Oba Esigie, the king of Benin (Nigeria) nears the end of the first year of his reign, and as required by tradition he commissions a brass commemorative head of his father, the former king, Oba Ozolua. The bust is to be placed on an altar for veneration.

The Vereeniging Peace Treaty is signed between Britain, victorious in the Second Anglo-Boer War, and the two defeated Boer Republics, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal.

Rhodes University is founded, in Grahamstown, South Africa. It bears the name of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, now deceased, because the college is made possible by a Rhodes Foundation gift of preferred stock worth £50,000 (equal to £7.8 million in 2023). The institution will become a full-fledged university in 1951, and in 2023 will have an enrollment of 7,845.

Former antogonists of the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, the two Boer Republics Orange Free State and Transvaal and the former British colonies Natal and Cape, unite as the Union of South Africa. For the first time, the country is unified as a federation. Cape Town is to serve as the Executive Capital, Pretoria as the Legislative capital, and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital. Each province erects a monumental celebration arch in its capital city. (pic: Cape Province arch).

South Africa’s four provincial railway systems and all South African harbours are now centrally controlled with the establishment of the South African Railways and Harbors Administration. The administration will also manage South Africa’s roads and pipelines, as well as the port of South West Africa (Namibia) at Lüderitz, and South African Airways from its inception in 1934 until 1997. The administration will be reorganised in 1990 and renamed Transnet.

The Afrikaans poem Die Stem Van Suid-Africa (The Call of South Africa) is composed by CJ Langenhoven. The poem becomes the lyrics to a song by the same name when music is added in 1921. The song becomes the dual national anthem of South Africa with God Save the Queen from 1938 to 1957, and with Nkosi Sikele iAfrika from 1994 to 1997, but will be the sole national anthem from 1957 to 1994. Following 1997, the song will be incorporated into a hybrid national anthem that includes portions of Nkosi Sikele iAfrika.

South Africa introduces a new national flag, based on the orange-white-blue Dutch flag of the 17th century. Small flags of Britain and the Orange Free State and Transvaal state are featured in the center. The flag will become the symbol of apartheid until it is replaced in 1994 by the flag of democratic South Africa.

The first radio service in North Africa and the Middle East, Egypt’s Radio Misr, also known as the Egyptian Radio and later known as Radio Cairo, begins broadcasting, replacing all private radio stations with an official state broadcaster. The first broadcasts opens with Sheikh Mohammad Refaat reciting the Holy Qur'an, followed by the singer Umm Kulthum. She is paid £E 25 (equal to £E 1989 in 2022). The station will go on to host the best-known Arab broadcasters of the 20^th Century.

‍

In what will be Malawi, a meeting of scholars is held in Blantyre to form the Nyasaland Cultural Society. The society's aim is to preserve both physical objects from the past but also oral histories and folklore. (pic: Blantyre Market, 1946)

The "Potato Boycott" is launched in South Africa to protest the harsh treatment of black farm labourers.

The Republic of South Africa is officially constituted, replacing the Union of South Africa and ending the reign of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as South Africa’s Head of State.

Mali introduces the National Order of Mali, the country’s top honour that will be given to individuals for outstanding achievements.

Television arrives in Tunisia with the first broadcast of state-run channel RTT. In 2011, the channel will be called El Watania 1.

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which overthrew the military regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, shows its iron hand by occupying the city Dire Dawa and executing 100 resisters. In 1979, the Mariam executed 250 people in the same city who resisted his regime.

With its apartheid regime replaced by a democratic state this month, South Africa joins the Non-Aligned Movement. Also today, diplomatic relations are established between Pretoria and Iceland, a country that was a strong critic of apartheid.

The U.S. reopens its embassy in Libya, closed since 1979, and Libya reopens its embassy in Washington.

Kenya’s largest infrastructure project since Independence, a US$3.8 billion Chinese-built railway linking Mombasa with Nairobi, opens with the first trip of the Madaraka Express.

As foreign investment booms in East Africa, the The Nairobi Securities Exchange has enjoyed 18% value growth for listed Kenyan companies during the year April 2017 to May 2018. Continued good growth is forecast through end of this year.