African history

Mbuya Nehanda: The Heroine Executed for Leading an Uprising Against the British in Zimbabwe in 1898

Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana, or Mbuya Nehanda was a powerful spirit medium, and heroine of the First Chimurenga, the revolt against the British South Africa Company in Matabeleland.

Sekuru Kaguvi: The African Leader Who Was Hanged for Leading a Rebellion Against the British in 1897

Sekuru Kaguvi was a prominent leader in the late 19th century in what is now Zimbabwe who was hanged for rebelling against the British during the First Chimurenga war in 1897.

Rosa Egipcíaca: The Enslaved Prostitute Who Became a Pioneering Afro-Brazilian Writer and Religious Mystic

Rosa Egipcíaca, also known as Rosa Maria Egipcíaca of Vera Cruz and Rosa Courana, was an extraordinary individual whose life journey traversed the harsh realities of enslavement, prostitution, spiritual awakening, and ultimately, literary achievement. Born in 1719 in the...

Benkos Biohó: The Runaway Slave Who Established the First Free African Town in the Americas in 1599

Domingo Biohó Also known as Domingo Biohó, was born in the 16th century into a royal family that ruled Bioho one of the Bissagos Islands off the coast of what is today Guinea-Bissau. He was kidnapped by the Portuguese...

Breffu: The African Woman Who Successfully Led a Slave Revolt in St. John Island in 1733

Breffu was a courageous African woman who defied the chains of oppression and led a triumphant slave revolt on the Caribbean island of St. John in 1733.

How Enslaved Africans Were Castrated by Arab Slavers During the Arabian Slave Trade

Among the most horrifying practices during this era was the castration of some male slaves, often young boys, which not only inflicted severe physical and emotional pain but also claimed the lives of many victims.

The Battle of Salt River: The First Encounter Between Europeans and Indigenous People in South Africa

The Battle of Salt River stands as a significant historical event, marking the first military encounter between Europeans and the indigenous ǃUriǁʼaekua in what would later become South Africa. The battle resulted in a massacre of Portuguese forces and a victory for the Khoikhoi clan.

The Brutal Sack of Sansanné Haoussa by French Colonial Forces in Niger in 1899

The Sack of Sansanné-Haoussa was a military expedition that took place in the village of Sansanné Haoussa, located in present-day Niger. This haunting military campaign unleashed a wave of destruction, resulting in the tragic loss of one hundred and one lives.

Shark Island Concentration Camp: The Horrors of Germany’s First Death Camp in Namibia

During the Herero and Namaqua genocide of 1904–1908, the infamous Shark Island Concentration Camp served as a grim tool of the German Empire. The camp bore witness to the tragic demise of thousands of Herero and Namaqua men, women, and children.

Maria de Fonseca: The African Queen Who Was Beheaded for Betraying her King to the Belgians

Maria de Fonseca was the queen of Katanga and the favorite wife of Msiri, the warrior-king of Katanga, who met a tragic end for allegedly betraying her king, Msiri, to the Belgians.
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The Untold Story of How African Rice Farmers Were Hunted, Stolen, and Enslaved on American Rice Plantations

When we think of the transatlantic slave trade, the brutality of capture, forced transport, and unpaid labour is rightly...