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The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Partition of Africa or the Conquest of Africa, refers to the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western European powers during an era known as New Imperialism (between 1870 and 1914). This period of rapid European colonisation led to a significant shift in the …
Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. Born on 9 April 1835 in Brussels, he was the eldest surviving son of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, and his second wife, Louise-Marie of Orleans. Although Leopold II played a significant role in the development of the modern …
Emperor Haile Selassie ruled Ethiopia between 1930 and 1974. He steered his country into mainstream post-World War II African politics through his modernisation efforts. Ethiopia was admitted to the League of Nations and the United Nations under his leadership. Addis Ababa became the primary centre for the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union). …
In 1781 over 100 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship to allow the slave owners to collect insurance money on their human commodities. This is one of the most egregious acts of inhumanity in Black history. The slave trade brought vast wealth to British ports and merchants but conditions were horrific. Enslaved …
Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972) was a prominent Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary who played a crucial role in leading the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. As Ghana’s first Prime Minister and later President, Nkrumah championed pan-Africanism and was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity. His socialist and nationalist policies …
Where is Ghana? Ghana is a country in Western Africa. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, it is bordered by Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire. Ghana was the first black African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from colonial rule. The modern state of Ghana is named after the …
Where is the Gambia? The Republic of The Gambia is the smallest country within mainland Africa and is sandwiched by Senegal. Banjul is the capital and the largest city in the Gambia. The Gambia has long been home to several different ethnic groups who have maintained their individual cultural traditions; as such, the country has …
Queen Anna Nzinga was a 17th-century African ruler who ruled the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola and fought against the slave trade and European influence in Angola. Anna Nzinga was born in 1581 in Kabasa, the capital of the Kingdom of Ndongo, which was ruled by a Mbundu-speaking people called …
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a rich and complex history, marked by periods of remarkable prosperity and devastating conflict and human rights abuses. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the DRC’s historical development, from its earliest human inhabitants to its current political landscape. Early history and the emergence of kingdoms The …
Africa is the second largest continent in the world made up of 54 countries. There are many different religions in Africa and some of them have been celebrating their faith, telling their stories and teaching their principles for thousands of years. Islam has been in Africa for so long since its beginning on the Arabian …
Mansa Musa was the first African Muslim king to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. He was also the richest person in all history with a £321 ($400) billion fortune. Much richer than Bill Gates, the Rockefeller’s and the Rothschild family. Musa Keita I came into power in 1312 following the death of his predecessor, Abu-Bakr …
Boko Haram is a militant Islamist group based in northern Nigeria and founded in 2002. It has been terrorising Nigerians through assassinations and bombings for several years. They want to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state, imposing Sharia law. Boka Haram means “Western education is sinful but the group’s official name is …
Africa Rising examines how the West’s policy has affected Africa. From Clover films and filmmaker Jamie Doran, comes a documentary examining the failure of western policies towards Africa and rethinking the role of western aid workers on the continent. Narrated by Tilda Swinton, Africa Rising takes a look at the benefits of ‘Self Help’ in …
The Wonders of the African World is an exuberant, visually stunning journey across Africa and through the history of its glorious but forgotten civilizations. Travelling by camel, by dhow, by Land Cruiser, and on foot, the renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., takes us to twelve countries in search of Africa’s magnificent past, the …
When 20-year-old Sarah (also spelt Sara) Baartman got on a boat that was to take her from Cape Town to London in 1810, she could not have known that she would never see her home again. Nor, as she stood on the deck and saw her homeland disappear behind her, could she have known that …
Humanity has spent most of its life in Africa. If you haven’t watched the Incredible Human Journey yet, then you won’t be able to imagine this but, we are all from Africa. Not just black people but white, Chinese – everybody! At least that is what Dr Alice Roberts proposes. In this captivating documentary, Dr …
The French colonial empire, which began in the early 16th century, encompassed vast territories spanning continents such as North America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. While it reached its peak during the 19th century under Emperor Napoleon III, the empire started to unravel after his defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and finally ended after World …
