The following are short descriptions of the major places 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.
Russian military leader, Chief Commander of the Kherson, and General-in-Chief, Ivan Hannibal, was the eldest of Abram Hannibal’s eleven children with Christine Regina von Sjöberg, and the great-uncle of Alexander Pushkin, regarded as the father of Russian literature. Enamored of his African heritage, Pushkin wrote … Read MoreIvan Hannibal (1737 — 1801)
La Mulatresse Solitude (the Mulatto Solitude) is a national hero on the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe. Although very little is known about her life, she is remembered as a brave fighter against the reimposition of slavery on her homeland. It is believed that Solitude’s … Read MoreLa Mulatresse Solitude (ca 1772-1802)
The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is a paleoanthropological site in the eastern Serengeti Plain, near northern Tanzania, in East Africa. The gorge is nicknamed the “Cradle of Mankind” because it is believed to be the site of found remains of the first human beings … Read MoreOlduvai Gorge
The Horn of Africa (HoA) is the African continent’s easternmost peninsula. The English name for the region derives from the horn-shaped land formation of the easternmost point of the African continent. The peninsula stretches hundreds of kilometers into the Gulf of Aden, Somali Sea, and … Read MoreThe Horn of Africa
Composer, lyricist, choreographer and Countertenor Solomon Popoli Linda, a Zulu, was born in 1909 in Pomeroy, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. While he was musically oriented, Linda was also was inspired to perform after hearing a recording of the Hampton Institute graduate, Orpheus McAdoo, who was then … Read MoreSolomon Popoli Linda (1909 -1962)
In the following article novelist and independent historian Amy Sommers briefly outlines the experience of African Americans in Asia between World Wars I and II. She argues that African American influence in Asia was situated in four broad categories: the performing arts, international relations, faith, … Read MoreThe Black Pacific, 1919-1941: African Americans and Asia in the Interwar Period
Kumasi, also spelled as Coomassie, is located in south-central Ghana and is the capital of the Ashanti, also known as Asante, region. The city is best known as the former capital of the Ashanti Empire. Kumasi boasted a population of 2,069,350 people in 2013 making … Read MoreKumasi, Ghana (17th Century- )
Djenné, also known as Jenne or Dienné, is a southern Malian city that was an ancient center for trading and Muslim scholarship during its height. It is nestled on the Bani River and is approximately 220 miles southwest of Timbuktu. The city had a population … Read MoreDjenné, Mali (11th or 13th century- )
