Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
We are adding a source to every entry in this archive. 6 of 7 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.
US Department of State — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2017 Kenya held presidential elections in which incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner; the result was later nullified by the Supreme Court over irregularities, the first such annulment of an incumbent's re-election in Africa.
Sources: France 24 ; The Globe and Mail
PoliticsTanzania shifted its national Farmers' Day, known as Nane Nane ("eight-eight"), to August 8, where it has since been marked annually with agricultural fairs honoring the country's farmers.
CultureTennessee Military Governor Andrew Johnson freed his own enslaved people in Greeneville, Tennessee, an act now commemorated as Emancipation Day in the state.
Sources: U.S. National Park Service (Andrew Johnson National Historic Site) ; Black in Appalachia
HistoryThe Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was formed by a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union, becoming the country's ruling party after independence.
Sources: Archives Hub (Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York) ; Institute for Security Studies (ISS Africa)
PoliticsMohamed Morsi was born in Sharqia. He won Egypt's first free presidential election in 2012 and was removed by the army a year later. He died in June 2019 after collapsing in a defendants' cage during his trial on espionage charges.
Sources: Al Jazeera ; NPR
BirthIssa Hayatou, the Cameroonian sports official who led the Confederation of African Football for 29 years and briefly served as FIFA's interim president, died at age 77.
Sources: Vanguard (Nigeria) ; The Point (Gambia)
Death
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1960 Albert Kalonji declared the mineral-rich Kasai region of the Congo an independent state, South Kasai, during the chaotic Congo Crisis.
Sources: GlobalSecurity.org (Library of Congress-derived DR Congo country study) ; Sciences Po Mass Violence and Resistance Research Network (CERI)
Politics