The following are short descriptions of the women and men who 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.
Percy Chen, an Afro-Trinidadian Chinese lawyer, businessman, and political activist, was a founding member of the Hong Kong Bar Association. Born in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in 1901, he was the eldest of his parents’ seven children. His father, Eugene Chen, a Chinese lawyer … Read MorePercy Chen (1901-1989)
Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro was an Afro-Peruvian army officer who served as the 41st President of Peru from 1931 to 1933. Sánchez was the person of Afro-Peruvian descent to become the nation’s president. Born on August 12, 1889, to Antonio Sánchez and Rosa Cerro, he … Read MoreLuis Miguel Sánchez Cerro (1889-1933)
Angela Ankomaah Tabiri, a quantum algebra researcher, was born in 1990 in Accra, Ghana. She graduated from Anum Memorial School at Ashaiman Middle East in Accra and then studied business at Accra’s Girls Senior High School. Fluent in Twi (Akan Kasa) as well as English, … Read MoreAngela Ankomaah Tabiri (1990- )
Felix Tshisekedi, the current President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was born Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo on June 13, 1963, in Kinshasa just three years after the DRC gained its independence from Belgium. He identifies with the Luba people. His parents were … Read MoreFelix Tshisekedi (1963– )
Tomás Estrada Palma, an attorney, was born on July 6, 1835, in Bayamo, Oriente Province in then Spanish Cuba, to Dr. Andrés Duque de Estrada y Palma and Maria Candelaria de Palma y Tamayo. Tomás had two sisters, Margarita Duque de Estrada y Tamayo and … Read MoreTomás Estrada Palma (1835-1908)
Joseph Leabua Jonathan was the first Prime Minister of independent Lesotho. He was born on October 30, 1914, in Leribe, Basutoland now Lesotho), one of the many great-grandchildren of the polygamous King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basuto nation. His parents were Jonathan Ramanemane Molapo and ‘Makatiso … Read MoreJoseph Leabua Jonathan (1914-1987)
Popularly known as JBJ, Jorge Lopes Bom Jesus is the 17th and current Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe. He was born in Conceição, Água Grande district, in São Tomé and Príncipe, the youngest of three brothers. Bom Jesus received his primary and secondary education in Sao … Read MoreJorge Lopes Bom Jesus (1962- )
Luis Abinader, the 54th and current president of the Dominican Republic, was born in Santo Domingo on July 12, 1967. His parents were Jose Rafael Abinader Wassef and Rosa Sula Corona Caba. His grandfather emigrated from Lebanon and his mother’s ancestors were from the Canary … Read MoreLuis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (1967- )
The current president of Cuba, Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermudez, was born on April 20, 1960, in Placetas, Cuba, a little more than one year after Fidel Castro led a successful revolutionary guerrilla movement to take control of the island nation. Miguel’s father, Miguel Díaz-Canel, was … Read MoreMiguel Díaz-Canel (1960- )
Wavel Ramkalawan is a Seychelles politician and Anglican priest who has served as President of Seychelles since October 26, 2020. Wavel Ramkalawan was born on March 15, 1961 on Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles. His father was a metal worker and his mother … Read MoreWavel Ramkalawan (1961- )
