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.
French supermodel Noémie Lenoir was born September 19, 1979, in Les Ulis, Essonne, France, into what she has described as a “really poor family” who lived in working-class “ghettos” in suburban Paris. Her father, Patrick Lenoir, a retired electrician, is a white Frenchman, and her … Read MoreNoémie Lenoir (1979- )
According to California state records, San Diego physician and businessman A. Antonio DaCosta was born in Canada on December 12, 1902; however, it is more likely that he was born and spent at least part of his youth in Birbese, British Guyana, where his family … Read MoreA. Antonio DaCosta (1902–1950)
Joseph Jenkins Roberts was the first (1848-1856) and seventh (1872-1876) president of Liberia. Roberts was born free in Norfolk, Virginia on March 15, 1809. His father was of Welsh origin, and his mother, Amelia, was described as a mulatto. His mother married a free black … Read MoreJoseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876)
Image Courtesy of El Dia Gustavo Pinedo Zabala, professional soccer player, was born in Coripata, Department of La Paz, Bolivia, on February 18, 1988. His mother, Ana, and father, Augusto, were agricultural workers that specialized in the fruit and coffee harvests around Coripata. Pinedo, and … Read MoreGustavo Pinedo Zabala (1988– )
Ayuba Suleiman Diallo is best known for his memoirs as a Muslim who had to endure the Atlantic slave trade and enslavement in colonial America. His personal history was published in 1734 by Thomas Bluett as Some Memories of the Life of Job. To this … Read MoreAyuba Suleiman Diallo (1701–1773)
María Isabel Urrutia Ocoró, Olympic champion weightlifter and politician, was born in Calendaria, Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, on March 25, 1965. Her mother, Nelly, was a homemaker and her father, Pedro Juan, was an industrial mechanic. Sources differ, but Urrutia had at least … Read MoreMaría Isabel Urrutia Ocoró (1965- )
Isabel Dos Santos, with an estimated net worth of $3 billion, is the youngest billionaire on the African continent and the only woman in that category. Most of her fortune has come from owning various stakes in cement, diamond, oil, and telecommunications corporations which she … Read MoreIsabel Dos Santos (1973- )
Seyyid Said, also known as Said bin Sultan, was a resourceful and energetic sultan of Oman who moved the capital from Arabia to Zanzibar in order to initiate clove production and also greatly expanded the East African slave trade. Said’s father, Sultan bin Ahmad (?–1804), … Read MoreSeyyid Said (1790–1856)
Aliko Dangote is the first billionaire from Nigeria and is considered the richest black man in the world and the fifty-first richest person overall according to Forbes in 2016. He amassed his fortune by founding the Dangote Group, the multinational company that operates throughout West … Read MoreAliko Dangote (1957- )
Formula 1 race car driver Lewis Hamilton was born January 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Herefordshire, England, to parents Carmen Larbalestier and Anthony Hamilton. His parents divorced when he was two, and as a result he lived with his mother and half-sisters. He studied at the … Read MoreLewis Hamilton (1985- )
