Aminatou Ali Ahmed Haidar is a Sahrawi human rights activist and a supporter of the independence of Western Sahara. Haidar was born on July 24, 1966 to Ali Haidar and Darya Mohamed in Akka, Morocco. Growing up, seven-year-old Haidar was introduced to the Sahrawi Liberation … Read MoreAminatou Ali Ahmed Haidar (1966- )
On September 30, 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traore led a military coup in Burkina Faso, overthrowing the government of Paul-Henry Sandaogo Damiba. On October 21, 2022, Traore was sworn in as transitional president and head of state of Burkina Faso. He was also appointed supreme chief of … Read MoreIbrahim Traore (1988-)
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 first person of Afro-Peruvian descent to become the nation’s president. Born on August 12, 1889, to Antonio Sánchez and Rosa Cerro, … Read MoreLuis Miguel Sánchez Cerro (1889-1933)
Azali Assoumani is a Comorian politician and military officer who has served as President of Comoros since April 2019. He was also president from 2002 to 2006 and from 2016 to February 2019. He became Head of State after a coup d’état in 1999 and … Read MoreAzali Assoumani
(1959- )
El-Ouali Mustafa Sayed was the first president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (formerly known as Spanish Sahara or Western Sahara). Sayed was born in 1948. Bir Lehlou has been cited as his birthplace. Other authorities believe he was born in a nomad encampment on … Read MoreEl-Ouali Mustafa Sayed (1948-1976)
The current king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, was born in Rabat, Morocco on August 21, 1963. His parents were King Hassan II, and his wife, Lalla Latifa. Prince Mohammed attended primary and secondary school at the Royal Palace College in Rabat. He then attended the … Read MoreMohammed VI
(1963- )
Mohammed ben Youssef, the third son of Sultan Moulay Youssef, was born on August 10, 1909, in Fez, Morocco. He became King Mohammed V of independent Morocco. When Mohammed was born, Morocco was a French protectorate. As a child, he received a traditional Koranic education … Read MoreMohammed V (1909-1961)
The Gnawa (sing. Gnawi) are an ethnic group and Islamic sect of West African-descent centered in Morocco who have become globally known for their use of music in liturgy. Beginning in the 11th century under Yusuf Ibn Ta, the Sultan of Morocco under the Ottoman … Read MoreThe Gnawa (Islamic Sect) (11th c.- )
Arabella Fields was a singer and actress known as “The Black Nightingale” and had a storied career performing in Europe. She was born on January 31, 1879, as Sarah Arabella Middleton in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early reports state she was performing at the young age of … Read MoreArabella Fields (1879-1933)
Dr. Claire Karekezi is the first and sole female neurosurgeon in all of Rwanda and has served as a consultant neurosurgeon at the Rwandan Military Hospital in the country’s capital, Kigali, since 2018. As a child, Dr. Karekezi’s fondness for the sciences blossomed into the … Read MoreClaire Karekezi (1984- )
