Key Figures in African History and Independence Movements

Binyavanga Wainaina

Kenyan writer who wrote "How to Write about Africa" to satirize western portrayals of Africa and Africans.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Nigerian author known for her acclaimed TED Talk "The Danger of a Single Story."

Mansa Musa

Wealthy Sultan of Mali who gave out so much gold on his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 he devalued the currency in Egypt.

Rudyard Kipling

Imperial British poet who wrote "The White Man's Burden."

Otto von Bismarck

Former leader of Germany who hosted the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885.

Cecil Rhodes

British Administrator of the Cape Colony. A famous cartoon of him shows his legs outstretched "from Cape Town to Cairo."

Leopold II

Maniacal King of Belgium who prioritized profits from the rubber trade ahead of Congolese lives.

Shaka Zulu

Fearsome leader of the Zulu Nation who unsuccessfully led his people to resist Boer encroachment in the 1800s.

Nzinga Mbandi

Queen of Ndongo and Matamba who fought Portuguese aggression during her 37-year reign.

Menelik II

Emperor of Ethiopia who successfully resisted Italian soldiers at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.

Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke

Senegalese Muslim theologian who resisted French control via peaceful means.

Kwame Nkrumah

The leader of Ghanaian independence who was known for peaceful demonstrations and boycotts.

Mostefa Ben Boulaïd

Independence leader of Algeria who did not live to see the liberation of Liberia from France.

Jomo Kenyatta

The leader of Kenyan independence and author of "The Gentlemen of the Jungle."

Patrice Lumumba

First democratically-elected Prime Minister of the DRC who was deposed and assassinated.

FW de Klerk

White South African President who dismantled Apartheid amid immense international pressure.

Nelson Mandela

South Africa's first Black democratically-elected president who spent 27 years in jail for political crimes.

Desmond Tutu

Archbishop of Cape Town and "moral conscience" of South Africa who led The Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Paul Kagame

Controversial Rwandan leader who was accused of shooting down President Habyarimana's plane and serves as the current President of Rwanda.

Omar al Bashir

Islamist dictator of Sudan who orchestrated the Genocide in Darfur.

Idi Amin

Leader of Uganda from 1971-1979 who was called "The Butcher of Uganda," though he called himself "The Last King of Scotland."

Robert Mugabe

Former President of Zimbabwe who ruined his nation's economy by printing increasingly higher denominations of the Zimbabwean dollar.

Mobutu Sese Seko

Corrupt Congolese politician who denounced communism and pocketed $5 billion dollars in aid from capitalist countries.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Former President of Liberia celebrated for her empowerment of women in the peacebuilding process.