The FIFA World Cup kicked off in South Africa, the first time football's premier tournament was held on African soil.
Sources: Government Communication and Information System (South African Government) ; BBC Sport
Sports
Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
On this day: June 11 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Athol Fugard, the South African playwright whose work exposed the human toll of apartheid, was born.
Sources: South African History Online ; Los Angeles Times
Birth
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1882 Nationalist riots against foreign domination broke out in Alexandria, Egypt, during the Urabi revolt, killing dozens of Europeans and hastening British military intervention.
Sources: U.S. Naval Institute, Proceedings ; Project Gutenberg (Charles Royle, The Egyptian Campaigns) ; Mavi Atlas (Ozan Asik, 'The Urabi Movement (1879-1882) in Egypt'), via DergiPark
Politics
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1942 Free French forces completed a fighting withdrawal from Bir Hakeim in Libya, having delayed Rommel's Axis advance during the North African campaign of World War II.
Sources: The National WWII Museum ; France 24
History
Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1987 Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant were elected as the first Black members of the British Parliament.
Sources: London Evening Standard ; The 1987 Committee
Politics