Africa Timeline By smithsns 1400 Europeans made long sea voyages 1400 Africans began trading with Europeans 1500 African traders sold slaves for goods 1500 Built trading posts on African Coasts 1600 Southern and Eastern Africa Colonized 1800 Slave trading outlawed 1800 Europeans started to colonizing Africa 1900 Africans regained power 1900 Africa divided into colonies 1910 South Africa gained independence 1920 Kikuyu people started an organization for independence form Britain 1930 Ethiopia invaded by Itlaly 1940 African independence movements gained momentum 1948 South Africa Adopted Apartheid 1950 Africa Gained independence 1956 Sudan gained independence 1957 Ghana became independent 1960 Nigeria became independent 1960 More of Africa gained independence 1960 Belgium granted independence to the Belgian Congo 1962 Nelson Mandela Jailed 1963 Kenya gained independence 1965 Joseph Mobutu seized power and changed country's name to Zaire 1967 An oil rich ethnic group attempted to leave Nigeria 1990 Nelson Mandela released from jailed and apartheid ended 1994 Nelson Mandela became president 1994 Hutu military and militia groups killed Tutsis 2010 Arab Spring movement started in Tunisia 2011 Arab Spring forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign 2011 South Sudan became independent 2011 Tunisia's dictator resigned 2011 Voters approved constitution 2011 Quaddafi killed 2012 New Islamic President elected 2013 Military imprisoned Morsi