Encyclopaedia Africana

Encyclopaedia Africana

  • 3 Min Read

Faku (circa 1780-1867) was the paramount chief of the Mpondo, a southern Nguni people, from about 1820-67. His father was Chief Ncqungqushe, whom Faku succeeded...

  • 3 Min Read

John Fairbairn (1794-1864), a journalist and a pioneer for a free press in the Cape of Good Hope Colony. He was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland,...

  • 2 Min Read

Tona Gaga (1868-August 1908) was the last king of Walamo, a state in southwest Ethiopia, north of Lake Abaya. He ruled from 1890-94, subsequently being...

  • 1 Min Read

George Rayner Ellis (1897-1953) was a prominent editor of one of Johannesburg’s most successful English-language dailies. He was born in London and studied at the...

  • 3 Min Read

Alfred Ilg (March 30. 1854-January 7, 1916), a Swiss craftsman, was the principal diplomatic adviser to Emperor Menilek II [reigned 1889-1913]. He was born in...

  • 6 Min Read

Téwodros II, or Theodore (circa 1820-April 13, 1868), reigned as emperor from 1866-68. He reunified Ethiopia’s kingdom into a single empire and was the first...

  • 2 Min Read

Sarkis Terzian (1868-1915) was an Armenian trader and innovator who assisted Emperor Menilek II [reigned 1889-1913] in importing firearms and other equipment, and in forging links...

  • 2 Min Read

Taytu Betul (circa 1853-February 11, 1918), empress of Ethiopia, was the wife of Menilek II [reigned 1889-1913]. It was she who gave the name “Addis Ababa”...

  • 2 Min Read

Nur Hussein ibn Ibrahim al Malkai of Balé (now the province of Mendebo in southeast Ethiopia), a sheikh, a Muslim mystic and teacher of the...

  • 2 Min Read

Alaga Heruy Berru (1865-1949) was the leading Ethiopian painter during the later period of the reign of Emperor Menilek  [ruled 1889-1913]. The son of a...

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