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642
642 AD: (Arabs conquered Egypt)
With the conquering of Egypt by the Arabs, Egypt is converted to Islam. The Arabs bring many things with them, including the concept of slavery to the Egyptian people. The conquering of Egypt proved to give in to monumental impact of Africa’s history, due to slavery, the introduction of Islam, and every effect because of those factors. -
700
700 AD: (Arabs start a slave trade to send slaves to Europe and Asia, Kanem is founded)
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Arabs initiate a slave trade that sends sub-Saharan Africans to both Europe and Asia. More than 14 million Africans are sold here between the years of 700 and 1910. Islam also spreads further throughout Northern Africa. Kanem is also founded, where the Kanem-Bornu Empire will becomes the longest lasting empire known to African history. -
800
800 AD: (Great Benin Walls)
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In 800 AD, the Great Benin Walls are built. These walls would become the longest man-made structure on Earth. The Walls were used as a defense of Benin City, now the capital of present-day Edo State of Nigeria. The Benin Walls were ravaged by the British in 1897 during the Punitive expedition. The remains reside in Edo, with a majority of them being used by locals for building expeditions and real estate developments. -
1324
1324 AD: (Mansa Musa and Islam)
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Mansa Musa was a ruler of Mali, in the west African empire. He made pilgrimage to Mecca to show off his great wealth. He is credited as being the wealthiest man in earth’s history. On his journey, he brought with him more than 1,000 people and 100 camel loads of gold, of which he gave away to some people. He built homes in Alexandria, which helped fuel the myth that Africa was home to extreme amounts of gold. -
Period: 1500 to
1500-1880 AD: (Atlantic Slave Trade)
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Around 10 and 12 million African slaves were brutally moved from Africa to the Americas, and around 20% of those people died during the journey across the Atlantic. Almost half of the slaves went to the Caribbean, 40% to Brazil, and the remaining were imported to the U.S. Africans were captured by their own people to the Europeans in exchange for goods like textiles, guns, or metal tools. -
1509
1509 AD: (Christianity in the Kongo Empire)
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In 1509, Christianity became the state religion of the Kongo Empire. In 1491, King Nzinga converted to Christianity and urged the Kongo nobility and peasant classes to follow suit. From the time of Nzinga’s conversion until the 17th century, the Kongo leadership engaged in communications with religious and political leaders from Europe. This included the members of the Vatican, who accepted the Kongo church as orthodox. -
1745 AD: (Olaudah Equiano)
Olaudah Equiano was the first black African slave to write about his experiences as a slave. His book ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano‘ played a pivotal role in turning public opinion in Britain against slavery. During that time, it was becoming more and more popular for former slaves to write about their experiences and publish works like novels or poetry. -
1797 AD: (British troops war with Xhosa)
British troops in the Cape Colony start a war with Xhosa, which leads to a series of wars for expansion that eventually results in the conquest of the entirety of South Africa. A couple years after this, the Scramble of Africa occurs, of which this event could be seen as a direct causation. Africa had been affected by colonization of many decades, but because of several factors, like myths of gold and allusions to profit, colonizers “scrambled” for possession of Africa. -
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1859-1869 AD: (The Suez Canal is built in Egypt)
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The canal was under the control of the British, beginning in 1875. The canal was heavily sought after; the canal promises a boom for the economy and opportunity for national benefits. The British had control over it until the Arab nationalist, Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized it in 1956. This sparked a failed British, Israeli, and French invasion, which made Nasser and the canal national symbols of pride. -
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1880s-1914 AD: (The Scramble for Africa) (0:00-3:30)
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The Scramble for Africa was a period of European claims to territory in Africa. Europeans reasoned that by colonizing Africa, they were allowing civilization to a continent they looked down upon as undeveloped. However, colonization was driven by economic and commercial interests; Europe benefited from exploitation of Africa.The colonial powers left economies made to benefit them; for example, crops grown required processing in Europe. -
1934 AD: (First political party)
First mass political party formed in Africa, by the name of The Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM). J.C. Vaughn, Ernest Ikoli, H.O. Davies, and Samuel Akinsanya founded the Nigerian Youth Movement. It was the first Nigerian nationalist organization to promote politics outside of the capital. It was also the first organization to emphasize national agreement over racial divisions, specifically the Igbo and Yoruba ethnic groups. -
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1948-1991 AD: (Apartheid)
Apartheid is the policy of segregation based on race. The 1913 Land Act, passed after South Africa acquired independence, marked the beginning of segregation by forcing black Africans to live in reserves and making it illegal to work as sharecroppers. Over the years, resistance to apartheid took several forms, from non-violent protests, strikes to cause political action and eventually, armed protests. -
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1967-1970 AD: (Nigerian Civil War)
Five weeks after secession from Nigeria, the Republic of Biafra is attacked by Nigerian forces. In 1960, Nigeria became independent from Britain, and six years after, Muslim Hausas in Nigeria began to spill the blood of Christian Igbos. This caused thousands of Igbos to flee east and form the Republic of Biafra to secure their safety from the Nigerian government and the Hausas. War broke out between the two - Nigeria and Biafra - and ended with Nigerian forces capturing the capital of Owerri. -
1974 AD: (Oldest hominid skeleton found)
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The semi-complete skeleton of "Lucy" was found in Omo Valley, Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy is a hominid that is 3.2 million years old, and represents 40% of a female hominid species, Australopithecus afarensis. She was discovered by paleoanthropologist, Donald Johanson. She had a mixture of human and ape features, and stood at three and a half feet tall. She was named after the Beatles’ song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” -
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May, 10 1994 AD - June 14, 1999 AD: (Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s First Black President)
Nelson Mandela helped bring an end to apartheid and was a global advocate for human rights. He was a member of the African National Congress party during the 1940s, and was a leader of protest against white minority’s oppressive regime. His actions resulting in him going to prison for three decades and made him the face of the anti-apartheid movement, nationally and internationally. Released in 1990, he aided in the end of apartheid and became the first black president of South Africa. -
2002 AD: African Union)
The African Union is the alliance of 53 African states with a goal of advancing Africa. The values center around improving the standard of life, advancing research in technology and science, and eliminating the remnants of colonialism. In comparison to the former organization, the OAU, the AU has a stronger focus on economic and political integration of Africa and plays a better role in settling disputes among members. The headquarters of the organization are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
