Africa's powerful and influential women were honoured on Friday night at the African Union Diaspora Africa Forum Women in Excellence Awards.
It was a star studded event of current and former presidents and activists from the continent.
Amongst the living legends were struggle hero and mother of the nation
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
.
Women and Children's rights activists Graca Machel and Nana Rowlings, former first lady of Ghana, were among the other category of Women of Excellence.
Johnson-Sirleaf has called for transformation in the lives of girl children on the continent. Africa's first woman president is now serving a second term. Recently, she has had to deal with the deadly Ebola outbreak which put the continent's readiness to deal with major health crises under the microscope.
The Liberian President says Africa needs educated children and women who can be given an opportunity to lead. "I think we need to start with the girl child, make sure that all our young girls are in school, they are able to reach their full potential in education, but it also means we need to extend education to rural women - many of whom are illiterate but are farmers and feed the nation."
"Women empowerment means we need more women in leadership positions throughout the society and we must all work for that and we must promote the policies at home in our institutions and in our homes those measures that will enhance the participation of women," she says.
Former Malawian president Joyce Banda has opened her foundation's headquarters in South Africa. Banda, who was defeated in the last election, took unprecedented steps to get rid of luxury perks for politicians.
However, she says it is her human rights work that she has been involved in over the last 30 years that she is proud of and intends to continue.
"In Malawi alone the Joyce Banda foundation has reached 1.2 million people because we have the market - women initiatives of about 500 000 people, youth programs, we sponsor orphans, girls in secondary schools students…we launched the Joyce Banda initiative which is headquartered here in South Africa."
She says now that she is no longer president she is even busier working in communities.
Chief Dorothy Chinyere Anyiam-Osigwe, an activist in Nigeria, was also a recipient of the Living Legend awards . She says following the death of her husband over 10 years ago, she decided to soldier on with his work to empower women.
African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, who was married to Kenya's liberation icon Jomo Kenyatta, and Ruth Sando Fahnbulleh Perry of Liberia were the other Living Legend recipients.
Machel was presented the Women of Excellence Award. The award, from the AU African Diaspora Forum, was presented to eight women in Sandton, Johannesburg.
She says it is important to recognise women's hard work. "This is a time to call for the revival of women's movement. This continent in the past was able to mobilise millions of women around freedom for all, freedom in our lifetime, but I don't see the same movement when we are faced with high rates of maternal mortality to say no this is unacceptable."
Machel has been given the award along with Rawlings. The former Ghana first lady says she ventured into activism when it was unknown for first ladies to assume this role. She says she has now turned to education.
“I am really happy that the recognition has come because you can work every day and you are not recognised but when you are recognised it gives you more impetus. I used to mobilise women more, now I am educating them more."
Other women of excellence are Zimbabwean born Dr Arikana Chihimbori, Dr Juliette Tuakli of Ghana, Dr Saida Agrebi of Tunisia, Justice Victoria Okobi of Nigeria, Nardos Bekele-Thomas of Ethiopia and Salma Salifu who was born and educated in Ghana.
Struggle veteran, Madikizela-Mandela says South Africa is not a xenophobic country. Accepting her Living Legends award presented by the AU African Diaspora Forum, Madikizela-Mandela said it was important for other African countries to get this message.
Another wave of xenophobic attacks grappled South Africa recently.
Meanwhile, Dlamini-Zuma has thanked her women mentors for her success. She was receiving a Living Legends Award from the African Union Diaspora Africa Forum. Dlamini-Zuma has dedicated the award to the women who are trying to make life better.
