I AM AFRICAN & I CAN is a women's empowerment blog dedicated to highlighting stories of Black women's struggles and successes.

Hadiatou Wann founded I AM AFRICAN & I CAN in 2013, then relaunched it in 2018 to give African women and women of African descent a platform where they can embrace their identity, authentically share their unique stories, and leave a positive, and long-lasting stamp on the world.

Hadiatou Bah

When Hadiatou Bah, BSN, RN. was 13 years old, her aunt— who was very young— passed away suddenly in Guinea, Conakry. Although the death was unexpected, she felt preventative healthcare could have stretched her aunt’s lifespan. The neglect/lack of proper care that caused her relative and many others in Guinea to lose their lives inspired her to become a healthcare professional, so that she could one day help Guineans gain access to quality healthcare.

“There are a lot of preventable deaths in Guinea,” Hadiatou said. She expressed that some of the preventative measures people in Guinea could take to lessen death tolls are getting regular health checkups, having resources, good nutrition, and shelter.

While Hadiatou was preparing for college, she applied to Capital University to be directly admitted into the nursing program. With SAT scores that were not high enough, she was admitted to the school but not the nursing program.