Over the years, we have celebrated firsts. But there is nothing we love more than female firsts, seeing women break through societal structures, bulldozing their way through male-dominated occupations, and actually winning. These stories of female firsts have inspired a generation of young girls to reach higher and to not allow themselves to be taken prisoners of the idea of gender specific roles. The newest addition to the family of the world of firsts is Second Lieutenant Thokozile Muwamba, Zambia’s first female fighter pilot.

“Women should begin to participate and realise their abilities. Because of this understanding, I am ready to undertake this task ahead of me,” the 24-year-old told the Times of Zambia.

Lt Thokozile Muwamba, who joined the military in 2012, was selected as part of a Zambian Air Forces (ZAF) program to train female pilots to address the gender imbalance in the industry. In 2017, four years later, she didn’t only address gender imbalance, she made history while doing so to become the country’s first female fighter pilot. But she is not the only one who has made history in recent times.

In Zambia, girls have been winning. A recent episode of Black girl magic happened last year when a 19-year-old girl called Besa Mumba became Zambia’s youngest commercial pilot. This achievement of breaking the glass ceiling was widely celebrated across the continent. Brigadier-General Dan Chilufya Kapungwe, commander of the ZAF base in Mumbwa, just like us, understood the gravity of Lt Muwamba’s accomplishment as the first female fighter pilot in the country. In his comment, he said that her accomplishment indicates that women are moving forward, and the air force is also committed to supporting women in the force to keep moving.

“We want to see more women in the country become fighter pilots in future,” Kapungwe told the Times of Zambia.

Lt Muwamba isn’t the only woman to debunk the dangerous fallacy of ‘a man’s world’. Other women like Ouma Lauoail, Niger first female air force pilot, Asnath Mahapa, South Africa’s first African female pilot, Major Catherine Labuschagne, first woman fighter pilot ever to fly the supersonic aircraft, have all collectively debunked this fallacy. She has joined the air force hall of fame and will inspire young girls who have been told that they can’t, to know that they can and they will.