African History Times

23/10/2022

20/10/2022

16/10/2022

06/10/2022

King Juba, the First, of Numudia (Circa 85–46 BC).
Ancient Numudia is today made up of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and some parts of Morocco.

Juba was friend of the Roman general, Pompey the Great.
This came back to haunt Jub, when during the great Roman Civil War, faught between Julius Caesar and Pompey, Juba had to take Pompey's side.

Unfortunately that was the losing side. Losing that Roman war brought about Juba's death.

27/09/2022

Continued from the previous post.....Part 3:

Hopes for a prosperous Somali nation were quickly dashed by the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, in 1969.

Shermarke's killing led to a coup by the Supreme Revolutionary Council spearheaded by the commander of the Somali army, Major General Jallee Mohamed Siad Barre (see foto: on the left. Idi Amin is on the right) .

The coup was the beginning of years of dictatorship and oppressive systems until Barre was eventually ousted by warlords and rebel groups from different clans.

"Politics based on tribalism caused lots of injustices, grievances, mutiny and later tribal groups, who really don't have an agenda whatsoever. In that sense, Somalia paid a heavy price.

Siad Barre also made a mistake when he tried to adopt something called scientific socialism, which is an absolutely secular atheistic system, in a country which is mainly conservative Muslims. So the people rejected that."

Photo: Barre (left), with Ugandan leader, Idi Amin (right)

Source: DW

24/09/2022

Continued from previous post...Part 2:

Somalia's journey from colonization to independence and civil war has been long and rocky. Somalia was colonized in the 19th century by Britain and Italy, establishing the colonies of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland in 1884 and 1889, respectively.

These two Somali lands eventually united and gained independence on July 1, 1960.

The date celebrates the unification of the Trust Territory of Italian Somaliland and the British Somaliland on July 1, 1960, which formed the Somali Republic.

A government was subsequently formed by Abdullahi Issa and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal and other members of the trusteeship and protectorate governments, with speaker of the SOMALIA ACT OF UNION Hagi Bashir Ismail Yussuf as President of the Somali National Assembly, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar (see photo) as President of the Somali Republic.

Through a popular referendum, the people of Somalia ratified a new constitution on July 20, 1961.

Unfortunately, the good times would not last long.

Source: DW

Foto: Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, first president of Somalia.

21/09/2022

Somalia’s defeat in the Ogaden War (war between Somalia & Ethiopia, July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopian region of Ogaden)
strained the stability of Somalia; as the country faced a surge of clan pressures.

A failed military coup in April 1978 paved the way for the formation of two opposition groups: the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), drawing its main support from the Majeerteen clan of the Mudug region in central Somalia, and the Somali National Movement (SNM), based on the Isaaq clan of the northern regions.

Formed in 1982, both organizations undertook guerrilla operations from bases in Ethiopia. These pressures, in addition to pressure from Somalia’s Western backers, encouraged the Somali to improve relations with Kenya and Ethiopia.

The 1988 peace agreement signed with the Ethiopian leader, Mengistu Haile Mariam, requiring both sides to stop supporting Somali anti-government guerrillas, had the unforseen effect of making the Civil War in Somalia worse.

Source: Brittanica

19/09/2022

In 1899, Rwanda was colonised by Germany, part of the so-called German East Africa state.
The Germans were cruel colonisers - they also caused havoc with the Herero people in Namibia (then known as South West Africa)

However, in 1918 Rwanda was transferred to the "ownership" of Belgium.

15/09/2022

Ozolua, aka Okpame (died 1504), was the greatest warrior-king of Benin (in modern Nigeria).

Ozolua was able to extend the boundaries of Benin from the Niger River in the east virtually to Lagos in the west.

Tradition calls him the first ruler in Western Africa to have had contact with the Portuguese explorers who were then exploring the western coast of sub-Saharan Africa.

03/09/2022

One of the most bloody and cruel wars of de-colonisation was The War of Algerian Independence (1954 - 1962), between the country of France and the Algerian people (most notably the FLN, National Liberation Front).

This was a complicated conflict composed guerrilla warfare and the use of torture. The war also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities.

Civilians on both sides suffered greatly in this conflict.
Algerian fought Algerian.
The guerrillas conducted random bombing campaigns. The French authorities responded by indiscriminate torture and vengeful judicial murder.

"An estimated 960,000 Algeriana died. French military authorities listed their losses at nearly 25,600 dead and 65,000 wounded. European-descended civilian casualties exceeded 10,000."

After independence, Algeria was admitted as member 109 of the United Nations on October 8, 1962.

29/08/2022

The Angolan War of Independence (1961–1974):

The "Armed Struggle of National Liberation" (as it is known in Angola) began as an uprising against the forced cultivation of cotton.

It later became a multi-faceted struggle, including many factions, for the control of Portugal's overseas province of Angola.
among three nationalist movements and a separatist movement.

The war ended when a leftist military coup in Lisbon in April 1974 overthrew Portugal's Estado Novo dictatorship, and the new regime immediately stopped all military action in the African colonies, declaring its intention to grant them independence without delay.

27/08/2022

In 1957, Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence from colonisation.
Ghana inspired other African countries to seek their own liberation.
Seventeen African countries gained independence in 1960.

28/05/2022

Carthage, best known as Rome's rival in the Mediterranean sea region, was a North African commercial hub that flourished for over 500 years.
It began its life in the 8th or 9th century B.C.E. as a Phoenician settlement in what today is Tunisia

It later grew into a huge and far-flung sea empire that dominated trade in textiles, gold, silver and copper.

At its peak, its capital city contained approximately half a million residents and included a protected harbor outfitted with docking bays for about 220 ships.

Carthage’s influence eventually extended from North Africa to Spain and parts of the Mediterranean

Source: history.com

25/05/2022

One of the most impressive monuments in sub-Saharan Africa is the Great Zimbabwe, an imposing collection of stacked boulders, stone towers and defensive walls assembled from cut granite blocks.

Historians now know it as the capital city of an indigenous empire that thrived in the region between the 13th and 15th centuries.

This kingdom ruled over a large chunk of modern day Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It was particularly rich in cattle and precious metals, and stood astride a trade route that connected the region’s gold fields with ports on the Indian Ocean coast.

Remains of artifacts such as Chinese pottery, Arabian glass and European textiles indicate that it was once a well-connected mercantile center.

In its heyday it was home to an estimated 20,000 people.

Source: history.com

20/05/2022

Narmer was an ancient Egyptian Pharoah of the Early Dynastic Period.
He is estimated to have ruled approximately around 3150 BCE.

Many scholars consider him the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty, and in turn the first king of a unified Egypt.

Narmer is often credited with the unification of Egypt, by means of the conquest of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt.

14/05/2022

The ancient Kingdom of Punt is one of the most mysterious African Kingdoms. During the 15th century BCE, the Egyptians are known to have sent huge caravans and boats to trade with the African Kingdom of Punt.

(IMAGE: picture drawn by Ancient Egyptians; showing themselves getting ready to travel to Punt (courtesy: De Agostini Picture Library))

Egyptian historical records from around 2500 BCE mention travels to the Kingdom of Punt. Those records describe Punt as a "Land of the Gods; rich in ebony, gold, myrrh and exotic animals such as leopards" .

The Egyptians never identified where ancient Punt was located.

The site of the kingdom of Punt is now a hotly debated topic among Scholars and Historians.

But most believe it existed somewhere on the Red Sea coast of East Africa, in modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea. Though the exact location still has to be confirmed.

Source: history.com

12/05/2022

"Though often overshadowed by its Egyptian neighbors to the north, the Kingdom of Kush stood as a regional power in Africa for over a thousand years."

IMAGE: City of Meroe. An ancient Kush*te city. Located on the east bank of the Nile River, modern Sudan.

"This ancient Nubian empire reached its peak in the second millennium B.C., when it ruled over a vast swath of territory along the Nile River in what is now Sudan.

Almost all that is known about Kush comes from Egyptian sources, which indicate that it was an economic center that operated a lucrative market in ivory, incense, iron and especially gold.

The kingdom was both a trading partner and a military rival of Egypt—it even ruled Egypt as the 25th Dynasty—and it adopted many of its neighbor’s customs."

Source: history.com

03/05/2022

Continued...The story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, continued to be tragic.

The accompanying image is that of Cleopatra Selene (whom we'll henceforth just call Selene, to avoid confusing her with her mother).
Selene was the daughter of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and Roman general Mark Anthony.

Over and above Selene, Queen Cleopatra had three other children, making it four kids in total.

There was one kid with Julius Ceasar, and three kids with Roman general Mark Anthony (including Selene).

After Cleopatra and Anthony were forced by Octavian (later, Emperor Augustus) to kill themselves....Octavian had the child Cleopatra had had with Julius Ceasar killed.

A child of Julius Ceasar could be a future challenger to Octavian's rule of Rome...as Octavian's main claim to power in Rome was that he had been adopted as a son by Julius Ceasar.

So, a real son of Julius Ceasar could be problematic indeed.

However, for the other three remaining children, Octavian did something strange.

Firstly, he paraded the three children in front of crowds in Rome...as part of his victory celebrations over defeating their parents (i.e. Cleopatra and Anthony).

Octavian then raised the remaining three children as part of his household....together with his own children.

So, in essence, Octavian raised the children of his enemies...the children of the people he had caused to die...as his own.
(Maybe he felt bad for the kids.)

Since both Anthony and Cleopatra hated Octavian very deeply, they must have been spinning in their graves at the thought of their kids being raised by Octavian.

Of the three remaining kids, Selene is the only one whom history has paid attention to...not much is known of what became of the two other kids.

But Selene survived into adulthood, and Octavian married her to King Juba II of Numudia.

Selene thus became the Queen of Numudia.
Ancient Numudia is today part of Libya, Morocco and Tunisia in North Africa.

So, Selene, eventually became a Queen as her mother Cleopatra had wished....but not exactly in the manner Cleopatra had wanted.

01/05/2022

Continued..."On the 10th or 12th of August, 30 BCE, Cleopatra died in Alexandria (Egypt) at only 39 years old.

She was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt.

According to popular belief, Cleopatra killed herself by allowing a cobra to bite her.

However, Roman Empire-era writers believe that she poisoned herself.

Some academics hypothesize that her Roman political rival Octavian (later known as Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome) forced her to kill herself in a manner of her choosing.

The location of Cleopatra's tomb is unknown.

It was recorded that Octavian allowed for her and her husband, the Roman politician and general Mark Antony, who stabbed himself with a sword, to be buried together properly."

IMAGES: (1) Death of Cleopatra (2) & (3) Cleopatra’s mummys

28/04/2022

Continued...Cleopatra's life was not easy, regardless of the fact that she was intelligent and beatiful (Greek Philosopher Plutarch characterized her as "irresistible") AND regardless of the fact that she was born to Egyptian royalty and became a Queen.

First of all, she was forced to marry two of her younger brothers.

Cleopatra was married to her brother and co-ruler Ptolemy XIII, who was 10 years old and she was 18.
In 48 BC, Ptolemy XIII deposed Cleopatra by force; she had to flee to Syria.

Her armies eventually defeated Ptolemy XIII (with a little help from Julius Ceasar's Roman soldiers).

When Ptolemy XIII died, Cleopatra married his younger brother, Ptolemy XIV, and then co-ruled with him.
She was 22; he was 12.

"Like many other royal houses, members of Egyptian dynasties often married within the family to preserve the purity of their bloodline.
More than a dozen of Cleopatra’s ancestors married cousins or siblings; and it’s even likely that her own parents were brother and sister."

Sources: History Hit & history.com

26/04/2022

"In the year 69 BC, Cleopatra was born in Alexandria (Egypt). She was the 7th Egyptian queen to have that name; so many history books refer to her as Cleopatra VII.

Alexandria was Egypt’s capital at that time, and it was founded by Alexander the Great.

After Alexander died, his empire was divided among his generals. One of his generals, Ptolemy I, imposed his control over Alexandria and established the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.

For three centuries, Cleopatra and her Ptolemaic family governed Egypt.

Cleopatra was the Ptolemaic dynasty’s final and most significant ruler."

Source: History Of Yesterday

24/04/2022

"The Wolof (Jolof) Empire was an African state that was powerful from about 1200 to about 1556. The empire covered parts of what is now Senegal, in western Africa. A king called a Burba ruled the empire. He also served as the empire’s religious leader.

The Wolof people came from what is now the country of Mali in the 1000s. They set up a kingdom soon around 1200. During the 1300s Wolof took over neighboring kingdoms.
By the 1400s Wolof had become a powerful empire.

In about 1440 Portuguese traders came to the area. They traded goods with the Wolof Empire; and then they also tried to take control of the Wolof people.
But the Wolof kept their independence."

Source: Brittanica

22/04/2022

Sobhuza the 2nd (born 22 July 1899 and died 21 August 1982) was the Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland (Eswatini) for a total of 82 years and 254 days.

Sobhuza II's rule is the longest (verifiable) reign of any monarch in recorded history.

He was born on 22 July 1899; the son of Inkhosikati Lomawa Ndwandwe and King Ngwane V of Swaziland (Eswatini).

His father, King Ngwane V, died when Sobhuza was only four months old. Sobhuza was then chosen to be king. But since Sobhuza was too young to rule on his own, his relatives ruled on his behalf until he attained his maturity in 1921.

At the time, Swaziland was one of Great Britain’s High Commission territories in southern Africa.
In 1967–68 Swaziland achieved independence from Great Britain, with a limited monarchy and an elected legislature.

Sobhuza led Swaziland through independence until his death in 1982. He was succeeded by Mswati III, his young son. The latter is still the current King of Swaziland.

18/04/2022

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges - First Classical Composer of African Origin, Swordsman and Military Commader:

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745 – 1799) was a classical composer, an accomplished violinist, a conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris (France), a renowned champion fencer (swordsman) and a military leader during the French Revolution.

He was born in the then-French colony of Guadeloupe in 1745.
His was born of a white father, Georges de Bologne Saint-Georges; and a black slave woman, called Anne (aka Nanon).

At the age of 7, his father took him to France. Following the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, the young Saint-Georges served as a Colonel in the first all-black regiment in Europe, fighting on the side of the French Republic.


Today the Chevalier de Saint-Georges is best remembered as the first-known classical composer of African ancestry.
He composed numerous string quartets, violin concertos, operas and other instrumental pieces.

He knew many legendary composers of his age, including Salieri, Gossec, Gretry, Gluck and Mozart.

He is regarded as one of Paris' most important musicians of the 18th century.

Saint-Georges was also considered to be one of the best swordsmen in Europe.

SaintGeorges