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1806

The Battle of Cape Town is fought, and won by British forces, who defeat Bavarian forces that control the colony.

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1806

1912

The founding in Bloemfontein, South Africa of the South African Native National Congress (renamed the African National Congress in 1923) to counter discrimination against black people in the Union of South Africa. The South African liberation song and future national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika is sung for the first time at this meeting.

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1912

1919

South Africa’s wine cooperative the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika, or KWV South Africa, is formed to unite wine makers and improve wine quality. Creating a global awareness of South African wine and brandy (all its products are exported and none are sold locally), KWV will control the wine industry during apartheid era, ensuring that black wine makers have no place in the industry. Losing its monopoly when apartheid ends in the 1990s, the co-operative will be restructured as a business.

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1919

1950

A general strike in Gold Coast (Ghana) is led by Kwame Nkrumah. The strike's goal is to press the British colonial government to convene a constituent assembly to write a national constitution.

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1950

1961

The brutality of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo sees government forces mutilating before executing all the prisoners of war they have captured in the fighting at Manono.

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1961

1970

Reading defeat in the Nigerian Civil War, Biafra leader Odumegwu Ojukwu advises his cabinet to negotiate a peace agreement, and then he goes into exile in Côte d’Ivoire.

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1970

1993

A declassified report from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency confirms that South Africa’s apartheid regime tested a nuclear weapon off its Atlantic coast in 1979, developed with the aid of Israel. However, a former senior Israeli intelligence official says it was an Israeli weapon that was tested. South Africa’s Atomic Energy Corporation has long denied the existence of a nuclear program.

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1993

2010

Militants seeking independence for the Angolan province Cabinda attack an army convoy that is escorting a bus transporting Togo’s national football team. The Togo team is on its way to Cabinda to play a match of the Africa Cup of Nations championship, which is being hosted by Angola. The militants machine-gun the bus, killing the bus driver, the team’s assistant manager and media officer, and seriously injuring several players.

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2010

2014

The first multi-party elections in Puntland, 16 years after the region was established as an autonomous state within the Somalia Federation, results in an upset defeat of incumbent President Abdirahman Farole by former Somalia Prime Minister Abdiweli-Mohamed Ali.

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2014

Births

1923
Ousmane Sembène

Senegalese film director, producer and screenplay writer, in Ziguinchor, Casamance, French West Africa. Considered Senegal’s greatest director, he authored several groundbreaking novels before going into film, such as his 1956 debut novel The Black Docker that dealt with racism and xenophobia faced by black Africans and immigrants in France. His Wolof-language films included his 1968 directorial debut Mandabi and the award-winning 1977 classic Ceddo.

1978
Abbas Kubaff (Andrew Kabiru Karuku)

Kenyan rapper, in Nairobi, Kenya. As part of the rap group K-South in 1995 and continuing solo in 2006 with the album Angabanga, he was a major influencer of East Africa’s Hip-Hop music scene.

1980
Kemi Adetiba

Nigerian filmmaker. After a career as a radio then TV presenter, she directed videos for several top Nigerian musicians. Her debut feature film The Wedding Party opened the Toronto Film Festival in 2016, followed by two other successful romantic comedies.

1985
Mohamed Sissoko

Malian footballer, in Mont-Saint-Aigan, France. Considered the second best footballer in Mali history behind Salif KeÏta, he could have played for France, where he was born, but chose to be defensive midfielder for Mali’s national team. During his 17-year professional career, he starred for several teams.