Jacob Zuma is the 4th president of post-apartheid South Africa and a member of the African National Congress (ANC). He held the presidency for nine years from 2009 to 2018 until he was ousted under a shroud of scandals and corruption. Before his presidency, Zuma worked with other African nationalists … Read MoreJacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (1942– )
Known to his contemporaries as “The Black Napoleon,” Toussaint L’Ouverture was a former slave who rose to become the leader of the only successful slave revolt in modern history that created an independent state, the Haitian Revolution. Born into slavery on May 20, 1743 in the French colony of Saint … Read MoreToussaint L’Ouverture (1742-1803)
“Prime Minister Forbes Burnham and President Lyndon B. Johnson, The White House, July 21, 1966” Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1966 to 1980 and then President of the nation from 1980 to 1985, was one of the Caribbean region’s most controversial … Read MoreForbes Burnham (1923–1985)
Bangui is the capital and largest city of the landlocked nation of the Central African Republic. The city had a population of 750,000 people in 2012 which is about 16% of the nation’s 4.6 million people. Bangui spans an area covering 67 square km, or … Read MoreBangui, Central African Republic (1889- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Antananarivo (formerly known as “Analamanga” and “Tananarive”) is the capital of the Republic of Madagascar and its largest city. It is located on a high plateau overlooking the Ikopa and Besiboka Rivers. In the southern part of the city lay Lake … Read MoreAntananarivo, Madagascar (1600s- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Bamako, with a population of 1.8 million, is the largest city in the Republic of Mali. It serves as Mali’s seat of government and the country’s economic and cultural center. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Mali, along … Read MoreBamako, Mali (11th Century– )
Monument to Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon at Montemorelos, Mexico “Image Ownership: Public Domain” José María Morelos y Pavón, statesman and Roman Catholic priest, was one of the greatest insurgent military commanders during the Mexican War of Independence. Morelos was born into a poor “pardo” … Read MoreJosé María Morelos y Pavón (1765-1815)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Mbabane is the capital of Swaziland and is located on the Mbabane River and its tributary the Polinjane River in the Mdimba Mountains. It is the second largest city in the country. The city’s name comes from an African Chief, Mbabane … Read MoreMbabane, Swaziland (1887- )
Image Ownership: Public Domain When Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated the 24th president of the Republic of Liberia on January 16, 2006, she became Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state. Her election reflected the hope and belief that African nations could embrace participatory … Read MoreEllen Johnson Sirleaf (1938- )
Statue of St. Maurice c. 1240-1250, Magdeburg Cathedral of St. Maurice and St. Catherine, Author Unknown, Pictures @ 1979 Menil Foundation, Houston, Texas Image Courtesy of the Menil Foundation St. Maurice is commemorated throughout churches in modern Germany as a black African dressed as a … Read MoreSt. Maurice (ca. 250-ca. 287)