themselves, be seen by others, and shape the narrative of African leadership for generations to come. Our stories are more than individual experiences; they are part of a larger, collective movement to inspire, connect, and transform Africa. And that’s why we must continue to tell them.