Behind every great man is a great woman, that’s how the saying goes. But what do we say when it comes to the cruelest, vindictive dictators that ever existed? In good times and in bad, the ladies of the Dictators’ Wives Club had to put up with a lot of things, including corruption, political uprisings, and often infidelity and even other wives. Some of them, such as Rwandan First Lady Jeannette Kagame, use their position to advocate for charitable causes.
But there were also examples such as the wife of Bashar al-Assad, the former dictator of Syria, Asma al-Assad, who stands as a negative example when it comes to looking the other way and smiling for official Instagram photos.
For this particular list, we defined the term “dictator” as a near-absolute ruler, well-known for human rights abuses, restrictions on freedom, as well as oppression of opposition.
Ana Paula dos Santos, wife of Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos
The first lady of the Angolan President is a former fashion model. She met her husband while being a flight attendant on the Angolan version of Air Force One. Now, she has a degree in teaching and law, and she is also a member of the International Steering Committee.
A diplomat once described the president and first lady as quite a “good-looking couple”, elegantly and very expensively dressed. They seemed as if they were living in southern California. During President dos Santos’ 37 years in office, he sought to consolidate all political power under his control. We’re talking about countless atrocities, including torture and mass murders, that occurred under his watch during a 27-year-long civil war.
There are still reports of torture and repression of ethnic minorities going on in Angola these days. President Dos Santos announced earlier this year that he would step down in 2018.
Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa is the first wife of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Aside from being a very devoted mother to their four children (one of whom is also the crown prince), Ibrahim Al Khalifa is an outspoken activist for women’s and children’s rights, both in Bahrain and around the world.
She addressed the UN General Assembly about the issues mentioned plenty of times. She serves as the head of the Higher National Committee, which works to mainstream women’s needs across both government and the economy and empowers her gender politically.
The country has been run by the Al Khalifa dynasty ever since 1783. Hamad also declared himself the king back in 2002, previously holding the title of Emir, which means “commander.” After an uprising against him in 2011, Amnesty International positioned against and even condemned the failure of the Bahraini government, due to “spiraling repression,” including banning all public gatherings and rallies.
Moreover, it revoked the citizenship of those who spoke out and didn’t refrain from torturing both adults and children.
Chantal Biya, wife of Cameroonian President Paul Biya
Also known as a trendsetter (there was an entire Tumblr blog devoted to her very famous tall hair-do), the First Lady of Cameroon is extremely social. Over the course of years, she has been photographed alongside Michelle Obama, Paris Hilton, and Pope Francis.
Biya often says that her favorite European designers are Dior and Chanel, and many of the pieces in her wardrobe are all custom-made. She is thirty-eight years younger than her husband. She is also a member of African Synergy, a club that looks for solutions to HIV and AIDS in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso.
On the other hand, her husband, President Biya, has been in office for over 30 years. In 2008, he removed restrictions on term limits, so he could run for office for an indefinite period of time. His state security forces have been repeatedly accused of executing protestors and using other means of violence and oppression to prevent political opposition.
According to a 2015 report from Africa Review, it has been discovered that Biya has a salary that’s 229 times more than the average for his country.
Hinda Déby, wife of Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno
Hinda Déby is theoretically “the new first lady” (or thirteen, depending on how you look at it), as her husband has been married plenty of times before. The fashionable and well-educated Déby serves as her husband’s stenographer. She also helps him with every single decision he makes, as President Déby Itno himself declared.
In August, she gave him a rousing speech on the role of women in the battle for peace and stability, which became a subject of debate in households nationwide. President Déby Itno, whose government is backed by the US, came into power when he led a military coup that took his predecessor out of the equation back in 1990. He played quite a significant role in escalating a bloody proxy war between Chad and Sudan throughout the 2000s.
Constancia Mangue, wife of Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Constancia Mangue is the first lady of Equatorial Guinea. She has been honored for her advocacy of women’s and children’s rights through the NGO she founded: the Equatorial Guinean Child Aid Committee. Mangue is also the mother of Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the president’s oldest son, who is known to be his successor.
President Mbasogo served as head of the National Guard under the last dictator’s reign, which is known to have been extremely bloody and cruel. He took power in a coup. He has been accused of cannibalism, eating parts of his opponents to gain more power. After over 35 years in office, he is Africa’s longest-serving dictator.
Zeinab Suma, wife of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh
The wide majority of reports regarding Zeinab Suma, the “official” first lady of Gambia, are extremely negative. Many call her a “gold digger,” a “hustler”, and a “devil” who loves seeing Gambians suffer. In the meantime, she seems to continue running quite a popular public Facebook page about her life that has more than 14,000 followers. Suma publishes behind-the-scenes photos from her philanthropic activities and photos of herself on the beach or attending a gala.
President Jammeh achieved stability in Gambia but at the cost of human rights and freedom of the press. So it’s hard to say that’s true stability. According to Reuters, his rule has been often characterized by paranoia and superstition. He has reportedly jailed a wide number of people in his inner circle for plotting to overthrow him.
Sara Nazarbayeva, wife of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev
A well-trained economist and engineer, Sara Nazarbayeva is also the founder and chair of Bobek, an international children’s charity fund. The charity fund won her the Ihsan Doğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize from the World Health Organization back in 1997. Her daughter, Aliya, launched a jewelry line named after her mother.
On the other side of the rainbow, the president of 25 years has been accused of widespread human rights abuses. He is known to have limited political and speech freedoms of his citizens, to have engaged in pervasive corruption, and violence against women. He has never held an election that met international standards.
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