Christian Frederick Cole – The First Black Graduate of the University of Oxford and England’s First Black Barrister

Christian Frederick Cole was a Sierra Leonean lawyer who became an historical icon after becoming the first African barrister to practice in England and the first black African student to study at the University of Oxford.

The fascinating story of Emperor Menelik II and his “Lion Corps”

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia faced numerous challenges, including conflicts with neighboring regions and European colonial powers. During this time, transportation of supplies and ammunition to support his forces during battles was a crucial concern. Seeking a unique solution, Menelik II came up with an unconventional idea: employing lions as “soldiers” to carry loads.

Biography of Ella Koblo Gulama: The First Elected Female Member of Parliament In Sierra Leone

Madam Ella Koblo Gulama MBE; OBE, MRSL was the first elected female member of parliament in Sierra Leone and the first woman to hold a ministerial position in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Katrin Esau: Last remaining speaker of South Africa’s oldest language

Katrina Esau, popularly called Ouma [meaning grandmother] is the last survivor of South Africa’s oldest language, Njuu. At 88-year-old, grandmother Esau is working very hard and smart to ensure the preservation and survival of the Njuu language.

Meet Lati Hyde-Forster, MBE: The First Woman To Graduate From Fourah Bay College

Latilewa Christiana Hyde was born on 14 June 1911, in Freetown, British Sierra Leone.

King Almamy Suluku: One of The Smartest Sierra Leonean Kings In History And One of The Most Influential In African History

In celebration of Black History, The African Dream celebrate King Almamy Suluku one of the greatest kings in African history who, during the British rule in Sierra Leone managed to maintain his independence as long as possible through political strategy. His progressive rule made his kingdom one of the largest as well as one of the richest in Sierra Leone.

King Nyagua: The Mende King From Sierra Leone Who Defied Orders From British Colonialists, Arrested For Treason And Sent Into Exile

In celebration of Black History Month, we celebrate King Nyagua, who was a wise, friendly and well respected Mende king who defied orders from British colonialists, thus making him one of the few independent kings of his time.

The Door of No Return: How 20 Million Africans Passed Through This Door As Slaves To The Americas And Europe

Goree Island, home to ‘The Door of No Return’, is a tiny 45-acre island that is located approximately 3 kilometres (2 miles) off the coast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The Island is home to one of the oldest sites of European settlement on the African coast, and once the center of the West African slave trade with an estimated 20 million Africans passing through the Island between 1536-1848 to work on plantations in Europe and the Americas.

Mansa Musa: The African King Who Re-defined Wealth

Mansa Musa’s ascent to power was of pure circumstance as the incumbent, King Abu Bakr 11 got lost at sea on an expedition across the Atlantic Ocean. It so follows that Musa 1 inherited an already robust kingdom teeming with natural resources such as salt, gold and ivory. It was as a result of Musa Keita’s brilliance and design, however, that the Kingdom expanded to legendary status.

On this day in history, one of Africa’s most vocal critics of colonialism, and imperialism was born

On this day in history, one of Africa’s most vocal critics of colonialism, anticolonial leader, Pan-Africanist and the first Prime Minister of the newly Independent Congo at the age of thirty-five, Patrice Emery Lumumba, was born in 1925 in Onalua in the Katakokombe region of the Kasai province of the Belgian Congo.