One third of this year in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, is occupied by Emperor Titus’ “100 Days of Games,” which are held to open the Flavian Amphitheatre (The Coliseum). More than 5,000 animals imported from Africa are killed in staged “hunts” called venationes, including lions, leopards, crocodiles, elephants and bears from the mountains of what will become Algeria.
The first Pan-African Conference is held, in London. The delegates adopt U.S. Civil Rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois’ “Address to the Nations of the World,” which calls on governments to "acknowledge and protect the rights of people of African descent" and to respect the independence of the African countries Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Liberia. Just months into the first year of the new century, Du Bois famously predicts, “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the colour-line."
Britain’s East African Protectorate, now 25 years-old, is upgraded to colony status and renamed the Colony of Kenya. A 16 km coastal stretch remains autonomous under the authority of the Sultan of Zanzibar, but this area is designated a protectorate of the Colony of Kenya. The lives of the indigenous people whose land is occupied remain unchanged.
The Devonshire White Paper setting forth governance issues in the Kenya Colony is released by Britain’s Colonial Secretary. The position paper does not improve the lives of Africans in practical terms but does block white settlers from self-governance by stating, “The interests of the African natives must be paramount and that if those interests and the interests of the immigrant races should conflict, the former should prevail.” Had this policy not been enacted, Kenya would likely have evolved into a white-minority government like Rhodesia and South Africa.
Attended by prominent Africans in England, including future leaders like Ghana’s Jomo Kenyatta, the first meeting of the International African Friends of Abyssinia (IAFA) is held in London. Created to drum up financial and public support for Ethiopia’s defense against Italy’s invasion of the country, the organisation is one of the first with a Pan-African agenda. (pic: IAFA Chairman C.L.F. James addresses a rally at Trafalgar Square, London, 26 August 1935)
The Egyptian monarchy of King Faruk is toppled in coup d’état by army dissidents that call themselves The Free Officers, led by Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser (pic). This is done to preempt a popular revolution against Faruk by installing a “revolution from above” that will bring political stability after months of violent street riots, which resulted in the destructive Great Cairo Fire.
Egypt’s main sports stadium, the Nasser Stadium (Cairo International Stadium) opens, with a seating capacity of 75,000.
The Privy Council in London rules that the white minority government of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) is an “usurper,” and has no right to make and execute laws in the Southern African country. These rights are still held by Britain despite Rhodesia’s 1965 unilateral declaration of independence. Rhodesia’s government responds by saying it no longer recognises the Privy Council. This will prompt the resignation of Rhodesian Justice J.R. Dendy Young on 12 August. Four days later, Young will be sworn in as Chief Justice of Botswana.
Africa’s tallest building, the Carlton Centre, opens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Construction on the 50-floor building began six years ago, when several blocks in the city centre were combined into a single super-block to accommodate a skyscraper than will remain the tallest on the continent until Johannesburg’s Leonardo Tower opens in 2019.
Morocco’s King Hassan II dies – his funeral will be attended by world leaders – and he is succeeded by his son, who is crowned King Muhammad VI.
The first submarine cable system to link South Africa to Europe along Africa’s East coast, Seacom, is launched, with a length of 17,000 km.
Christian and Muslim militias at war in Central African Republic, in a conflict that has seen massive civilian casualties and ethnic cleansing, sign a ceasefire agreement in Brazzaville. U.N. agencies report that Muslim women are so terrified of venturing outside that they give birth in their homes rather than hospitals.
Zimbabwe’s economy is reeling under the impact of hyperinflation. Prices are 176% higher today than one year ago, and twice as high as in May, when inflation stood at 98%. Trillion Zimbabwean dollar banknotes are printed, and their primary worth is as a collector's item.
European missionary of Zambia’s Northern Province who convinced the Bembe people to allow him to be the first missionary in their domain, in Gesté, France. He impressed the Bembe with his medical skills and his understanding of their language and culture. On the basis of his popularity, the ruling council avoided a potentially bloody succession fight for leadership after Chief Mwamba died by asking Dupont to serve as interim chief. To avoid the feared conflict, he agreed, and skillfully managed to avoid two practices that came with the crowning of a new chief – a human sacrifice that was always made and the inheritance of the old chief’s wives. By negotiating with 33 sub-chiefs, he managed to install a new supreme chief (Chitimukulu) without civil war.
in Abyssinia (Ethiopia). In 1930 he would be crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie I, and rule Ethiopia until 1974. During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia following the Second Italo-Ethopian War, he was in exile from 1936 to 1941. His support of pan-Africanism included hosting the birth of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa in 1963.
Nigerian lawyer and politician, in Ikorodu, British Nigeria. Moving up from local to national politics, he was one of the most influential Yoruba political figures prior to Nigeria’s Independence. As the nation’s first Minister of Information, he established the Voice of Nigeria radio service, and showed how an African government can use television to communicate its policies and initiatives to the masses.
Namibian model and media entrepreneur, in Rundu, Kavango-East Region, Namibia. Drawing on his modeling career to become the Founding Director of Windhoek Fashion Week and publisher of Voigush Magazine, he then created Namibia’s first animated and puppet television series Waka Waka Moo, which has been translated into all of Namibia’s 11 languages and broadcasted internationally.
