Many Africa countries that had been colonised by European countries got independence in the fifties and sixties.
Who were the founding presidents by country?
By 1963 the emerging Africa leaders were inspired enough by the new gained freedom to start talking Pan-Africanism. The states of Africa sought through a political collective a means of preserving and consolidating their independence and pursuing the ideals of African unity. Unfortunately, two rival camps emerged with opposing views about how these goals could best be achieved. The Casablanca Group, led by PresidentKwame Nkrumah (1909–1972) of Ghana, backed radical calls for political integration and the creation of a supranational body. The moderate Monrovia Group, led by Emperor Haile Selassie (1892–1975) of Ethiopia, advocated a loose association of sovereign states that allowed for political cooperation at the intergovernmental level. The latter view prevailed. The OAU was therefore based on the “sovereign equality of all Member States,” as stated in its charter.
Ethiopia is usually considered to have never been colonized, but following the invasion by Italy in 1935-36 Italian settlers arrived. Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed and went into exile in the UK. He regained his throne on 5 May 1941 when he re-entered Addis Ababa with his troops. Italian resistance was not completely overcome until 27th November 1941.
Guinea-Bissau made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence on Sept. 24, 1973, now considered as Independence Day. However, independence was only recognized by Portugal on 10 September 1974 as a result of the Algiers Accord of Aug. 26, 1974.
Western Sahara was immediately seized by Morocco, a move contested by Polisario (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio del Oro).
African Countries and their Independence Days.
Brief History of colonization: In the 17th century AD, European countries scrambled for and partitioned Africa. This continued until around 1905, by which time all the lands and resources of the continent of Africa had been completely divided and colonized by European countries. The only country that couldn’t be colonized due to strong resistance by the indegines was Ethiopia, and Liberia which was a place for freed slaves from the Americas.
Independence: The struggle for independence started after world war II. This led to the independence of the Union of South Africa in 1931 through negatiations with the British empire and Libya in 1951 from Italy; followed by others in the late 1950s. The road to African independence was very hard and tortuous often through bloody fights, revolts and assasinations. For example; Britain unilatearlly granted “The Kingdom of Egypt” independence on Feb. 22nd 1922 after a series of revolts, but continued to interfere in government. More violent revolts led to the signing of the Anglo-Egyptian treaty in 1936 and a coupe detat tagged Egyptian Revolution in 1952 finally culminated in the Egyptian Republic declaration of June 18th; 1953. The peak year for independence came in 1960 when about 17 countries gained independence. These independence days are now celebrated as national day holidays in most countries of Africa.
List of all African countries and their Independence Days, colonial names and former colonizers.
10 February – A conference about the independence of the Belgian Congo begins in Brussels.
29 February–1 March – The 5.7 MwAgadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
14 September – Colonel Joseph Mobutu takes power in Congo (Leopoldville) in a military coup.
20 September – Dahomey, Upper Volta, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville), Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia, Togo, Mali and Senegal obtain membership in the United Nations.
22 September – Mali declares independence from the Mali federation.
9 December – French President Charles de Gaulle’s visit to Algeria is marked by bloody riots by European and Muslim mobs in Algeria’s largest cities, killing 127 people.
13 December – While Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia visits Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard revolts unsuccessfully against his rule. The rebels proclaim the emperor’s son, Crown Prince Asfa Wossen, as Emperor.
17 December – Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia suppress the revolt that began 13 December, giving power back to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
How to confirm your political party membership If you suspect that you have been fraudulently registered as a member of a political party or you are a member of a political party but the party barons are refusing your participation in the party affairs, then you can…
IEBC Commissioners demanded a re-run Chebukati claims Electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati now says that the four commissioners who broke ranks over the declaration of the presidential election results had unsuccessfully pushed for a re-run. In a statement, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) boss said the four…
Why it is critical to start saving for retirement early It’s too early for me to start saving for retirement!” is the biggest lie many 20-something year olds keep telling themselves. The fact remains, the earlier you start saving for retirement the more money you will have when you eventually…
Chicken Agribusiness What is chicken farming as an Agribusiness? Keeping chicken for purposes of selling them later or for the purpose of selling chicken products is what is termed as an agribusiness. This definition can also be extended to running a business…
Intimate Questions to ask your boyfriend Discussing sex with your partner is difficult. But it can be fun when done the right way and at the right time. Let the question not sound like accusations or interrogations but something you genuinely want to know so that…
Basis of the Azimio Petition The main basis of the Azimio petition seeking to nullify the results of the August 9 presidential election is that none of the candidates achieved the Constitutional threshold of 50 percent plus one vote. In the court papers , Odinga…
