15 minutes of fame: Aina Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s Yoruba goddaughter
Hannah Cusworth introduces Aina Forbes Bonetta, also known as Sara, a Yoruba girl who was transported from West Africa and became a goddaughter of Queen Victoria

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves their ‘15 minutes of fame’. In this episode, Hannah Cusworth nominates Aina Forbes Bonetta, also known as Sara. A Yoruba girl transported from West Africa, Aina became a goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Hannah speaks to Elinor Evans about what her story tells us much about the connections between West Africa and Britain during the Victorian era.
Browse more episodes about figures from history who deserve 15 minutes of fame
Authors

Start the year with a subscription to BBC History Magazine - £5 for your first 5 issues!
As a print subscriber you also get FREE membership to HistoryExtra.com worth £34.99 + 50% London Art Fair 2024 Tickets