Roselyn Mould: An Enigma and an Example to Women in African Humanism

by Ellizabeth Ouma

One of the challenges women face in Africa is to try to excel in areas where men dominate. They include jobs, opportunities, and in politics. Women face these challenges because of the established religious beliefs and backward traditional belief system. In this way, getting women who are courageous enough to criticize religions that hold them captive is difficult.

Thus, one woman stands out when it comes to enlightening communities in Africa about the negative effects of religion. Roselyn Mould has a rich background; - she is the first African woman elected to the board of Humanists International and later the vice president. She is also former president of the Humanist Association of Ghana and coordinator of the West African Humanists Network; she also spoke out against Ghana’s anti-LGBT bill. It is one of the achievements that if you look at humanist circles, no African woman matches her.

Rejecting religion and embracing rational approaches is one of the challenges women face in many African communities. Here are some of her contributions to African and ideas in her work in African Humanism:

Role in Visibility, community & safe spaces for non-religious people in Africa

A strong theme in her work is that humanists/atheists/agnostics in African contexts are often hidden, stigmatized, isolated. She argues that one of the first tasks is helping non-religious people know that they are not alone, that there are communities, and that visibility matters (for example via billboards, public campaigns) so people feel validated. One core argument is that humanists/atheists/agnostics in Africa often face isolation, or invisibility. Mould emphasizes that one of the big tasks is simply to let non-believers know “You are not alone.” For example, she initiated the first atheist billboard in Ghana, with the message: “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.”

Role in Shaping Humanism as a distinct, non-supernatural worldview

According to Humanist Internation website, Mould argues it’s important to define what humanism means (especially secular humanism), rather than have it be vague or conflated with spirituality. One quote: “Both atheism and humanism share a core principle: rejecting supernatural ideas. In her argument in Insight Publishing Journal, she draws attention to the fact that many people (even in the humanist movement) misunderstand humanism as religious, spiritual, or as just “believing in charity + kindness” without engaging with reason, non-belief, critical thinking.

Moreover, in the Good Men Project article, another key point she emphasizes is that African humanism faces not just one, but several intertwined systems: traditional superstitions / witchcraft accusations, colonial-heritage Christian influence, and often Islamic religious authority. She suggests that secular humanism offers tools (reason, ethics, compassion, human rights) to navigate and challenge those systems.

Humanism in an African Context

Mould makes the point that activism for secular humanism in Africa cannot simply replicate “Western atheist” styles (which may be militant, antagonistic). Instead, one needs to adapt to local cultural, legal, religious realities. For example: “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.” is the wording of the Ghana billboard she helped launch, rather than an aggressive “No God = only truth” slogan. That kind of strategic, careful framing is repeatedly mentioned. In the Medium article, she states that tactics like focusing on critical thinking in schools, on secular education, on evidence-based reasoning are part of that strategy. She argues for programs that build social trust, that don’t alienate but invite, that assist rather than just criticize.

My Thoughts and Reflection

I find Mould’s work deeply important. In many African societies, religious (or “supernatural”) belief is dominant, often enforced by family/community pressure, and non-belief can bring heavy social cost. The idea of creating safe, visible spaces for non-religious people is compelling and overdue.

Moreover, I also appreciate that her approach isn’t purely negative (just “debunk religion”); she emphasizes positive values (ethics, human rights, compassion, science) and building community infrastructure. That tends to be more sustainable and less alienating.

Besides, the decolonization / multiple-belief-systems point resonates strongly. Too often discussions about secularism treat all religion monolithically or only focus on Christian vs atheist in Western contexts — but Africa has its own mixtures: indigenous beliefs & practices, historical colonial religious institutions, current global religious flows. She’s right that activism has to acknowledge that complexity.