Encyclopaedia Africana

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Sitobu, who flourished around 1450, was the first Ya Na (paramount chief) of the kingdom of Dagomba in what is now northeastern Ghana which he...

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Aaron Belisarius Cosimo Sibthorpe (circa 1840-June 20, 1916) was the first historian of Sierra Leone. He was probably brought to Sierra Leone as a boy,...

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Alfred James Shorunkeh-Sawyerr (circa 1861-May 18, 1929), bookseller, printer, journalist, and eventually practicing lawyer, was a forceful and outspoken participant in public affairs in the...

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Shaka, (circa 1787-September 12, 1828) was the founder of the Zulu nation and a social and military innovator. The exact date of his birth is...

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Jacob Wilson Sey (1832-May 22,1902) was a wealthy Gold Coast merchant who flourished in the latter part of the 19th century. He was the first president...

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Nana Ansa Sasraku I (16? – 1689) was the ruler of Akwamu, a Twi speaking state in what is now south-eastern Ghana. He built it...

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John Mensah Sarbah (June 3, 1864-November 27, 1910), patriot and statesman, was one of the most outstanding nationalists of the Gold Coast at the end...

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Solimanga Samura (who flourished in about the 17th century) was a warrior traditionally famous for his enormous stature. He was believed by the Yalunka Samura...

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Thascius Caecillius Cyprianus Afer, African bishop and martyr, who was born in Carthage of rich pagan parents, was first a Professor of Rhetoric and then...

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Abdoulaye Sadji was born in 1910 in Rufisque, a little town in the suburb of Dakar, Senegal. His brilliant student career at the William Ponty...

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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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.