Encyclopaedia Africana

African History Encyclopaedia

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Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston (August 19, 1898 – January 11, 1969), after a distinguished legal career, became the first Sierra Leonean to become governor-general, a...

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Bambafara (circa 1830s-July 7, 1921) was the ruler from the 1870s to 1921 of Nieni, today a chiefdom in the Koinadugu District in northeastern Sierra...

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Lilian Masediba Ngoyi (1911-March 12, 1980) was president of the Federation of South African Women and, in 1956, the first woman to be elected to...

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Bokari Bombolai (18?-circa 1898) was Bai Kompa (ruler) of Koya, the Temne chiefdom to the east of Freetown, from 1890-98. He also added the name...

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Nukwase Ndwandwe (circa 1890-September 15, 1957) was installed as Indlovukati (queen mother) in August 1938 upon the death of her full sister, Lomawa Ndwandwe, the...

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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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Mara Balansama (mid-18th century?-1830s?), was a ruler of Barawa, a Koranko chiefdom in what is now part of the Nieni chiefdom in the Koinadugu district...

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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...

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 John Farrell Easmon (June 30, 1856- June 9, 1900), was a distinguished Sierra Leonean doctor who was chief medical officer of the Gold Coast from...

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Percy Petre Tshikidso Qoboza (1938-January 18, 1988) was a prominent South African journalist who was a persistent critic of apartheid. Known as “Percy” to friend...

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