A signature initiative
AfroSwiss Women of Impact, ASWOI, is AfroSwissters' growing public archive of women of African descent whose work has shaped, challenged and enriched Switzerland. It brings together the pioneers preserved in historical records, women transforming institutions today, and community builders whose impact is often greatest where public recognition is weakest. ASWOI is not a ranking or popularity prize. It is an act of recognition, documentation and collective memory.
Spotted a mistake? These profiles are researched with care, but errors happen. If something is wrong or out of date, please tell us and we will correct it.
Suggest a correction →A note on the earliest lives: the first four women belong to historical remembrance, not as uncomplicated empowerment icons. Their stories reveal enslavement, colonialism, racial display and missionary power within Swiss history.
Profiles in development: the history of the Treffpunkt Schwarzer Frauen also preserves contributions from Emma Walser-Shannon, Samira Mall-Derby, Fatima Rubi-Ibrahim, Sefa Dänzer-Agyeman, Dinahlee Obey Siering and Dorothy Bruce. These names are being researched through oral histories and, for living women, developed with informed participation.
Profile texts are currently in English; translations are in progress.
Brought enslaved from Saint-Domingue to Yverdon during the 1770s, she later worked as a midwife. Her documented struggle for freedom exposes Switzerland's direct entanglement with Atlantic slavery.
A woman of African and German ancestry compelled to perform as an 'African' circus attraction. She trained as a seamstress and spent decades teaching handicrafts in Basel.
An Oromo girl enslaved in East Africa and brought to Basel through a missionary network. She became one of the earliest African girls to receive higher-level schooling in Switzerland, and died at seventeen.
A West African woman whose life in Riehen and relationship with the Basel Mission complicate conventional narratives about missionary 'rescue', African agency and belonging in nineteenth-century Switzerland.
Educator, Neuchâtel politician and one of the first eleven women elected to Switzerland's National Council in 1971. The first person of African descent in the federal parliament.
Congolese-Swiss jurist, sexual-health counsellor, intercultural mediator and Green politician. She served in Biel's legislature and the Bern cantonal parliament and helped establish CRAN.
Kenyan-born social educator and social anthropologist who co-founded Women of Black Heritage and established the Treffpunkt Schwarzer Frauen in Zurich, an influential meeting place, advisory service and political voice.
Haitian-born psychologist and scholar, co-founder of Women of Black Heritage and CRAN. She brought lived and professional expertise into the Federal Commission against Racism and numerous feminist and migrant-rights organisations.
Economist, trade unionist and long-serving Zurich cantonal parliamentarian, with work on public finance, economic policy and public-sector representation.
A documented voice in the history of Zurich's Treffpunkt Schwarzer Frauen. Her testimony helps preserve the organising, political education and mutual support created by Black women in the city.
Historian, cultural scholar and founder of Histnoire. Her work has been essential to recovering Black women's histories and analysing race, gender and colonial memory in Switzerland.
Educator, lecturer and organisational adviser working on anti-racist education, diversity and power-critical institutional change. Co-author of No to Racism.
Zurich-born scholar and cultural practitioner at the intersection of anti-racism, queer feminism and institutional transformation. As diversity agent at Schauspielhaus Zürich she made structural change part of the theatre's work.
Social worker, human-rights activist and Zurich cantonal parliamentarian. Her work addresses violence prevention, asylum, equality and the rights of women affected by migration and exploitation.
Photo: Bannanis89, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Diplomat, former Olympic heptathlete and Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the first woman to lead the agency after two decades with the ICRC.
Kenyan-Swiss elected politician, artist, filmmaker, intercultural mediator and human-rights advocate for anti-discrimination and Afro-descendant representation.
The first Black woman to join Zurich's police force. She founded KESecurix and developed an international career in security, public policy and diversity, including work with DCAF and UNITAR.
Campaigner, organiser and public-affairs professional raised in Switzerland. After advocacy on racism, inequality and environmental justice, she became Engagement Lead at Powercoders.
Transformation and programme leader, author, mentor and founder of Onuli, supporting women navigating leadership, technology and organisational change.
Feminist sociologist, professor and leadership adviser specialising in gender, sustainability, business and women's economic empowerment.
Congolese-Swiss lawyer and a pioneering Black woman in the Swiss legal profession, working on integration, multicultural cohesion and visibility through MélanineSuisse.
Lausanne-raised social entrepreneur and co-founder of Safro Collective, connecting Black professionals, projects and organisations.
Congo-born lawyer, scholar and former diplomat based in Geneva, working internationally on racism, discrimination and human rights.
Sierra Leonean anti-racism writer, refugee advocate and public educator in Switzerland, bringing lived experience into discussions of belonging and structural racism.
Cultural organiser behind Festival Black Helvetia, which placed Black and Afro-descendant women visibly within the public and cultural life of Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Political theorist and Black feminist scholar researching racial violence, public discourse, postcolonialism and the lives of racialised communities in Switzerland and France.
Historian of Black feminisms and internationalism and founder of Afrolitt', a bilingual literary platform connecting African and Afro-diasporic writing with Swiss audiences.
Social anthropologist, author and former cultural journalist whose scholarship on gender, sexuality and African feminist knowledge has expanded Swiss academic debate.
Geneva-based gynaecologist and sexual-medicine specialist internationally recognised for respectful, evidence-based care for women and girls affected by female genital mutilation or cutting.
Swiss-Ghanaian sociologist, author and anti-racism educator making research on race, education and intersectionality accessible far beyond universities.
Eritrean-born child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Zurich and Winterthur region, specialising in trauma, transcultural psychiatry and the mental health of displaced children and families.
University of Geneva researcher examining health, gender, sexuality and everyday life in African societies, including lived experiences of diabetes in Guinea.
Cameroonian-Swiss curator raised in Zurich, founder of RAW Material Company and former director of Zeitz MOCAA. Her appointment to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale marked another historic first before her death in 2025.
Swiss-Congolese journalist, filmmaker and co-director of Je Suis Noires / Becoming a Black Woman, which made the experiences of Black women in Switzerland part of a national and international conversation.
Journalist, author and television presenter, Switzerland's first Black television news presenter, opening unusually visible conversations about race and Swiss identity.
Swiss-Haitian singer, songwriter, author and presenter moving between music, children's literature, history and public storytelling.
Spoken-word poet, performer, moderator and columnist addressing racism, migration, gender and the contradictions of everyday Swiss life with incisive language and humour.
Somali-born Zurich writer and spoken-word artist whose poetry explores language, belonging, memory and being read through externally imposed categories.
Swiss-Guinean photographer and art director whose internationally exhibited work interrogates the Western gaze, African representation and the construction of identity.
Swiss-Haitian artist and researcher whose decolonial practice confronts colonial monuments, racialised scientific histories and the politics of public memory.
Photo: Kai Kuusisto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Swiss-Cape Verdean filmmaker whose films, including Nha Mila and Hanami, explore migration, islands, intimacy and the emotional meaning of home.
Photo: Joost Pauwels, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Swiss-Ethiopian filmmaker whose work has reached major international platforms, including the Cannes Cinéfondation selection.
Geneva-born Rwandan-Swiss actor, performer and filmmaker whose acclaimed performance in Saint Omer established her as a compelling presence in European cinema.
South African-born, Bern-based director and performance artist whose uncompromising theatre exposes the ordinary language and performance of racism.
Musician, performance artist, educator and community organiser, founder of child-centred programmes including Swiss Drag Story Time.
Award-winning design educator and researcher foregrounding suppressed histories, alternative forms of knowledge and wider representation in Swiss design education.
Lausanne-born filmmaker, screenwriter and composer of Senegalese and Italian heritage, opening Swiss cinema to African and Afro-diasporic fantasy, futurism and speculative storytelling.
Emerging Beninese-Italian filmmaker from the Lausanne region exploring family, inheritance, migration and the emotional landscapes between Europe and Africa.
Writer whose autobiographical Go, Josephine, Go documented the life of a Black migrant woman in Switzerland's nightlife economy, a testimony that belongs in the country's labour and migration history.
Zurich-born artist working through experimental theatre, film, sound and decolonial practices of listening.
Swiss-Ivorian-German painter and writer whose Afrodescent Constellations portrayed Afro-descendant personalities within Switzerland and strengthened their place in visual memory.
Polish-Ugandan Swiss-based artist, educator and curator in photography and contemporary art, foregrounding Black artistic practice within Swiss institutions.
Geneva-born Swiss-Ghanaian actor, art consultant and cultural advocate with an international screen career, including the influential series An African City.
Geneva-born Swiss-Tunisian actor and former elite rhythmic gymnast who moved from Swiss sport into major European and international film productions.
Photo: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ghanaian-Swiss singer, composer and interdisciplinary performer known internationally through the experimental duo OY.
Ivorian-Swiss rapper, dancer and actor, the first woman to win the World Freestyle Rap Championship.
Geneva artist blending hip-hop, soul, reggae and contemporary electronic production, with a career from Switzerland to international stages.
Burundi-born, Lausanne-based singer-songwriter whose jazz, soul and R&B performances have reached leading European festivals.
Swiss R&B and pop artist and former youth international footballer using her platform to advocate equality, anti-racism and women's empowerment.
Jazz singer, vocal coach, conductor and music educator carrying Black musical traditions into performance spaces and Swiss classrooms.
Swiss-Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer whose career helped establish Black Swiss women within mainstream soul and pop.
American-Swiss pop and soul artist with chart success in Switzerland and France, independent creator and vocal mentor.
Swiss-Ghanaian performer from Lucerne and Zurich who reached a global young audience through KATSEYE.
Photo: GRAMMY Museum LA, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Multilingual Swiss artist moving between rap, soul and African musical influences, performing in Swiss German, French, English and Lingala.
Swiss-Dominican rapper and social worker whose music confronts inequality, gender expectations and racism while centring women's agency.
Photo: Schiplagerheide, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Swiss-born artist with Cuban roots performing in Swiss German and Spanish, a rising Afro-Latin and Caribbean presence in Swiss rap.
Basel artist with Cameroonian, English and Swiss roots, combining R&B, Afrobeats, pop and hip-hop.
One of the most successful sprinters in Swiss history, multiple world indoor champion and the first Swiss woman to run 100 metres in under eleven seconds.
Photo: Sandro Halank, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
World and European champion hurdler whose performances have repeatedly rewritten Switzerland's national records.
Photo: Quejaytee, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Swiss-Beninese sprinter and bobsledder who has represented Switzerland across both Summer and Winter Olympic sport.
Photo: Erik van Leeuwen, GFDL, Wikimedia Commons
Three-time Olympic sprinter and an important public voice on combining elite sport, pregnancy, motherhood and athlete wellbeing.
International 400-metre hurdler, European junior champion and World Championship finalist.
Photo: Sandro Halank, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Swiss international footballer and influential presence in the women's national team, with more than fifty senior appearances by 2026.
Photo: Frank Haug, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Defender and one of the Swiss women's national team's centurions, reaching 100 senior international appearances.
Former footballer, co-founder of FC Winterthur's first women's team and former Zurich cantonal parliamentarian, advocating investment, equality and visibility in women's football.
Record-setting Swiss breaststroke swimmer and two-time Olympian whose Swiss records remained unbroken for approximately two decades.
Ethiopian-Swiss long-distance runner based in Geneva who, after becoming a Swiss citizen, represented Switzerland internationally.
Photo: Johann Conus, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Rwandan-born Swiss innovation leader, impact investor and co-founder of PROWAH. Through ShEquity and AfriProspect she has supported women-led African businesses and gender-smart investment.
Ghanaian-Cameroonian-Swiss lawyer, executive and co-founder of PROWAH, working across finance, insurance and electric mobility while promoting women's professional advancement.
Co-founder of PROWAH, a Swiss platform created to connect, mentor and increase the visibility of professional women of African heritage.
Geneva-based Cameroonian entrepreneur, leadership coach and president of the African Professionals Network Switzerland, founder of Black Roses Mentors.
Photo: UNCTAD, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cameroonian-born engineer and senior technology executive, an important figure in Switzerland's digital-transformation landscape.
Founder of African Fashion Night, a major Swiss platform for African and diaspora fashion, design and luxury craftsmanship.
Swiss-Nigerian textured-hair specialist and co-founder of Curl-ish, establishing an affirming professional space for curls, coils, education and Black beauty in Switzerland.
Swiss-Ethiopian author, filmmaker and activist campaigning against female genital mutilation and supporting affected women through the Sara Aduse Foundation.
Moroccan-Spanish chef whose Zurich restaurants KLE and DAR brought plant-based gastronomy to the highest levels of the Swiss restaurant world.
Founder and ecosystem-builder behind AfroSwissters, creating platforms for Black women's connection, leadership, creativity and collective visibility in Switzerland.
Finance and compliance strategist contributing organisational structure, governance and community-building to AfroSwissters.
Marketing executive, entrepreneur and women's-health advocate working on partnerships and venture philanthropy.
Writer, project leader and community-builder whose work brings migration, resilience and intercultural experience into the organisation.
Writer, artist and psychology graduate who contributed to AfroSwissters' early storytelling.
Her visits to Zurich in 1984 and 1988 helped inspire Carmel Fröhlicher-Stines and Zeedah Meierhofer-Mangeli to organise Black women locally, contributing to Women of Black Heritage and the Treffpunkt Schwarzer Frauen.
Kenyan musician, festival founder and cultural entrepreneur with longstanding Swiss creative collaborations.
Photo: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Career coach, author and speaker supporting women in career development and peak performance, with workshops on confidence, resilience and professional growth, including books for children.
Born in Congo Kinshasa and raised in Switzerland, she worked for over a decade as a Seelsorgerin supporting young people, founded a support group for African women in Zurich who have experienced violence, and created the brand Just Teresa.
Communication specialist with over 20 years in institutional communication and media relations, Communication Manager for the CLIMACT research centre and co-founder of Black Helvetia.
Zimbabwean poetry performance artist based in Switzerland whose spoken word explores identity, resilience, love and the African experience, with international festival performances and mentorship for emerging artists.
Nigerian-Swiss singer and theatre actress who moved to Switzerland at age ten and describes the stage as her primary space for self-expression.
Haitian-born scientist with a PhD in Molecular Sciences from the University of Bern, Sales and Application Specialist at Promega and Vice-President of African Professionals for Progress, committed to Afro-descendant participation in STEM.
Co-founder of Verein Afro Basel, working in sales management and bringing marketing, event and project expertise into programming that promotes Afro-Swiss culture in Basel, including the Afro Basel KidsParty.
Founder of Sayid Translations and co-lead of ADAN Switzerland, whose translation and cultural liaison work bridges Eastern African migrants and refugees with Swiss institutions and asylum processes.
Basel-based lawyer, founder of the SankofaRisin' Fund and initiator of Happy Hair Day, a movement celebrating Afro hair and self-acceptance within the Afro community in Switzerland.
German-born entrepreneur with Ghanaian roots based in Zurich, founder of Nagoyo, a travel agency for personalised and culturally meaningful travel experiences.
Marketing and communication manager, poet and advocate for education, art and literature whose poetry centres women's strength, healing, forgiveness and solidarity.
Founder of Minds2Capital and co-founder of BLK Future Week, with over fifteen years in financial markets and early-stage investing across sustainable technologies, AI, digital health and the future of work.
Afro-Swiss painter with roots in the Seychelles and Switzerland whose paintings centre the female form across all body types, challenging beauty standards and promoting self-acceptance.
Zurich scenographer creating visual environments for stage productions and illustrator under Ohoka Illustrations, exploring emotion, identity and inner experience.
Self-taught Nigerian painter based in Switzerland working across painting, embroidery and mixed media, exploring race, identity and the human experience through an Afrocentric lens.
Zambian founder of Sahara Accessories, a jewellery brand drawing on African cultural heritage and craftsmanship, with a background in anthropology.
International business management graduate (FHNW) who moderated events including the Kanangayi Symposium and co-hosted the AfroSwissters launch in 2023.
Strategy and communications professional at ABROD, an African diaspora neobank platform, known for direct communication and engaging diverse audiences; co-host of the AfroSwissters launch.
Artist listed in the artlink directory of artists from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe working in Switzerland.
Communication and PR professional. Profile in development, to be completed with her participation.
Profile in development, to be completed with her participation.
Finance and investment professional connected to Eos Capital, based in Switzerland. Profile in development.
Producer, DJ and multidisciplinary artist whose sets and productions reach international audiences.
Born in Botswana and based in Zurich, lyric soprano Angela Kerrison has established herself as a versatile artist across opera, musicals and events on international stages.
Opera and lied singer (mezzo-soprano) living in Zurich as a freelance artist, with stage and performance work centred on the voice; she also teaches at the Musikschule Küsnacht.
Eclectic, genre-bending DJane and vinyl selector who moved from Canada to Zurich, resident at the listening bar Kasheme, with immersive soundbath sessions and projects merging sound, architecture and wellbeing.
Coach and founder of the Higher Ground Club in Zurich, supporting people to grow stronger and think higher.
Do you know an Afro-descendant woman whose work is changing Switzerland, or whose contribution to Swiss history deserves to be remembered? We welcome nominations from every canton, language region, generation and field. Public recognition is not required. We particularly want to document community organisers, carers, educators, tradeswomen, entrepreneurs and local pioneers whose impact may not yet appear in traditional media.
Every nomination should include the nominee's Swiss connection, field of work, evidence of impact and at least one reliable source. Living nominees are contacted before a full profile and photograph are published.
Editorial note
Inclusion documents a woman's contribution; it does not imply employment, partnership, political endorsement or formal affiliation with AfroSwissters. Living profiles are prepared with care and, wherever possible, with the featured woman's knowledge. Historical profiles are based on cited archives and remain open to correction. Each full profile will display a source, a last-verified date, an approved or licensed photograph, name pronunciation where available, and a visible correction link.
Compiled July 2026 · a living archive, open to correction
Nominate a woman, apply to be featured yourself, or tell us about a mistake. Every submission is read by our team.
Living nominees are contacted before a full profile and photograph are published. Inclusion documents a contribution; it does not imply affiliation with AfroSwissters.