The following are short descriptions of the groups and organizations which have contributed to the shaping of Global African history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
Al-Shabaab fighters disengage and lay down arms, September 2012 “Image Ownership: AMISOM Public Information” Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as Al-Shabaab (meaning youth), is a clan-based jihadist terrorist group in East Africa. Originating as the militant youth wing of the Somali Council of Islamic … Read MoreAl-Shabaab (2006- )
The Almoravids, or al-Murabitun as they called themselves, were an Islamic Berber dynasty that established an empire in Morocco and eventually took it over a wide region of Northwest Africa including modern Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, and part of Algeria. The emprire stretched as far south … Read MoreThe Almoravids/al-Murabitun (1040–1147)
Niger Armed Forces fighting Boko Haram in March 2015 “Image Ownership: Public Domain” Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri in 2002.The official Arabic name of the group is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, … Read MoreBoko Haram (2002- )
The Jamaica Bobsled Federation (JBF) was initially created in 1987 by two American businessmen living in Jamaica, George Fitch and William Maloney. After watching a local pushcart race, Fitch and Maloney recognized similarities with bobsledding. Already aware of Jamaica’s athletic history, particularly around sprinting and … Read MoreJamaica Bobsled Team (1987- )
The Ahosi (Amazons) of Dahomey were a military corps of women appointed to serve in battles under the direction of the Fon king, who ruled over a nation that included much of present-day southern Togo and southern Benin. They emerged during the Eighteenth Century and … Read MoreAhosi (Amazons) of Dahomey
Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), founded in 1990, is one of the earliest and highly regarded LGBTI (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Intersex) advocacy organizations in Southern Africa. GALZ is the country’s only gay rights group and the first one in the nation to start HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. The … Read MoreGays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) (1990- )
Liberian Women’s Peace Group Image Ownership: Pewee Flomoku The Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET) was one of the first female led peace negotiating teams in the region of West Africa and they organized a system of diplomacy between the Liberian, Guinean and Sierra Leonean … Read MoreThe Mano River Women’s Peace Network (2001-)
J.C. Vaughn, Ernest Ikoli, H.O. Davies, and Samuel Akinsanya founded the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) in 1934. Although based in Lagos, the NYM was the first Nigerian nationalist organization to promote politics outside of the capital. Furthermore, the NYM was also the first organization to … Read MoreThe Nigerian Youth Movement (1934-1951)
The Movimento Negro Unificado (MNU) or Unified Black Movement, the most notable black civil rights organization in Brazil, was founded in São Paulo, Brazil in 1978 by Thereza Santos and Eduardo Oliveira de Oliveira. The founders along with other black activists in Brazil found influence … Read MoreMovimento Negro Unificado (1978- )
Authorized by Congress in 1866 and activated on November 1, 1869, the 24th Infantry Regiment was one of four all-black regiments created after the Civil War. The unit remained composed of black enlisted men and mostly white officers until 1951 when it was disbanded during … Read More24th Infantry Regiment in Korea (1950-1951)
