Hilarius Gilges (a.k.a. Lari Gilges, 1909-1933)

Hilarius Gilges is the most well-known Afro-German activist who fought against the rise of the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party in the early interwar period. The son of a textile worker named Maria Stüttgen and an African boatman working on the Rhine, Gilges was … Read MoreHilarius Gilges (a.k.a. Lari Gilges, 1909-1933)

West African Students’ Union (WASU)

In August of 1925, Ladipo Solanke, a Nigerian law student, and Herbert Bankole-Bright, a Sierra Leonean doctor, founded the West African Students’ Union (WASU) in the Camden Town section of London, England. WASU eventually become a powerful influence in both British and West African politics … Read MoreWest African Students’ Union (WASU)

Aden Abdullah Osman Daar (1908-2007)

Aden Abdullah Osman Daar (popularly known as Aden Adde) was the first president of Somalia. He was born on December 9, 1908, in Beledweyne, Somalia while the country was colonized by the Italian government. Daar was orphaned at an early age and raised by members … Read MoreAden Abdullah Osman Daar (1908-2007)

Mohamed Naguib (1901-1984)

Mohamed Naguib was the first leader of the Egyptian Republic. He was born in Khartoum, Sudan on February 20, 1901, to Youssef Naguib, an Egyptian army officer, and his wife Zohra Ahmed Othman. His secondary school education was at Gordon Memorial College in Khartoum, graduating … Read MoreMohamed Naguib (1901-1984)

Ahmed Ben Bella (1916-2012)

Ahmed Ben Bella was a leader of the Algerian War of Independence who became the first Prime Minister, and later, the first President of independent Algeria. Ben Bella was born in 1916 in Maghnia (Marnia), Oran, Algeria (then a French colony), the son of a … Read MoreAhmed Ben Bella (1916-2012)