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Encyclopaedia Africana

Heroes and Heroines

  • 3 Min Read

Al-Hajj Malik Sy (1855-1929) is the founder of the Zâwiya (school and convent) of Tiwawan (Tivaouane), in Senegal. Member of the Moslem Brotherhood tijâniyya (tidjane),...

  • 5 Min Read

According to Ethiopian tradition, Makeda (10th century BC), the Queen of Sheba, had a son, Menilek I, by King Solomon of Jerusalem, thus establishing the...

  • 5 Min Read

James Bannerman (1790-March 12, 1858), a prosperous Accra merchant prince and a capable administrator who as lieutenant-governor governed Britain’s Gold Coast settlements from 1850-51, was...

  • 4 Min Read

Babatu (18?-?), also known as Mahama Dan Issa, played a major role in the latter part of the 19th century in creating Grunshi (Gurunsi), the...

  • 3 Min Read

Kwabena Atwere (c. 1840-June 1920) achieved distinction as Oseawuohene (chief) of the state of Wankyi, located in what is now southern Ghana, about 8 mi...

  • 4 Min Read

The Rev. Samuel Richard Brew Attoh-Ahuma (December 22, 1863-December 15, 1921) was a nationalist politician, journalist, and author, active at the height of the colonial...

  • 3 Min Read

Geraldo de Lima (18? – December 12, 1912) was an enterprising Ewe who became an influential and successful trader, with a commercial empire extending from...

  • 2 Min Read

Kwadzo Dei I was the ruler of Peki, about 70 mi (12 km) northeast of Accra, one of the component states of Krepi, who reigned...

  • 2 Min Read

Ras Walda Mikael Salomon (circa 1810-1906) was a 19th-century governor of Hamasen (later called Asmara) in northern Ethiopia who sought foreign support in order to...

  • 2 Min Read

Walda Giyorgis Abboye (November 4, 1851-March 1, 1918) was an important general, a provinçial governor, and a politician during the reign (1889-1913) of Emperor Menilek...

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