When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors

Paula Akpan is at the Millennium Gallery on Saturday 17 October, talking about her new book When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors. She'll be in conversation with Dr Yinka Olusoga, so it's a proper discussion rather than a one-way reading.

Akpan is a journalist, writer and historian who writes for Vogue, The Independent and Time Out London, and When We Ruled is her history of African queens and warriors. It's a broad sweep of the continent: she traces figures who ruled from pre-colonial Nigeria and the villages of Rwanda to the hills of Madagascar and apartheid South Africa. The book brings to life a world of royalty, ancient civilisations, conquest and colonisation, with women at the centre of the story.

That's the point she's pushing, too. Akpan challenges the versions of African history that leave women out, or that start the story with enslavement and colonialism. Instead, she spotlights the women who held political, military and cultural power but remain unfamiliar to many British audiences. Paterson Joseph called it "an exciting and rich work for anyone who is curious about African history."

It runs from 3pm to 4pm at the Millennium Gallery on Arundel Gate, Sheffield S1 2PP. Tickets are £12, or £10 if you're eligible for the concession, and you'll need to book in advance.