Originally home to the indigenous San peoples, they were displaced by migrating Tswana in the 17th century. In 1885, under the urging of Cecil Rhodes, the region became the Bechuanaland ... Read More

Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana and a highly regarded nationalist leader, guided his country to political and economic independence. His name, Seretse, means Seretse "the clay that binds ... Read More

Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, hero of Arab nationalism and prominent African statesman, died of a heart attack whilst in office as president of Egypt. Nasser had become the most powerful ... Read More

The relationship between the Ashanti kingdom and the British at the Gold Coast was fraught, with the Ashanti looking to expand its territory and protect trade connections on the coast, ... Read More

Shaka kaSenzangakhona, Zulu king and founder of the Zulu empire, is murdered by his two half-brothers Dingane and Mhlangana at kwaDukuza on 24 September 1828. Dingane assumes the throne. Shaka's last ... Read More

Once the home to a major trans-Saharan empire based on the trade of salt and gold, this area was colonized by the French in the 1880's. Complete independence was ... Read More

Emperor Bokassa I is overthrown by ex-president David Dacko, who abolishes the Empire and reinstates the Republic. David Dacko had been the first president of the Central African Republic, from 14 ... Read More

René-Auguste Caillié was the first European who lived to tell the tale of reaching Timbuktu. The French explorer disguised himself as an Arab to gain entrance to the city and ... Read More

The Fashoda Incident was the climax of a set of disputes over territory in Africa between the French and the British. France was pushing to east from its significant gains ... Read More

Agostinho Neto was not only Angola's first president but he remains its most prominent poet, with his work published in several languages Neto's poetry deals with the quest for freedom, ... Read More

The French Revolution had changed the dynamics of Europe, and when William V of Orange fled to Britain in January 1795, and the Batavian Republic formed in the Netherlands, William ... Read More

After World War II, Italy's colonies in Africa were put under the control of the UN (which was founded at the end of the war). Eritrea was placed under British ... Read More

Italian troops cross the Libya-Egypt border with five divisions and 200 tanks and occupy Sollum. The British Western Desert Force withdraws. It is planned that British forces will move back ... Read More

Tomorrow, 12 September 2007 is the first day (1 Mäskäräm) of the year 2000 for followers of the Ethiopian (or Ge'ez) calendar. The seven year difference between the Ethiopian calendar ... Read More

Following Portuguese exploration in the 15th century, Portuguese Guinea finally became a colony in 1897. War for independence started in 1960, and a unilateral declaration of independence was made on ... Read More

Samuel Kanyon Doe had been Chairman of the People's Redemption Council from 12 April 1980 (when he took power from William Tolbert by Military Coup) until 25 July 1984, when ... Read More

Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd was prime minister of South Africa from 2 September 1958 to 6 September 1966 and is considered Apartheid's chief architect. Although born in the Netherlands, he arrived ... Read More

Ali Mahir Pasha again resigns from appointment as prime minister of Egypt. General Muhammad Naguib takes over post of prime minister, minister of war and commander-in-chief of the army. General ... Read More

This little state was made a protectorate of the Transvaal in 1894 and a British protectorate in 1903. It achieved independence on 6 September 1968 after four years of limited ... Read More

Following the previous day's resignation by Prime Minister JBM Hertzog, a new government has been formed by Jan Smuts (now leader of the United Party) and South Africa has declared ... Read More

During World War I British, French, and Belgian forces in Africa successfully defeated those of Germany in German held territory. The Allies had fought on the joint understanding that they ... Read More