Encyclopaedia Africana

Arts and Culture

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Ephraim Amu (September 13, 1899 – January 2, 1995) was a renowned Ghanaian composer, musicologist, teacher, and farmer, widely revered as the “Father of Ghanaian...

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Miriam Makeba (March 4, 1932 — November 10, 2008) was a South African-born singer who became known as Mama Africa, one of the world’s most prominent...

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Mamady Keïta (1 August 1950 – 21 June 2021), affectionately known as “Nankama” was a master drummer and music educator from West Africa. He is known for...

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Efua Theodora Sutherland (27 June 1924 – 2 January 1996), was a Ghanaian playwright, director, researcher, children’s author, poet, dramatist, educationist, child advocate, and cultural activist....

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Leon Bukasa (1925-January 16, 1974), one of the notable figures of modern Congolese song, performed and composed during the eventful decades of the 1950s and...

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Andrew Murray Jr. (Graaff-Reinet May 9, 1828- January 18, 1917), minister of the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (N.G.K.), theologian, writer and educator, was the second of...

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Malcolm Raymond Dunford Mseleku (December 8, 1912-January 1961) was a Zulu poet and storyteller whose works were published in Zulu language journals and newspapers. He...

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Emile Adolphe Disengomoka (March 31, 1915- March 15, 1965), educator, civic leader, and novelist, was the first Congolese to receive his Régent Litéraire which is...

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Nicholas Julius George Ballanta-Taylor (1893-1962) was a musicologist, organist, and composer. He was born in Freetown and educated at the local Church Missionary Society (C.M.S.)...

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John Knox Bokwe (March 15, 1855-February 22, 1922) was a Xhosa missionary, educator, and musician who played a role in the foundation in 1916 of...

Editor’s Note

This website features a collection of articles largely from previously published volumes of the Encyclopaedia Africana, specifically the Encyclopaedia Africana Dictionary of African Biography, which highlights notable individuals from various regions of Africa. Please note that in these volumes, some names of people, towns, and countries were spelled differently than they are today. We have retained these historical spellings to preserve the integrity of the original publications. In some instances, the current spellings are also provided for easy reference.
Please report errors to: info@encyclopaediaafricana.com / research@encyclopaediaafricana.com

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Encyclopaedia Africana