Dated to this year by future archeologists, the first monumental structure built entirely by stone, a six-staged stepped pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt, is being erected under the supervision of architect Imhotep. The Djoser Pyramid is being built for the 3rd Dynasty pharaoh, King Djoser.
The Transvaal Colony (formerly the Transvaal Republic) is given self-governance by Britain under the terms of a 1902 treaty that ended the Anglo-Boer War. The treaty gives the white Boer population the power to decide whether black South Africans can vote. The Boers refuse to give black citizens this right. (pic: Potchefstroom, Transvaal)
The bust of Queen Nefertiti, the great wife of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, made by the sculptor Thutmose in 1345 BCE, is discovered by a German archeologist in Amarna, Egypt. The likeness of the icon of female beauty creates a sensation among European and American women, who seek to copy the way Nefertiti’s eyes are outlined with the ancient cosmetic kohl. For the first time Western fashion is fundamentally and permanently altered by an African inspiration. Eye-liner will be sold – before now women did not use eye make-up – and will become a standard adornment for Western women by the 1920s and a multi-billion dollar industry by the 21st century.
Prime Minister of newly-independent Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, responds to a bus strike by the Ga people who believe they are being discriminated against for positions in the government. The Ga grievances led to riots in August. Nkrumah puts together the landmark Avoidance of Discrimination Act that bans regional and tribal-based political parties.
South Africa’s apartheid government carves another “black homeland” out of its territory, names it Bophuthatswana, and grants it “independence.” Black South Africans are to become citizens of such “countries,” leaving South Africa for white citizens only.
NITEL Tower, at 160 metres Nigeria’s tallest building, opens in Lagos. It will later be renamed Necom House, and still be the tallest building Nigeria and West Africa in 2024.
The release of the South African movie Panic Mechanic, a comedy co-written and starring Leon Schuster. The slapstick farce will become South Africa’s highest-grossing movie, and starts a series of Schuster comedies.
Tanzania’s annual tourism revenue is now US$1 billion more than a decade ago, with 1,077,058 visitors spending US$1,7 billion. In 2002, 575,000 tourists spent US$7,3 million.
Nigeria’s business magnet Aliko Dangote is named among the world’s 50 Most Influential Persons by Bloomberg Markets. He is the only African on the list.
The Museum of Black Civilisations is opened in Dakar, Senegal, by President Macky Sall. The museum highlights black cultural accomplishments throughout the world.
Life expectancy for Africans on average has increased a remarkable one-third since 1980, indicating advances in healthcare, nutrition, standards of living and other factors. In 1980, the average African life expectancy from birth was 48 years. Today, it is 64 years.
South African trade unionist and political organiser, in Uniondale, Cape Colony. He helped form one of South Africa’s first trade unions for black and mixed-race workers. His arrest in 1920 to prevent him from calling for a strike for higher wages led to the Masabalala Massacre, when a crowd demanding his release from a jail where he was kept without charge led to 24 people killed by police. An early member of the liberation party the African National Congress, he was noted for his ability to captivate listeners, speaking fluently in Xhosa, Sotho, Afrikaans and English.
Kenyan musician specialising in rumba and Benga music, in Siaya, Kenya. Singing mostly in the Dholou language, he mentored and included in his band Orchestra Limpopo International musicians from Congo, Kenya and Tanzania.
Nigerian basketball superstar, in Athens, Greece. He led his U.S. basketball team, the Bucks, to their first NBA championship in 50 years in 2021. He was the first player since LeBron James in 2016 to score 40 points in two consecutive finals games.
