Articles Index
Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bella is a Pan-Africanist and nationalist leader of Algeria. He was one of the first to take up the armed struggle against French colonial rule. He became the first president of Algeria in 1963 and was deposed by military coup in 1965.
Moussa Traoré
Moussa Traoré was the second president of the Republic of Mali. He came to power in a military coup on 19 November 1968, and was removed, in turn, from power by military coup on 26 March 1991.
Ahmad Tall
Ahmad Tall was an anti-colonial leader in Soudan Français (now Mali).
Sobhuza I
African Ngwenyama (king) who's son, Mswati II, created the Swazi nation. Also known as Ngwane IV.
Julius Kambarage Nyerere
A Biography of Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the father of Tanzania.
Dusé Mohamed Ali
Dusé Mohamed Ali was an influential Pan-Africanist, a supporter of Islam, and traveled widely throughout the African Diaspora. He founded the 'African Times and Orient Review' in 1911, which spread the call for African nationalism, and later founded 'The Comet' in Lagos, Nigeria.
JE Casely Hayford
Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford was a teacher, author, lawyer, politician, Pan-Africanist, and founder of the National Congress of British West Africa (one of the continent's first Pan-African organizations). In the period following WWI Casely Hayford was probably the most important nationalist leader in Africa. Part 1 -- An Early Life
Sobhuza II
Paramount Chief of the Swazi from 1921 and king of Swaziland from 1967 to 1982.
Mswati II
Son of Ngwenyama Sobhuza I, second Ngwenyama (king) of the Swazi nation (for whom they are named), considered to be the greatest of the Ngwane-Dlamini dynasty.
Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Hassan Gouled Aptidon was the first president of an independent Djibouti. He held power for 22 years before stepping aside (due to ill health) for his chosen successor. He was recognized as a peace mediator between neighboring states of Ethiopia and Somalia. Part 1: Life in a French Colony
Ahmad Grāñ
Ahmad Grāñ was the leader of a Muslim faction which almost succeeded in subjugating Ethiopia in the 16th century. By the end of the Adal-Ethiopian War (1529-43), he had conquered three-quarters of the kingdom of Ethiopia.
The Adal Sultanate
The Adal Sultanate was a 10th to 16th century mediaeval Islamic state in what is now Djibouti and Somalia. The capital of Adal was Harar, and there were several significant trading ports, such as Zeila, on the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
Union Of South Africa
The politicking behind the scenes for the formation of the Union of South Africa allowed the foundations of Apartheid to be laid.
The Jameson Raid, December 1895
The Jameson Raid was an ineffective attempt to overthrow President Paul Kruger of the Transvaal Republic in December 1895.
Maurice Yaméogo
First president of the République de Haute-Volta (Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso). Maurice Yaméogo banned all opposition parties after independence, and ran a generally ineffectual and corrupt government until he was overthrown in a military coup in 1966.
Explorers of Africa
Over the centuries, explorers have found the allure of the unknown reaches of Africa irresistible. Find out who was who, where they went, and when.
Anwar el-Sadat
Renowned Egyptian statesman and soldier, served as president of Egypt from 1970 to his assassination in 1981. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in the negotiations for the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Accord of 1978. Find out more about his life.
Treaty of Tripoli, 1797
Text of the Treaty of Tripoli, 3 January 1797
Biography: Idi Amin Dada
Idi Amin, who became known as the 'Butcher of Uganda' for his brutal, despotic rule whilst president of Uganda in the 1970s, is possibly the most notorious of all Africa's post-independence dictators. Find out more in this biography.
Timeline: Mau Mau Rebellion
The Mau Mau were a militant African nationalist movement active in Kenya during the 1950s whose main aim was to remove British rule and European settlers from the country.
Senzangakhona kaJama
Senzangakhona kaJama was a Zulu chief whose claim to fame is as father of Zulu kings Shaka, Dingane, and Mpande, and as grandfather to Cetshwayo.
Hominid Fossils in Kenya and Ethiopia
Discoveries in Africa in 2001 alter our understanding of our family tree.
New Names in South Africa
Since the end of apartheid, a number of town and geographical names in South Africa have changed. Here's a list of them.
Wangari Maathai
Biography of the environmental and human rights activist, and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai. Part 3: Politics.
Wangari Maathai
Biography of the environmental and human rights activist, and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai. Part 2: Activism.