John Hanson arrives in Monrovia, Liberia from the U.S. where he was enslaved before purchasing his freedom. He will engage in commerce, and be elected to the Senate in Liberia’s first elections, where he will focus on the country’s economic development.
The uprising of the Herero people of Namibia against oppressive German colonial rule ends with the one-sided Battle of Waterberg. Herero warriors and their families have gathered there after being promised peace negotiations with the Germans. Instead, they are attacked with machine guns and cannon. Germany has put in place a policy of genocide against the Herero. In 2023, Namibia will be pursuing legal action against Germany.
Kiosks offering weather protection to users of coin-operated public telephones are sprouting up around South Africa, shaped like sentry boxes. By the 1980s, the South African Post Office will operate 200,000 payphones around the country, with glass and metal kiosks.
Chad achieves national independence, from France. The capital is N’Djamena. The national population is 3,002,000.
After withstanding police torture following their arrests on charges of fomenting violent revolution against the white minority government of South Africa, African National Congress liberation party members Arthur Goldreich (pic), Abdulhay Jassat, Moosa Moolla and Harold Wolpe escape jail by bribing a guard. The four have been segregated from the black activists who have also been arrested, because apartheid laws of racial separation extend to jails. The four men flee the country, and the Rivonia Trial will commence with the remaining 11 defendants, including anti-apartheid leaders Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu.
The worst air disaster to date in Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) happens as an Air Mali flight from Bamako, Mali diverts to Ouagadougou due to bad weather. Because of a navigational error by the crew, the plane runs out of fuel and makes a forced landing, killing 47 of the 60 people on board.
The first Moroccan man earns an Olympics medal, three days after the first Moroccan woman won an Olympics medal (Nawal El Outawakel, who won the Women’s 400 metre hurdles). Saïd Aouita captures a gold medal in the Men’s 5,000 metres at the Summer Olympic Games.
The Baby Eagles, Nigeria's football team of players under sixteen years of age, wins the final to become the first champion of the FIFA U-16 World Cup, held in China. Nigeria’s team will also be the U-16 champions in 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.
An indication that South Africa’s apartheid system of white supremacy is coming to an end: Ismael Mahomed becomes the first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa.
The Cape Town anti-crime organisation People Against Gangs and Drugs holds simultaneous rallies throughout South Africa as its nationwide support grows. However, fears also grow that PAGAD is behaving like extra-legal vigilantes, and tension exists with police.
Liberian President Charles Taylor resigns, a condition set by the rebel forces to agree to a cease-fire on 29 July. This will end the Second Liberian Civil War. Taylor will go into exile in Nigeria, and will be later tried in Liberia for war crimes.
Africa's lion population is declining with other wildlife due to habitat loss. Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit names only six African countries with lion populations over 1000: Tanzania: - 8,176, South Africa- 2,070, Kenya - 1,825, Zimbabwe - 1,709, Mozambique - 1,295. and Zambia - 1,095.
First president of Seychelles (1976-1977), in Victoria, British Seychelles. A well-respected statesman and author, his brief presidency was ended by a coup d’état while he was overseas.
Senegalese rapper and pioneer in Francophone West African hip-hop, in Dakar, Senegal. As hip-hop emerged as a new music genre in the 1980s, he formed the popular group Syndikat. In 1989, he repositioned his music with the goal of promoting a positive image of Africa, and formed the group Positive Black Soul.
