The future of Ethiopia into the 20 century is determinedat the Battle of Embabo. The Shewa province under Emperor Menelik II and theGojjam province under King Tekel Haymanot (pic) do battle over control of the Oromo areas of the Gibe region, a fertile agricultural land where gold has been discovered. The battle’s victor – Menelik of Shewa – gains an economic treasure that ensures his dominance over the country.
The French press has become a propaganda machine for the French government’s desire to conquer Morocco, both for self-gain and as a way to block Germany from colonising North Africa. The French public is treated to grotesque fictions displaying Moroccans as savages and in need of the “civilising” influence of France as a benign governing power. (pic: This illustration published in Paris is captioned “The president exhibits the heads of the sultan's soldiers at the gates of Taza”)
As Ramadan is observed today, the call goes out for the first time from the new minaret at Comoros’ most famous landmark, the Badjanani Mosque, built in 1427 at Moroni’s harbor.
The opening of the Qaasr El Nil Bridge, in Cairo. Its pedestrian walkways have provided generations of Egyptians and visitors with beautiful views of the Nile in the evenings. The bridge’s name means Palace of the Nile. Two large bronze lion statues on the east and two on the west side are landmarks that will be rallying points for protestors during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
The still-infant road network of Nyasaland (Malawi) is no match for the weather, with road closures a matter of routine. During times of flooding, which turn farms into islands, stranded motorists are customarily taken in by a local residents, who are usually happy to have visitors in the sparsely-populated land.
While Nairobi, the capital of British Kenya, receives a fleet of new buses, the coastal city Mombasa prefers to use London-style double decker buses for its public transport.
The national airline of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) is established. The name chosen is Air Congo.
The deadliest mine disaster in the history of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) occurs when an explosion at the Wankie No. 2 Colliery kills 427 workers, black and white, including 176 Zimbabweans, 91 Zambians, 52 Mozambicans, 37 Malawians, 30 Tanzanians, 13 Namibians, and one miner from Botswana. A mass funeral will be held at the company football field on 11 June.
South Africa abolishes the death penalty. Capital punishment is struck down by the Constitutional Court as inconsistent with the newly democratised country’s constitution.
Civil War erupts in Guinea-Bissau when President João Vieira dismisses the army chief of staff, who is supported by rebels. A peace agreement will be signed in November, but will be broken by Vieira, who will ultimately be removed by the military in May 1999.
South Africa’s rap-rave group Die Antwoord releases as a music video the first song from its debut album $O$ - the alternative hip-hop/rave/electronica song Wat Pomp?
Port Elizabeth, South Africa opens its first major football stadium. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Costing US$159 million (equal to US$225 million in 2023), the stadium will be one of the showcase facilities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Dar es Salaam introduces a fleet of 18-metre long articulated buses to ease congestion on the Tanzanian capital’s overwhelmed roads, where commuters can spend up to eight hours a day in traffic.
First president of Niger from independence in 1960 until he was removed by a military coup d’état in 1974. He was respected internationally as a spokesman for African issues and for negotiating solutions to conflicts. Domestically, his ban on political opposition and failure to address famine and poverty made him unpopular, and led to his ouster.
Ghanaian photographer, in Accra, Gold Coast. For years a studio portrait photographer, he began to collect celebrities as clients, and created photo portraits with elements of photojournalism. His work as a photojournalist documenting Ghana’s transition from colony into its first three decades of independence have been exhibited in museums internationally.
President of Puntland (2009-2014), in Ely, Somalia. His anti-piracy campaign helped make safe Gulf of Aden shipping, and he built Puntland’s first naval base to enforce the effort.
Congolese football player who made an art of the position of attacking midfielder, in Souanké, Middle Congo. He was named CAF’s African Footballer of the Year 1974.
President of Togo (2005 to present), in Afagnan, Togo. He succeeded his father Gnassingbé Eyadema who ruled Togo from 1967 to 2005, continuing the family dynasty.
