This is a powerful film about the Rwandan Genocide, although curiously set around the experiences of two white people: a priest, Father Christopher (played by John Hurt), and a school ... Read More

Adinkra is a cloth produced in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire which has traditional Akan symbols stamped upon it - the symbols represent proverbs, historical events, particular attitudes, or philosophical concepts. ... Read More

Escalation, a new American President, and a failure to honor treaties, led to a declaration of war between the Barbary State of Tripolitania and the United States of America.Recorded as ... Read More

Karen, USA, emailed me recently saying: "I read The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. It is a fictionalized account of South Africa. I have a question about ... Read More

San rock art often depicts the animals found in Southern Africa. Such images are skilfully rendered, with a variety of poses, and a close understanding of the animal's form - ... Read More

"A splendid country with constant sunshine, with hot, seductive colors, an eternally blue sky accentuated by the greens of palms and exotic plants." - Monet In 1861 the young Claude Monet ... Read More

Thirteen ministers of the recently ousted government (William Richard Tolbert's True Whig Party) in Liberia are executed by order of the 'Redemption Council' of Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe's ruling military ... Read More

This Day in African History: first reports of the Rwandan genocide are starting to appear in the international press.Find out more about how survivors of the Rwandan genocide are coming ... Read More

On the night of 4 April, 1906, Bambatha kaMancinza, one of the chiefs of the Zondi clan, had gathered together his warriors and attacked a police patrol, killing four white ... Read More

Since independence on 18 April 1980, Zimbabwe has had a troubled existence. In the early 80s Mugabe clamped down on oppositi8on by the minority Ndebele people, under the leadership of ... Read More

The text of the Lusaka Manifesto is agreed by leaders of East and Central African states at the end of the Lusaka summit. The manifesto states that "all men are ... Read More

Twelve years ago the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa opened. One of the best books about the process, Country of My Skull, was written by South African journalist ... Read More

Nelson Mandela admits that dissident guerrillas were tortured by the African National Congress (ANC) during a statement given on 14 April 1990, but says that those responsible have already been ... Read More

Idi Amin is deposed as president of Uganda after Ugandan exiles, backed by the Tanzanian army, seizes the capital Kampala. Yusufu Kironde Lule of the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) ... Read More

The Zulu nation, forged by Shaka, was a powerful force in southern Africa. Invaded by Voortrekkers, subdued by the British, and eventually absorbed into South Africa, the many battles fought ... Read More

The South African Identity Number of the 1970s and 80s enshrined the Apartheid era ideal of racial registration. It was brought in to effect by the 1950 Population Registration Act ... Read More

The assassination of Chris Hani, the charismatic leader of the South African Communist Party, on 10 April 1993 was pivotal to the ending of Apartheid. Find out why he was ... Read More

President Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara of Niger, leader of the Union Nationale des Indépendants pour la Renouveau Démocratique (UNIRD, Union of Independents for Democratic Renewal) and formally military Chairman of the ... Read More

Jomo Kenyatta (who was known to his followers as Burning Spear) and five other co-accused were sentenced to seven years hard labor for their alleged part in the Mau Mau ... Read More

The Unlawful Organisations Act No 34 of 1960 takes effect, allowing the Apartheid government in South Africa to declare unlawful any organization deemed to threaten public order. The ANC and ... Read More

President Juvénal Habyarimana of Rwanda and President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, plus a number of government officials are killed, when their aircraft is brought down by a missile on its ... Read More

What connects South Africa's Frontier Wars and the Xhosa Cattle-Killing of 1856-57? Find out more from these African History glossary entries: Frontier Wars Cattle-Killings (1856-57) Nongqawuse (1841-98) Hintsa (c.1790-1835) Sarili (1820-1878)

It is a popular misconception that slavery in South Africa was mild compared to America and the European colonies in the Far East. This is not so, and punishments meted ... Read More

If you want to discover whether the study of African history is for you, look no further than this excellent little book by Oxford University Press. One of the large ... Read More