The forces of Islamic fundamentalist Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi, who has proclaimed a jihad on Egypt, capture Khartoum from British colonial forces. His men decapitate the British commander, General George Gordon. Al-Mahdi will continue to drive Anglo-Egyptian forces out of Sudan. Every building in Khartoum is destroyed, including beautiful examples of Ottoman Empire architecture. Women are raped, and forced to divorce their black African husbands.
The Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats, is discovered in Cullinan, South Africa, on land taken from the Pedi people by the British in 1879. The diamond like the town where the mine is located is named after Thomas Cullinan, the mine's chairman. The stone will be given to King Edward II as a gift on his birthday in 1907.
The first visit by a U.S. President to a sub-Saharan African country is made by Franklin Roosevelt on an informal two-day trip to Liberia. He meets with Liberian President Edwin Barclay.
The release of Pop-Pie a LaMode, the latest of the globally-popular Popeye cartoons from Hollywood, and another of the series that shows Africans as primitive, comical cannibals scheming to eat the sailorman. Popeye defeats the head cannibal, who runs a hotel, and becomes the tribe’s king. Just as many Africans call toothpaste “Colgate” and vacuum cleaners “Hoovers” – after the first brands of these products introduced to the market – animated cartoons are known in Bantu languages as “Baphophayi” (“the Popeyes”), and small children are often called Baphophayi because they love cartoons.
The Cairo Fire is caused by anti-European rioting in response to the killing of 50 striking Egyptian policemen by British troops yesterday (25 January) in Ismalia. In a seemingly organised effort (the perpetrators will never be known), a large section of the city – 750 buildings – are looted and burned, including the Cairo Opera House. The violence has an anti-monarchial element, and is a prelude to the Egyptian Revolution that will topple King Farouk I in July.
Somalia dictator since 1974, Siad Barre flees Mogadishu in a tank for the Kenya border after militant and non-violent groups work together to oust his regime during the Somali Rebellion. He will die in Nigeria in 1995, never held accountable for the hundreds of thousands of Somalis killed under his rule.
Tunisia’s government issues an international arrest warrant for former dictator Zine el Abdine Ben Ali, forced by a popular uprising to leave the country two days ago (24 January). All his assets are seized abroad, to be distributed to the Tunisian people. Interpol will issue an arrest warrant for Ben Ali on 28 January.
A survey of social media finds that Africa’s most-active users of the social networking app Twitter are South Africans, followed by Kenyans, Nigerians, Egyptians and Moroccans.
Moroccan-made cars are expanding intra-African trade, finds World Economic Forum report. Morocco is the leading African source of cars now sold in Africa. 2020 sales of US$11 billion accounted for 25% of Morocco's total exports. 3% of all intra-Africa trade originates from Morocco.
Central African explorer and founder of Brazzaville, in Rome. He established a settlement in French Congo on the Congo River, which he named after himself. Made capital of the colony, the town would not have its name changed when the Republic of the Congo gained independence. As one of only four African countries that did not change its capital’s name upon independence, the nation is usually called Congo-Brazzaville. Unlike most Europeans who were well-armed and arrogant conquerors, Brazza insisted on travelling unarmed, and had a friendly manner that made him popular with the Africans he met. When French companies arrived to exploit and mistreat the Congolese, he objected but was tragically powerless to stop the malpractices.
South African anthropologist, in Johannesburg, Union of South Africa. He used the discipline of anthropology for anti-colonial political activism. Focusing on inequality and oppression, he merged Marxist theory into the British school of structural-functionalism to create a timely, relevant means of understanding human interactions and social changes wrought by colonialism in Africa.
Cabo Verdean-descended singer and composer, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, U.S. He spoke Cabo Verdean creole growing up. Congenital glaucoma left him blind by age 20. Cabo Verdean music flavoured his own compositions, which became hits for various recording artists. He performed his 1977 hit Jet Airliner himself on the U.S. TV show Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2001.
Ivorian DJ and singer, in Yopougon, Côte d’Ivoire. One of the most popular artistes in Francophone countries when he died at age33 in a motorcycle accident, he was a star in the percussive Côte d’Ivoire pop music genre coupé-décalé.
