Encyclopaedia Africana

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Za-Sellasé (15?-June 26, 1607) was one of the main instigators of many rebellions during the reign of Emperors Yaegob (reigned 1597-1603), and Za-Dengel (1603-04). Born...

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Dabtara Zannab (who flourished in the 1850s and 1860s) also called Alaqa Zannab, was the keeper of the royal archives during the reign of Emperor...

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Yohannes IV (1831-March 10, 1889) was emperor of Ethiopia from 1872-89. During his reign he was obliged not only to consolidate his power within his...

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Zare’a Ya’eqob (circa 1399-1468) emperor of Ethiopia from 1434-68, was the greatest of the emperors in medieval Ethiopian history. He was noted for his re-organisation...

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Dagadu III (18?-1925), also called Anku Dagadu, was chief of Kpandu, (an Ewe town on the left bank of the Volta River about 90 mi...

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Sir James Henley Coussey (March 10, 1895-June 6, 1958), the first African judge to be appointed straight from the Bar without becoming a colonial magistrate,...

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George Frank Cleland (1830-1887) was a Ga merchant, a justice of the peace, and an enlightened and popular divisional chief of James Town, Accra, who...

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Zare’a Ya’eqob (who is believed to have lived in the 17th century) was the author of a book of philosophy known as Hatata Zara Yaqob...

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Erasmus Awuku Asamoa (April 19, 1910-1965), an educationist and a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, advocated the use of African languages in the...

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Yohannes I (16?-July 19, 1682), the son of Fasilidas I [reigned 1632-67], was emperor of Ethiopia from 1667-82. During his reign he decreed a measure 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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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.