Encyclopaedia Africana

African History Encyclopaedia

  • 4 Min Read

Shyaam aMbul aNgoong (ruled circa 1625-1640) is remembered as the founder of Kuba civilisation. Living east of the confluence of the Sankuru and Kasai rivers,...

  • 4 Min Read

Semopa Bavon (circa 1885-March 1, 1933) is remembered as the black apostle of the Giri river region. For 25 years he served as the chief...

  • 7 Min Read

Pierre Marie Joseph Ryckmans (November 26, 1891-February 18, 1959), governor-general of the Belgian Zaire (now Congo), and of Ruanda-Urundi (now the separate countries of Rwanda...

  • 10 Min Read

Ethelred Nathaniel Jones (June 28, 1884-March 29, 1954) who from the 1920s, onwards also used the name Laminah Sankoh, was one of the most outstanding...

  • 4 Min Read

Frederic Adolphus Miller (July 2, 1862-October 1, 1943) was a civil servant who took an active part in West African politics in later life. A...

  • 4 Min Read

Mendegla of Joru (?-1890) was one of the most powerful Mende warriors of the later 19th century. Using his immense influence over other rulers, he...

  • 5 Min Read

Joseph Claudius May (August 14, 1845-October 14, 1902), a talented Methodist preacher and educator, was the first principal of the Wesleyan Boys High School, Freetown,...

  • 3 Min Read

Marlay Bokari (circa 1800-circa 1900) was ruler over the Mara clan of the Koranko in Sierra Leone in the second half of the 19th century...

  • 2 Min Read

William Henry Andrews (1870-1950), was the first general secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa and a lifelong Communist party activist. He was born...

  • 8 Min Read

King Moshoeshoe, or Mosweshwe (born 1786, died March 1, 1870), was initially a minor chief of one of the Sotho-speaking people when he began his...

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

Support Encyclopaedia Africana

Help us create more content and preserve African knowledge. Your donation makes a difference! [Donate Now]

Working Hours

8:00am–4:30pm, Monday-Friday

Office Location

Campus of CSIR Airport Residential Area, Accra-Ghana

The Encyclopaedia Africana Project is an AU Flagship Project with the mission to produce and publish peer reviewed articles devoted mainly to Africa and its people.

Encyclopaedia Africana