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171 original, sourced articles on African history — kingdoms and empires, independence movements, and more. Growing every week.
Abram Gannibal: The African General Behind Russia's Greatest Poet
Abram Gannibal was an enslaved African child who rose to become a Russian general and Peter the Great's godson, and whose great-grandson was Alexander Pushkin.
Afeni Shakur's Black Panther Activism and the Panther 21 Trial
Before becoming known as Tupac Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur was a Black Panther Party organizer acquitted in the landmark 1971 Panther 21 trial.
Africa's Mobile Phone Boom, By the Numbers (2013)
By 2013, Africa had roughly 780 million mobile subscriptions, trailing only Asia Pacific and China worldwide, with Nigeria and South Africa leading a boom that reshaped the continent's economy.
Africa's Youth Boom and Its Aging Leaders
Africa has the world's youngest population by a wide margin, yet many of its heads of state are among the oldest leaders on Earth. Here's the data behind the gap.
Aliko Dangote and Folorunsho Alakija: Nigeria's Billionaire Firsts
Aliko Dangote became the first African with a $20 billion fortune, while Folorunsho Alakija built an oil empire that made her the world's most talked-about Black woman billionaire.
Béhanzin: The Last Independent King of Dahomey
King Béhanzin fought France to a standstill for two years before superior firepower ended Dahomey's independence in 1894 and sent him into exile.
Bishop Ambrose Reeves: Secretly Deported for Opposing Apartheid
Bishop Ambrose Reeves condemned the 1960 Sharpeville massacre so forcefully that South Africa's government secretly deported him from Jan Smuts Airport that September.
Botswana's 1966 Independence and Its Record of Democratic Stability
Botswana became independent from Britain on September 30, 1966. Since then it has held regular multiparty elections and consistently ranks as one of Africa's least corrupt states.
Brazil and the World's Largest African Diaspora
Brazil received more enslaved Africans than any other destination in the Americas, and today has the largest population of African descent outside Africa.
British Colonial Atrocities During Kenya's Mau Mau Uprising (1952-1960)
During Kenya's Mau Mau Emergency, British forces ran detention camps marked by torture and forced labor; Britain apologized and paid compensation in 2013.
Buhari's 1983 Coup Ends Nigeria's Second Republic
On December 31, 1983, Major General Muhammadu Buhari overthrew President Shehu Shagari, ending Nigeria's Second Republic amid economic crisis.
Burundi Expels WHO Officials Weeks Before Its 2020 Election
Days before its May 2020 election, Burundi expelled the WHO's country head and three colleagues and required arriving observers to quarantine for 14 days, effectively past voting day.
Charles Taylor: Warlord, President, and Convicted War Criminal
Charles Taylor launched Liberia's 1989 civil war, became president, and was later convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone; his 50-year term was upheld on appeal in 2013.
Che Guevara's Failed 1965 Congo Expedition
In 1965, Che Guevara led a secret force of Cuban volunteers into eastern Congo to back Simba rebels against the government that had ousted Patrice Lumumba, but the mission collapsed within seven months.
Chris Hani: The Assassination That Nearly Broke South Africa's Transition
Chris Hani, SACP leader and MK chief of staff, was assassinated on April 10, 1993 — a killing that nearly derailed South Africa's democratic transition.
Congo's Independence Day, 1960: Baudouin's Speech and Lumumba's Reply
On June 30, 1960, King Baudouin praised colonial rule in Léopoldville — and Patrice Lumumba answered with an unscheduled speech that stunned the room.
Cuba's Military Intervention in Angola, 1975-1988
From 1975 to 1988, Cuba deployed tens of thousands of troops to Angola to back the MPLA against apartheid South Africa, culminating in the contested Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.
Dar es Salaam: From Sultan's Port to Tanzania's Commercial Capital
Dar es Salaam was founded in 1862 by the Sultan of Zanzibar, served as capital of German East Africa, colonial Tanganyika, and independent Tanzania, and remains the country's commercial hub today.
Egypt's 1952 Free Officers Coup: The Fall of King Farouk
On July 23, 1952, the Free Officers Movement overthrew King Farouk, installing Muhammad Naguib as figurehead before Nasser seized full control by 1954.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Africa's First Elected Female President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first elected female head of state in Liberia in 2005 and won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing women's rights.
Félix Tshisekedi's 2019 Inauguration and the DRC's Disputed 'Peaceful Transfer'
Tshisekedi's January 2019 swearing-in was hailed as Congo's first peaceful transfer of power since 1960 — but the vote count behind it was seriously contested.
Francisco Macías Nguema and the Terror State of Equatorial Guinea
Francisco Macías Nguema ruled Equatorial Guinea as a totalitarian dictator from 1968 to 1979, declaring himself the nation's only god before his nephew overthrew and executed him.
Freetown and the Founding of the Sierra Leone Creole People
Freetown, Sierra Leone, was settled from 1787 by freed Black Britons, Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and liberated Africans, forming the Krio people.
From Ballon d'Or to Ballot Box: George Weah's Election as Liberia's President
George Weah, the only African to win FIFA's World Player of the Year award, won Liberia's 2017 runoff with 61.5% of the vote and was sworn in as president on January 22, 2018.
Gaddafi's 2009 UN Speech: What Actually Happened at the Podium
In September 2009, Muammar Gaddafi used his first and only UN General Assembly appearance to run nearly 100 minutes over his allotted time, attack the Security Council, and tear a page from the UN Charter.
Gaddafi's Fixation on Condoleezza Rice
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi kept a photo album and video montage devoted to Condoleezza Rice, discovered when rebels raided his compound in 2011.
Gandhi's Record on Race During His Years in South Africa
During his 21 years in South Africa, Gandhi wrote and campaigned in terms historians now widely describe as racist toward Black Africans. Here's the documented record.
Germany's Herero and Nama Genocide in Namibia, 1904-1908
Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial forces killed tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people in Namibia through massacre, forced desert flight, and concentration camps.
Ghana's Right of Abode and the Year of Return
Ghana's Immigration Act 2000 lets any person of African descent apply for indefinite Right of Abode, a policy that anchored the 2019 Year of Return campaign.
Great Zimbabwe: The Medieval Stone City and the Fight to Credit Its Builders
Great Zimbabwe, built by Shona ancestors from the 11th century, is sub-Saharan Africa's largest ancient stone structure — and a case study in colonial denial.
Haile Selassie's 1936 Appeal to the League of Nations
On June 30, 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie addressed the League of Nations in Geneva, warning that appeasing Italy's invasion of Ethiopia endangered all nations.
Haiti's 1804 Independence: The World's First Black Republic
On January 1, 1804, Haiti declared independence after defeating French forces, becoming the first nation founded by a successful revolt of enslaved people.
Haiti's Independence Debt and the US Occupation of 1915-1934
France forced Haiti to pay for its own freedom in 1825, and the US occupied and ran Haiti's finances from 1915 to 1934 — two episodes still shaping its poverty.
Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad Missions and the Stalled $20 Bill
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and led roughly 13 rescue missions to freedom before becoming a Union scout and spy. Her $20 bill redesign remains stalled.
Hastings Banda: Malawi's Founding Father and Life President
Hastings Banda led Malawi to independence in 1964, then ruled as self-declared Life President for three decades through censorship, detention, and a personality cult.
Herodotus on the Ethiopians and the 'Black' Indians
Herodotus, the 'Father of History,' described Africans and Indians in his Histories as dark-skinned peoples distinguished mainly by their hair texture.
How Africa's Literacy Rates Actually Rank, According to UNESCO
Zimbabwe is often called Africa's most literate country, but UNESCO's own 2011 figures put it 9th, behind Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, and Seychelles. Here is what the actual data shows.
How DNA Testing Traced Isaiah Washington and Coretta Scott King to Sierra Leone's Mende People
DNA testing linked actor Isaiah Washington and Coretta Scott King's family to the Mende of Sierra Leone. Washington later became a citizen of Sierra Leone.
How Lincoln University Shaped Africa's First Presidents
Nigeria's Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah both studied at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania before becoming their countries' first presidents.
How Teodoro Obiang Became Africa's Longest-Ruling Leader
Teodoro Obiang seized power from his uncle in 1979 and has ruled Equatorial Guinea for over four decades, presiding over vast oil wealth and one of Africa's worst corruption records.
Idi Amin's 1971 Coup Against Milton Obote
On January 25, 1971, army commander Idi Amin seized power in Uganda while President Milton Obote was abroad, opening eight years of brutal military rule.
Idi Amin's 1975-76 OAU Chairmanship and His Rhetoric Against Apartheid
As OAU chairman in 1975-76, Uganda's Idi Amin styled himself a champion of Africa's liberation struggles against apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia.
Ivan Van Sertima and 'They Came Before Columbus'
Ivan Van Sertima's 1976 book They Came Before Columbus argued Africans reached the Americas before Columbus, a claim mainstream historians have rejected.
Ivory Coast's First Coup: Robert Guéï Overthrows Henri Konan Bédié, 1999
On December 24, 1999, General Robert Guéï seized power in Ivory Coast, ending President Henri Konan Bédié's rule and the country's first coup-free decades.
Jaafar Nimeiry: Sudan's Coup-Prone Ruler, 1969-1985
Gaafar Nimeiry seized power in Sudan in a 1969 coup, survived years of coup attempts and unrest, and was finally ousted by his own defense minister in 1985.
Jean-Bedel Bokassa: From Coup Leader to Self-Crowned Emperor
Jean-Bedel Bokassa seized power in a 1966 coup, then crowned himself Emperor of the Central African Empire in a lavish 1977 ceremony that helped bankrupt the country.
Jeremy Corbyn's 1984 Arrest at an Anti-Apartheid Protest in London
In 1984, a young Jeremy Corbyn was arrested outside London's South African embassy for defying a police ban on anti-apartheid protests.
Jerry Rawlings' Two Coups: 1979 and 1981 in Ghana
Jerry Rawlings led Ghana's 1979 coup, handed power to Hilla Limann, then overthrew him in 1981, ruling until 2001 as head of the PNDC.
Jesse Owens's 100m Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Jesse Owens won the 100m and three more golds at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, undercutting Nazi Aryan propaganda. The Hitler-snub story is more contested than legend holds.
Julius Nyerere's Death and His Role in Southern Africa's Liberation Struggles
Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's founding president, died October 14, 1999. He spent the 1970s as a leading Frontline States diplomat backing liberation movements.
Kenya's Independence and the Road to Jamhuri Day
Kenya gained independence from Britain on December 12, 1963, and became a republic exactly one year later — the event Jamhuri Day actually commemorates.
Kenya's Supreme Court Annuls Kenyatta's 2017 Re-Election
On September 1, 2017, Kenya's Supreme Court annulled Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential re-election over irregularities, a first for an African top court.
Keorapetse Kgositsile: Poet, ANC Exile, and National Poet Laureate
Keorapetse Kgositsile fled South Africa in 1961, helped found the Black Arts Movement in New York, and later became South Africa's National Poet Laureate.
Kilimanjaro: Africa's Roof and the World's Tallest Free-Standing Mountain
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain, with a walkable summit that draws climbers worldwide.
Kofi Busia's Government Overthrown in Ghana's 1972 Coup
On January 13, 1972, Col. Ignatius Acheampong overthrew Ghana's Prime Minister Kofi Busia while he was in London, ending the Second Republic.
Kruger National Park: Roughly the Size of New Jersey, Built From Two Colonial-Era Reserves
Kruger National Park covers about 19,623 sq km, close to the size of New Jersey, and formed in 1926 from the merger of the Sabi and Shingwedzi game reserves.
Kwame Nkrumah's Death in Exile and His Return to Ghana
Nkrumah died in Bucharest in 1972 and was first buried in Guinea, where he had lived in exile since 1966, before Ghana secured his body's return.
Macmillan's 'Wind of Change' Speech and Settler Backlash in Kenya
Harold Macmillan's 1960 'Wind of Change' speech to South Africa's Parliament signaled British acceptance of African independence, angering colonial settlers.
Malcolm X's 1964 Journeys Through Africa and the Middle East
In 1964 Malcolm X made two trips through Africa and the Middle East, meeting heads of state and addressing the OAU summit in Cairo that July.
Malcolm X's House Negro and Field Negro Analogy
Malcolm X's famous house Negro/field Negro distinction, delivered most memorably in his 1963 Message to the Grass Roots speech in Detroit.
Mali's Independence and the Collapse of the Mali Federation
On September 22, 1960, Modibo Keïta proclaimed Mali's independence, days after Senegal's withdrawal collapsed the short-lived Mali Federation.
Mansa Musa: How Rich Was History's Wealthiest Man?
Mansa Musa of the Mali Empire is routinely called the richest person in history. Here is what is actually known about his gold, his 1324 pilgrimage, and why a precise net worth is impossible to pin down.
Mansa Musa's 1324 Pilgrimage to Mecca
Mansa Musa's 1324 hajj through Cairo spread so much gold that it reportedly disrupted the region's economy for years and put Mali on European maps.
Marcus Garvey, the UNIA, and the Black Star Line
Marcus Garvey's UNIA built a mass Back-to-Africa movement in the 1920s around the Black Star Line shipping company, which collapsed amid mismanagement.
Martin Luther King Jr. Accepts the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize
On December 10, 1964, MLK accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, using his acceptance speech to honor South Africa's Chief Albert Luthuli.
Mazimbu and Dakawa: Tanzania's Settlements for South African Exiles
Julius Nyerere's government gave the ANC land at Mazimbu and Dakawa in Tanzania, hosting the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College for exiled South African youth.
Mengistu Haile Mariam and Ethiopia's Red Terror
Mengistu Haile Mariam launched Ethiopia's Red Terror with a 1977 speech smashing bottles of red liquid, beginning a campaign whose death toll is still disputed.
MLK's Final Speech: "I've Been to the Mountaintop"
On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last speech in Memphis, hours before his assassination, eerily foreshadowing his death.
Mobutu Sese Seko's Rise and 32-Year Rule Over Zaire
Joseph-Desire Mobutu seized power in a November 1965 coup and ruled Zaire for 32 years, building a personality cult while looting the state treasury.
Muhammad Ali's Conviction for Refusing the Vietnam War Draft
In 1967 Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft evasion for refusing induction into the US Army on religious grounds. The Supreme Court overturned it in 1971.
Murtala Muhammed's 1975 Coup Against Yakubu Gowon
On July 29, 1975, Brigadier Murtala Muhammed's bloodless coup removed Gen. Yakubu Gowon while he was abroad, ending nine years of Gowon's rule.
Nelson Mandela Walks Free: February 11, 1990
After 27 years across three prisons, Nelson Mandela walked free on February 11, 1990, days after President F.W. de Klerk unbanned the ANC and other parties.
Nelson Mandela's 1962 Arrest — and the Disputed CIA Tip-Off Claim
Mandela was arrested near Howick on August 5, 1962, after 17 months underground. A later claim of CIA involvement remains debated, not confirmed.
Nelson Mandela's Death and the Wave of Global Mourning That Followed
Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013. In the ten days that followed, landmarks worldwide were lit in South Africa's colors and millions gathered to mourn before his Qunu funeral.
Nigeria's First Coup: The January 1966 Uprising Led by Kaduna Nzeogwu
On January 15, 1966, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu led Nigeria's first coup. It failed to seize the capital, but the government fell anyway.
Nigeria's Independence Day, October 1, 1960
On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained independence from Britain at a Lagos ceremony, becoming a federation of three regions under PM Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
Nina Simone's Ashes and Her Years of Exile in Liberia
Nina Simone died in France in 2003 and had her ashes scattered across Africa. She had lived three years in Liberia in the 1970s, a country she called home.
Oliver Tambo's Escape Into Exile, 1960
After the Sharpeville Massacre, Oliver Tambo fled South Africa in March 1960 and led the ANC in exile for three decades, building its global diplomatic network.
Omar Bongo's 42-Year Rule of Gabon
Omar Bongo ruled Gabon for nearly 42 years after succeeding Léon M'ba in 1967, sustained throughout by oil wealth and close French military and political backing.
Operation Carlota: Cuba's 1975 Military Intervention in Angola
Fidel Castro's Operation Carlota sent Cuban troops to Angola in 1975 to back the MPLA against South African and US-backed forces, reshaping the Cold War in Africa.
Portugal's Founding Role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Portugal launched the transatlantic slave trade in the 1440s and dominated it for roughly two centuries. Some popular claims about its later 'lasts' need correcting.
Queen Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba: Four Decades Against the Portuguese
Njinga Mbande ruled Ndongo and Matamba in 17th-century Angola, fighting and negotiating against Portuguese colonization for nearly forty years until 1663.
Rastafari and Bob Marley's Spiritual Testimony
Rastafari emerged in 1930s Jamaica around the belief that Haile Selassie was divine, and Bob Marley carried its theology to a global audience through reggae.
Reactions to Trump's 'Shithole Countries' Remark About Africa and Haiti
President Trump's January 2018 'shithole countries' remark about Africa and Haiti drew a formal African Union rebuke, condemnation from Jay-Z, and renewed scrutiny of US and French history in Haiti.
Rhodesia's 1965 UDI and Pan-African Protest Against White-Minority Rule
When Ian Smith's Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in November 1965 to preserve white rule, African governments and citizens condemned it.
Robert F. Kennedy's 1966 Tour of South Africa and Tanzania
In June 1966, US Senator Robert F. Kennedy toured apartheid South Africa and met Julius Nyerere in Tanzania, becoming a rare American voice against apartheid.
Robert Mugabe: Liberation Leader, Zimbabwe's Founding Prime Minister, and Authoritarian Ruler
Robert Mugabe led Zimbabwe from liberation-war leader to founding prime minister in 1980 to a 37-year authoritarian rule that ended in a 2017 coup.
Romanus Pontifex: The Papal Bull That Sanctioned Portugal's Slave Trade
Pope Nicholas V's 1455 bull Romanus Pontifex, building on 1452's Dum Diversas, gave Portugal religious sanction to conquer and enslave people across West Africa.
Samuel Doe's 1980 Coup and the Killing of William Tolbert
On April 12, 1980, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe led Liberian soldiers in killing President William Tolbert, ending over a century of Americo-Liberian rule.
Sani Abacha: Nigeria's Strongman and His Sudden Death in 1998
Gen. Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his sudden death on June 8, 1998, not 2008 as sometimes misstated, ending one of its harshest regimes.
Sankara's Debt Speech to the OAU and His Assassination Three Months Later
Thomas Sankara told the OAU in July 1987 that Africa should refuse to repay colonial-era debt. He was killed in a coup that October — France's role remains disputed.
Sékou Touré: Guinea's Independence Hero and Authoritarian Ruler
Sékou Touré led Guinea to full independence from France in 1958, then ruled for 26 years as an increasingly repressive dictator whose prison camps killed thousands.
Senegal's Unmatched Record of Coup-Free Governance in West Africa
Since its 1960 independence, Senegal is the only one of West Africa's 16 nations to have never had a successful coup d'etat — a record that held through the 2020s coup wave.
Shaka and the Founding of the Zulu Kingdom
Shaka kaSenzangakhona built the Zulu Kingdom from a minor chiefdom into southern Africa's dominant military power between 1816 and 1828, triggering the Mfecane.
Sibusiso Vilane: The First Black African to Conquer the Seven Summits and Three Poles
Sibusiso Vilane became the first Black African to summit Everest in 2003, later the first to complete the Seven Summits and the Three Poles Challenge.
South Africa's Secret Nuclear Arsenal and Its Voluntary Dismantlement
Apartheid South Africa built six nuclear weapons in secret, then dismantled them all and joined the NPT on July 10, 1991 — the only country to do so voluntarily.
Steve Biko and the Death That Shook Apartheid South Africa
Steve Biko, founder of the Black Consciousness Movement, died in police custody on September 12, 1977, after being beaten and driven 1,100 km without treatment.
Tanganyika's Independence, December 9, 1961
Tanganyika became independent from Britain on December 9, 1961, under Julius Nyerere, and united with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania.
The 1930 Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I
On November 2, 1930, Haile Selassie was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in a lavish Addis Ababa ceremony attended by royal envoys from across the world.
The 1963 Togo Coup: Africa's First and the Killing of Sylvanus Olympio
On January 13, 1963, Togo's President Sylvanus Olympio was assassinated in a coup widely considered the first military takeover in post-colonial Africa.
The 1966 Coup Against Nkrumah and the Disputed Question of US Involvement
Ghana's military overthrew Nkrumah while he was abroad in February 1966. Whether the CIA orchestrated it or merely watched remains genuinely contested.
The 1966 Coup That Overthrew Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah
On February 24, 1966, Ghana's President Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown while abroad in a coup with long-alleged, still-debated CIA involvement.
The 1974 Ethiopian Revolution and the Fall of Haile Selassie
In September 1974, a military committee known as the Derg deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, ending Ethiopia's Solomonic monarchy amid disputed circumstances.
The 1975 Coup That Overthrew Nigeria's Yakubu Gowon in Kampala
On July 29, 1975, General Yakubu Gowon learned he had been overthrown as Nigeria's head of state while attending an OAU summit in Kampala, Uganda.
The 1982 Kenyan Air Force Coup Attempt Against Daniel arap Moi
On August 1, 1982, junior Kenya Air Force officers briefly seized Nairobi in a failed coup against President Daniel arap Moi, prompting a message of support from Margaret Thatcher.
The 2011 NATO Intervention in Libya and the Killing of Muammar Gaddafi
NATO's 2011 intervention in Libya, authorized by UN Resolution 1973, ended with Gaddafi's killing on October 20, 2011. A 2016 UK report later called the case for war deeply flawed.
The 2012–2013 Rescue of Timbuktu's Ancient Manuscripts
When jihadist groups occupied Timbuktu in 2012, librarian Abdel Kader Haidara led a covert operation to smuggle hundreds of thousands of manuscripts to safety.
The 2017 Libya Slave Trade and How It Was Exposed
In November 2017 CNN footage of migrants auctioned as slaves in Libya sparked global outrage, UN condemnation, and renewed scrutiny of the 2011 intervention that helped fracture the country.
The 2019 Sudanese Uprising and the Fall of Omar al-Bashir
Months of protest over bread and fuel prices toppled Omar al-Bashir on April 11, 2019, ending his 30-year rule. Searchers later found roughly $130 million in cash at his home.
The 2021 Omicron Travel Bans on Southern Africa
After South African scientists identified the Omicron variant in November 2021, the UK, EU, US and others imposed travel bans on southern Africa that critics called discriminatory and scientifically incoherent.
The 71,000-Year-Old Projectile Technology of Pinnacle Point
Stone tools from Pinnacle Point, South Africa show humans made advanced projectile weapons 71,000 years ago, among the earliest evidence of its kind.
The African Boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympics
After the IOC refused to bar New Zealand over its rugby tour of apartheid South Africa, dozens of African nations walked out of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The American Colonization Society and the Founding of Liberia
The American Colonization Society sent free Black Americans to found Liberia starting in 1822 — a movement Frederick Douglass and other Black leaders denounced.
The Anglo-Ashanti Wars: A Century of Resistance in the Gold Coast
Five wars, 1823 to 1900: how the Asante Empire fought Britain to a standstill more than once before the Gold Coast fell to colonial rule.
The April 2020 Anti-African Racism Crisis in Guangzhou, China
In April 2020, Africans in Guangzhou, China were evicted, forcibly quarantined, and refused service amid COVID-19 fears, prompting formal protests from African governments and the African Union.
The Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was shot dead at the Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, months after his second Africa trip; two convicted men were exonerated in 2021.
The Baptist War: Jamaica's 1831 Christmas Rebellion
The 1831-32 Baptist War, led by Samuel Sharpe, was the largest slave rebellion in the British Caribbean and helped push Parliament toward abolition in 1833.
The Battle of Adwa: How Ethiopia Defeated Italy in 1896
On March 1, 1896, Emperor Menelik II's Ethiopian army routed an invading Italian force at Adwa, the defeat that kept Ethiopia the only African nation to escape European colonization.
The Battle of Isandlwana, 1879: The Zulu Kingdom's Victory Over the British
On January 22, 1879, a Zulu army under King Cetshwayo destroyed a British camp at Isandlwana in one of the British Army's worst colonial defeats.
The Battle of Nsamankow: How the Asante Killed a British Governor
On January 21, 1824, an Asante army destroyed a British column and killed Governor Charles MacCarthy — the opening disaster of the Anglo-Ashanti Wars.
The CFA Franc: France's Colonial-Era Currency Arrangement and Its Contested Legacy
France's CFA franc system tied 14 former colonies' currencies to Paris and long required reserve deposits in the French Treasury — a still-debated arrangement.
The Church of England's Benin Bronzes Pledge: What It Actually Covers
In 2021 the Church of England pledged to return two 'Benin Bronzes' to Nigeria — pieces gifted in 1982, not looted in the 1897 Benin Expedition.
The CIA's 1986 Warning and the Coup That Killed Thomas Sankara
A 1986 CIA report named the three men capable of overthrowing Thomas Sankara a year before Blaise Compaoré's coup killed him. Two of Compaoré's co-plotters were later executed.
The Congo Free State: Leopold II's Personal Colony and Its Death Toll
Belgium's King Leopold II ran the Congo Free State (1885-1908) as a private rubber-extraction empire built on forced labor and mutilation; the death toll remains disputed.
The Dahomey Amazons: The Kingdom's All-Female Army
The Mino, or Dahomey Amazons, were an all-woman regiment that fought Dahomey's wars for two centuries, including a last stand against France in 1892.
The Death and Lasting Legacy of Bob Marley
Bob Marley died of melanoma on May 11, 1981, at age 36, after carrying reggae from Trench Town to the world. His music and influence endure decades later.
The Death of Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona died of cardiac arrest on November 25, 2020, at age 60, weeks after brain surgery, prompting global mourning for one of football's greatest and most controversial players.
The Death of Fela Kuti, Father of Afrobeat
Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician who created Afrobeat and became one of Africa's most defiant political voices, died in Lagos on August 2, 1997, at age 58.
The Death of the Prince Imperial in the Anglo-Zulu War, 1879
Napoléon, Prince Imperial, only son of Napoleon III, was killed by Zulu warriors in June 1879 while serving as a volunteer with British forces in Zululand.
The Derg's 1974 Overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie
On September 12, 1974, Ethiopia's Derg military junta deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, ending a 44-year reign and setting up his mysterious death the next year.
The Disputed Legend of a Pre-Columbian Malian Voyage to the Americas
A secondhand 14th-century account describes a Mali ruler's fleet vanishing into the Atlantic before Mansa Musa's reign — a claim historians still debate.
The End of the Nigerian Civil War and Gowon's 'No Victor, No Vanquished' Policy
On January 15, 1970, Biafra surrendered to Nigeria's federal government, ending a 30-month civil war that Yakubu Gowon met with reconciliation, not reprisal.
The Founding of the Organisation of African Unity, May 25, 1963
32 states signed the OAU charter in Addis Ababa, settling a fight between Nkrumah's push for political union and a rival bloc's defense of sovereignty.
The Kilwa Sultanate and the Mystery of Its Coins in Australia
Medieval coins minted by the Kilwa Sultanate off Tanzania turned up on a remote Australian island in the 1940s — a genuine, unresolved historical puzzle.
The Liberation of Ethiopia and Haile Selassie's 1941 Return to Addis Ababa
On May 5, 1941, Haile Selassie returned to Addis Ababa, ending Italy's brutal occupation of Ethiopia — a war whose Ethiopian death toll historians still dispute.
The Namib: Where the Atlantic Meets the World's Oldest Desert
The Namib Desert, stretching along Namibia's Atlantic coast, is one of the oldest deserts on Earth, home to towering dunes and life found nowhere else.
The Nile: The World's Longest River, Through Cairo and Eleven Countries
The Nile runs roughly 6,650 km from sources in Uganda and Ethiopia through eleven countries to Cairo and the Mediterranean, long regarded as the world's longest river.
The Nubian Pyramids of Meroë and the Treasure Hunter Who Destroyed Them
Sudan holds far more pyramids than Egypt — built by the Kingdom of Kush at Meroë — many wrecked in the 1830s by Italian treasure hunter Giuseppe Ferlini.
The Queen of Sheba, King Solomon, and the Ethiopian Legend of Menelik I
Ethiopian tradition holds that the Queen of Sheba's union with Solomon produced Menelik I, who brought the Ark of the Covenant to Axum. Here is the legend and its origins.
The Rivonia Trial: Winnie Mandela, Israel's Quiet Objection, and a Life Sentence
The 1963-64 Rivonia Trial sentenced Nelson Mandela and seven co-defendants to life imprisonment. Winnie Mandela attended throughout, and declassified Israeli cables reveal quiet diplomatic opposition to a death sentence.
The Rumble in the Jungle: Ali, Foreman, and Zaire's World Stage
In October 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, in a fight bankrolled by Mobutu Sese Seko and staged as a global showcase for Africa.
The Sarkozy-Gaddafi Campaign Funding Scandal
Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted in 2025 of a criminal conspiracy to fund his 2007 campaign with Libyan money, a scandal built on Gaddafi's own claims and years of French investigation.
The Sharpeville Massacre, March 21, 1960
On March 21, 1960, South African police killed 69 people protesting the pass laws in Sharpeville, a turning point toward armed struggle against apartheid.
The Siddis: India's Real African Diaspora, and the Myth of 'Indo-Negroids'
India does have a real African diaspora, the Siddis, who arrived over a thousand years of trade, slavery, and soldiering. The claim of '600 million Indo-Negroids' is not supported by history or genetics.
The Slave Dungeons of Elmina Castle
Elmina Castle in Ghana held enslaved Africans in cramped dungeons for months before they were marched through its Door of No Return onto slave ships.
The Third Anglo-Ashanti War and the Burning of Kumasi, 1873–1874
Garnet Wolseley's 1874 expedition defeated the Asante at Amoafo and razed Kumasi — the campaign British troops nicknamed the 'Sagrenti War.'
The Toppling of the Edward Colston Statue in Bristol
In June 2020, Bristol protesters toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston. His Royal African Company ships transported roughly 84,000 enslaved Africans.
The Tulsa Race Massacre and the Destruction of Black Wall Street
Over May 31-June 1, 1921, a white mob destroyed Tulsa's Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, killing an unknown number of Black residents.
The UN's International Decade for People of African Descent
The UN's International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) sought recognition, justice, and development for a population of 200+ million.
The Union of African States: Ghana, Guinea, and Mali's Attempt at Federation
Nkrumah, Sékou Touré, and Modibo Keïta tried to federate Ghana, Guinea, and Mali into one state — a forerunner of pan-African unity that quietly collapsed.
The University of Aberdeen's Return of a Benin Bronze
In 2021, the University of Aberdeen became the first UK institution to fully repatriate a Benin Bronze — a looted Oba's head bought at auction in 1957.
The US Presidents Rumored to Have Had Black Ancestry
For decades, claims have circulated that six US presidents, including Jefferson, Lincoln, and Harding, had Black ancestry. Here is what the historical and genetic evidence actually shows.
The Volkstaat Debate: The Push for a Separate Afrikaner Homeland
Some Afrikaner nationalists sought a separate white homeland during South Africa's 1990s transition. A council studied it for years, but none was ever created.
The World Reacts: Global Protests After Lumumba's Death Was Announced
News of Patrice Lumumba's killing broke on February 13, 1961, igniting protests from Cairo to New York and a riot inside the UN Security Council.
Thomas Fuller, the Enslaved 'Virginia Calculator'
Enslaved and illiterate, Thomas Fuller solved massive arithmetic problems in his head in seconds, becoming a transatlantic argument against racist pseudoscience.
Thomas Sankara's Case for Women's Liberation as Revolution
Thomas Sankara banned forced marriage, polygamy and FGM, put women in his cabinet and military, and told a 1987 rally there is 'no true revolution without the liberation of women.'
Timbuktu's Golden Age as a Center of Islamic Scholarship
Under the Mali and Songhai empires, Timbuktu's Sankore, Djinguereber, and Sidi Yahya institutions made the city one of the medieval world's great centers of learning.
Toussaint Louverture: The Life of Haiti's Revolutionary Leader
Toussaint Louverture rose from enslavement to lead the Haitian Revolution, dying in a French prison in 1803, a year before the independence he made possible.
Trump's Fabricated 'White Genocide' Ambush of Ramaphosa in the Oval Office
In a May 2025 Oval Office meeting, Trump confronted Ramaphosa with a discredited 'white genocide' narrative, including a photo actually taken in Goma, DR Congo, not South Africa.
Trump's June 2025 Travel Ban and Chad's Retaliation
Trump's June 2025 proclamation banned travel from 12 countries, seven of them African. Chad was the only one to retaliate, suspending visas for US citizens in the name of 'dignity and pride.'
Tsietsi Mashinini and the June 16, 1976 Soweto Uprising
Student leader Tsietsi Mashinini helped organize the June 16, 1976 Soweto march against Afrikaans instruction, one of apartheid South Africa's deadliest crackdowns.
Virgil Abloh, the Ghanaian-American Who Redefined Global Fashion
Virgil Abloh, son of Ghanaian immigrants, founded Off-White and became Louis Vuitton's first Black artistic director before dying of cancer at 41 in 2021.
W.E.B. Du Bois's Move to Ghana and Final Years
In 1961 W.E.B. Du Bois moved to Ghana at Kwame Nkrumah's invitation, became a Ghanaian citizen, and died in Accra in August 1963.
Where Africa's Millionaires Lived in 2012: Johannesburg, Cairo, and Lagos
A 2013 New World Wealth report found Johannesburg had more dollar-millionaires than any other African city in 2012, ahead of Cairo and Lagos, with South Africa dominating the continental rankings.
Who Killed Patrice Lumumba? The CIA Plot and the Katangan Execution
The CIA plotted to poison Lumumba on apparent White House authority — but he was actually shot by Belgian-backed Katangan forces on January 17, 1961.
Why Ghana's Flag and Football Team Both Bear a Black Star
Ghana's flag and its national football team, the Black Stars, both honor Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line, the diaspora shipping venture Kwame Nkrumah revived.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: Activist, Icon, and Contested Figure
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela led anti-apartheid resistance through decades of banning and exile, then became embroiled in the Stompie Moeketsi killing controversy.
Yaa Asantewaa and the War of the Golden Stool
In 1900, Asante Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa led an armed rebellion against Britain after a governor demanded to sit on the sacred Golden Stool.
Zimbabwe's 1980 Independence and Bob Marley's Harare Concert
Zimbabwe became independent on April 18, 1980, after the Lancaster House Agreement ended the Rhodesian Bush War. Bob Marley performed at the celebration in Harare.
Zimbabwe's November 2017 Coup: How the Military Removed Robert Mugabe
In November 2017, Zimbabwe's military placed Robert Mugabe under house arrest in 'Operation Restore Legacy,' ending his 37-year rule within a week.
Zuma's Fall and Ramaphosa's Rise: South Africa's 2018 Transition
How South Africa's ANC recalled Jacob Zuma, forced his resignation in February 2018, and installed Cyril Ramaphosa and new First Lady Tshepo Motsepe.