On this day: July 1 in African history

Photo by Abbie Rowe, National Park Service (1961), Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Ghana was declared a republic within the British Commonwealth, with Kwame Nkrumah becoming its first president.

Sources: World Bank ; Judicial Service of Ghana

Unknown author, Public Domain (no copyright relations), Wikimedia Commons

British Somaliland and the former Italian Somaliland united to form the independent Somali Republic.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian ; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia

Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Rwanda gained independence from Belgium.

Sources: Rwanda High Commission in Canada ; State Archives in Belgium

Photo by Fritz Cohen, Israeli Government Press Office (1962), Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Burundi gained independence from Belgium.

Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burundi ; State Archives in Belgium

Public Domain (official ballot, National Printing Office), Wikimedia Commons

Algerians voted overwhelmingly (99.72%) for independence from France in a referendum held under the Évian Accords.

Sources: Journal Officiel Algérie ; Centre for European Studies, University of Luxembourg

Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

King Leopold II of Belgium took personal possession of the Congo Free State, a private colony held in his own name rather than Belgium's. Its rubber regime became one of the most brutal in colonial Africa.

Sources: BlackPast ; Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State

Germany and Nigeria signed a joint declaration in Berlin under which Germany committed to transfer ownership of the Benin Bronzes in its public museums to Nigeria, with some to stay in Germany on loan.

Sources: Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Germany) ; Santander Art and Culture Law Review

Read the full article: 1897 and the Benin Bronzes