Rows of painted winged faces with large dark eyes across a wooden ceiling.

Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source

On this day: December 6 in African history

Name: On the night of 5-6 December 1803, Royal Navy ships seized five vessels carrying the French garrison that h…
Start: 1803

Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.

Today

Aaron Martinet & Alphonse-Charles Masson, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1803

On the night of 5-6 December 1803, Royal Navy ships seized five vessels carrying the French garrison that had abandoned Môle-Saint-Nicolas; General Louis de Noailles escaped with one brig, and Haiti declared independence on 1 January 1804.

Sources: The Gazette (official public record of the United Kingdom) ; William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History (Sampson Low, Marston & Co.), via Internet Archive

Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed

History

Washiucho, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1977

South Africa granted independence to the Bophuthatswana "homeland," a Bantustan not recognized by any other country.

Sources: South African History Online ; TIME

Politics

Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons 1994

Giannis Antetokounmpo, NBA superstar born in Athens to Nigerian parents and nicknamed the "Greek Freak," was born.

Sources: Al Jazeera ; BBC

Birth

1930

Daniel Lisulo, who became the third Prime Minister of Zambia, was born.

Sources: Chalo Chatu (Zambia online encyclopedia) ; World Statesmen ; National Assembly of Zambia

Birth

1948

Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, who later served as Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, was born.

Sources: Rulers.org ; RFI ; Jeune Afrique

Birth