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Introduction Northern Africa is a region that includes several countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Western Sahara. Berbers, also known as Amazigh, are an ethnic group indigenous to this region, who...
Introduction Axum (also spelled Aksum) was an ancient kingdom that existed in the northern region of Ethiopia, as well as parts of modern-day Eritrea, from around the 1st century AD to the 10th century...
Nigeria’s First Republic Turmoil Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule on October 1, 1960, with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as its first president. The period that followed, known as the First Republic, was marked...
Introduction The decolonization process in Nigeria occurred over a period of several decades, from the establishment of British colonial rule in 1861 to the country’s independence in 1960. The process was marked by various...
Introduction Nigeria underwent significant changes from 1900 to 2000. Here is a brief overview of some of the key events and developments during this period: Colonial era (1900-1960): Nigeria was colonized by the British...
Introduction Between AD 1500 and 1900, Ghana experienced significant social and political development that shaped its present state. The period saw the emergence of several powerful empires and states, including the Ashanti Empire and...
The administration of Edwin Barclay Edwin Barclay was the 18th President of Liberia, serving two terms from 1930 to 1944. During his presidency, Liberia experienced significant economic growth, with the expansion of rubber and...
Political Development Liberia, founded in 1822 by freed American slaves, went through significant political developments between 1900 and 2000. Here are some key events and trends during this period: 1900s-1930s: Liberia continued to be...
In the 19th century, Liberia faced several challenges with land acquisition, which were rooted in the country’s colonial history and cultural practices. Conflicting claims: Conflicting claims over land ownership often arose due to the...
The Declaration of Independence in Liberia was adopted on July 26, 1847. The declaration proclaimed the independence of the Republic of Liberia from the American Colonization Society, which had established a colony in West...
The Commonwealth of Liberia was established in 1847 as a sovereign state in West Africa by freed American slaves and free-born African Americans who immigrated to Africa under the auspices of the American Colonization...
Liberia was founded as a colony by the American Colonization Society (ACS) in 1821. The main objective of the ACS was to establish a colony in Africa where free people of color from the...
The Gambia, a small West African country, was a hub for the slave trade during the 16th and 17th centuries. However, by the 19th century, the country’s role in the slave trade had significantly...
The politics of decolonization refers to the process by which colonial powers relinquish control over their colonies, leading to the emergence of independent nations. Decolonization often involves complex negotiations between the colonial power, local...
In the 19th century, Ethiopia (then known as Abyssinia) was ruled by a series of emperors from the Solomonic dynasty. During this time, Ethiopia faced significant challenges, including external pressures from European powers seeking...
Mohammad Ali Pasha was an Ottoman governor of Egypt from 1805 to 1848. He is known for modernizing Egypt and creating a strong, centralized government. He introduced various reforms such as improving agriculture, developing...
Foundation of Sierra Leone and Liberia Sierra Leone Sierra Leone was founded in 1787 as a British colony for freed slaves and Black Loyalists who had fought for the British during the American War...
Apartheid, meaning “separateness” in Afrikaans, was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that was enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. The origins of apartheid can be traced back to South Africa’s history...
By 1880, the British had been well established along the coast of West Africa and began to advance into the interior. With the abolition of slave trade in Britain in 1807, the trade in...
The Berlin Treaty There were two major events that served as the prelude to the conference where the treaty took place. Firstly, King Leopold was interested in the Congo Basin, and the second was...
The Europeans who came to Nigeria were the explorers, Christian missionaries, traders and merchants. These people included the following: The explorers were Mungo Park, Hugh Clapperton, Richard and John Lander. The traders and merchants...
During the Middle Ages, the Europeans could not travel far. This was probably the reason why their knowledge of the outside world was very limited. The Europeans could not travel far due to the...
Slavery was common and normal in West Africa as it was in all the early empires of history. Slavery was the end product of those that were captured in pre-colonial wars of conquest and...
Igbo and its Origin Two major assumptions explain the origin of the Igbos. The first one claims that the Igbo originated from the East, probably from Israel or Egypt. The second, claims that the...
According to Benin traditions of origin, the people of Benin migrated from the East. After a long period of wandering, they settled at lle-Ife, from where they finally settled at their present location. The...
Introduction The word ‘Hausa’ does not refer to a race; rather, it refers to Hausa-speaking people. The word ‘Hausa’ refers to the mixed tribes who speak the Hausa language. The ‘Hausa live in the...
The Europeans had frequented the coasts of West Africa since the fifteenth century and established settlements along the coast in order to facilitate trade, in particular the transatlantic slave trade. There was, however, little...
Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. This chapter explores the political authority of West Africa women and the spiritual female principle in the precolonial and colonial...
Since the end of the Second World the nations of the world have worked together to ensure that the catastrophe that this war brought to humankind is never repeated. It was out of such...
The European scramble for Africa culminated in the Berlin West African Conference of 1884-85. The conference was called by German Chancellor Bismarck and would set up the parameters for the eventual partition of Africa....
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European sailors first reached sub-Saharan Africa in 1442, when Portuguese ships reached the Senegal river. The Portuguese had been sailing the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara since 1413, when they captured the Moroccan...
The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. The anti-slavery issue and the humanitarian conscience also played a vital...
Africa was the first continent, that Islam spread into out of Arabia in the early seventh century. Almost one-third of the world’s Muslim population resides today in the continent. It was estimated in 2002...
SIMILARITIES The three empires were located close to the Niger River; they developed from the same Western Sudan region. The peopling of Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires was similar. The three empires controlled the...
In 1884, Otto Edward Leopold, Prince of Bismark, Duke of Lavenburg, popularly referred to as Otto von Bismarck convened the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference to discuss the African problem. Participants discussed issues relating to condemnation...
The abolition of the slave trade and the rise of the legitimate trade, subsequently led to the gradual encroachment on the territories of various African states by European powers. For instance in Nigeria, the...
Anthony Enahoro was born in Uromi (Edo- State) on the 22nd of July, 1923. He had his early education in Uromi, Owo and Lagos. Even as a young secondary school student, Enahoro was worried...
Mallam Aminu Kano was born in Kano city in 1920. After his elementary school education in Kano, he proceeded to Katsina College. He also attended a course at the Institute of Education of the...
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in the town of Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi (Bauchi State). He attended Tafawa Balewa Primary School from 1922-1925. He proceeded to Bauchi Middle School 1925-1928. From Bauchi...
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe was born in Zungeru town (now in Niger State) on the 16th of November 1904 to an immigrant Ibo family from the then Eastern Nigeria. He was popularly and simply called...
Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo popularly called Awo, was born in Ikenne (now in Ogun State) on the 6th of March, 1909. He had his early education at the Baptist High School and later Wesley College,...
Songhai Empire was a very important empire that commanded the respect of her neighbours. When the empire was established, it fought wars of conquest against small kingdoms and made them part of the empire....
Social Factors: The sack and subjugation of Timbuktu by external forces exposed the misrule of some emperors; this was coupled with the outbreak of drought and diseases. There was also the division of the...
Sir Frederick John Dealtry Lugard was born on 22 January, 1858. Between 1901 and 1928 he served as British soldier, explorer and colonial administrator in many parts of Africa and Asia. Sir Frederick Lugard,...
Nationalism is the feeling of pride, which people have about their country and identity. It also means a strong desire of a people who share the same or similar economic and political experiences, culture,...
The non-centralised states of the Igbos of the South-eastern Nigeria interacted actively with close and distant neighbours like the Igala, Bini and Ijo. Some Igbo communities such as Nri and the Arochukwu had more...
Amalgamation means bringing together two or more groups or territories under one administration. At the wake of the British conquest of the different parts of Nigeria, those territories were initially administered independently. This was...
The people of Hausaland shared a lot of relationships and interactions with the Kanem-Borno in the Lake Chad region of the north eastern Nigeria. Kanem-Borno is made up of the Kanuri speaking people. The...
By the 19th century, Europeans missionaries had established their missions in Nigeria, but without making remarkable impact on the local communities. There were only a few communities that were directly affected by the activities...
By the 18th century, European travelers had mapped Africa’s entire coastline in detail. However, the interior of the continent remained largely unexplored. Many Europeans believed that the River Niger led to rich trading opportunities...