Hubert Maga (1916-2000)

Hubert Maga was the first president of Dahomey (Benin). He was born on August 10, 1916 in Parakou a city in northern Dahomey then a French colony and attended local primary schools in Parakou. He later attended the prestigious school Normale William Ponty in Dakar, … Read MoreHubert Maga (1916-2000)

Patrice Talon (1958- )

Patrice Talon was elected President of Benin (formerly known as Dahomey) in 2016 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon was born on May 1, 1968, in Ouidah, Atlantique Department, Benin. His father was from Ouidah and his mother was … Read MorePatrice Talon (1958- )

Carlotta Lucumi, “La Negra Carlota” (?- 1843)

Carlota Lucumi, a kidnapped African woman, is known as one of the leaders of the slave rebellion at the Triunvirato plantation in Mantanzas, Cuba. Carlota was an African-born free woman from the Kingdom of Benin, West Africa. Her last name, Lucumi, comes from her ethnic … Read MoreCarlotta Lucumi, “La Negra Carlota” (?- 1843)

America’s Black Ambassadors: A Historical Snapshot

In the article below, Carlton McLellan, PhD, a senior fellow at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST), briefly describes the history of the more than one hundred and forty black women and men who have led diplomatic delegations as U.S. Ambassadors in ninety-five … Read MoreAmerica’s Black Ambassadors: A Historical Snapshot

Thomas Fuller (1710-1790)

Thomas Fuller, often called “the Virginia Calculator,” was born in 1710, somewhere between the “Slave Coast” of West Africa (present-day Liberia) and the Kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin). When the pre-colonial scramble for slaves replaced the earlier trade in gold, Fuller was snatched from his … Read MoreThomas Fuller (1710-1790)