Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1838 In the Weenen massacre, hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River in Natal were killed by Zulu warriors.
HistoryOn this day — February 17 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
We are adding a source to every entry in this archive. 0 of 6 on this page carry one so far. The rest were written before per-entry citations were recorded, so if you intend to rely on one, check it independently until its source appears here. See our sourcing methodology.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1838 Gabonese President Léon M'ba was toppled in a coup d'état and his rival Jean-Hilaire Aubame was installed in his place.
Politics
CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 2011 Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime began as part of the Arab Spring, igniting the Libyan Civil War.
Politics
CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons 1984 AB de Villiers, South African cricketer regarded as one of the sport's greatest batsmen, was born.
Birth
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2016 Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, influential Egyptian journalist and confidant of Gamal Abdel Nasser, died.
Death
OGL v1.0, Wikimedia Commons 2021 Seif Sharif Hamad, Tanzanian politician and Vice President of Zanzibar, died of COVID-19.
Death