CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1873 Enoch Sontonga, the South African composer who wrote the hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika," later adopted as part of South Africa's national anthem, was born near Uitenhage, Cape Colony.
BirthOn this day — September 18 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1873 Rif Berber leaders declared the short-lived Republic of the Rif in northern Morocco, rebelling against Spanish and French colonial rule.
HistorySouth Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that laws criminalizing private adult use and cultivation of cannabis were unconstitutional, effectively decriminalizing it.
Politics
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1919 Fritz Pollard became the first African American to play professional football for a major team when he joined the Akron Pros.
History
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld died in a plane crash near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, while attempting to negotiate a ceasefire in the Katanga region of the Congo.
Death
Photo by Real Madrid Baloncesto — CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1989 Serge Ibaka, the Congolese-Spanish basketball player who became an NBA champion and All-Star, was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Birth