Tanganyika and Zanzibar unite as Tanzania

Nigeria becomes independent from Britain. Its size, population and regional diversity made the new state an important actor in continental diplomacy and liberation support, while internal colonial...

The UN General Assembly admits seventeen African states in a single session, sharply increasing African representation. Their entry changed debates on colonialism and racial rule and helped African...

Leaders meet in Belgrade to pursue an international course outside the major Cold War blocs. The movement drew on Bandung and overlapped with Pan-African priorities of sovereignty and anticolonial...

Women activists establish the continental organization in Dar es Salaam to support liberation struggles and advance women’s political participation. Its founding counters histories that treat...

Thirty-two independent African states establish the OAU in Addis Ababa. Its charter commits members to African unity, sovereignty and the eradication of colonialism. The date also became Africa...

Malawi became independent from British rule. Political independence expanded African representation in continental institutions, while the colonial economy and inherited borders continued to shape the...

At the OAU’s first ordinary summit, heads of state adopted decisions addressing apartheid and support for liberation movements. The diplomatic position reflected an uneven but consequential effort...

Zambia became independent with Kenneth Kaunda as president. Its position on the frontline of white minority rule in southern Africa made it a key host and supporter of liberation movements, while...

The Gambia achieved independence from Britain. Its transition added another sovereign African state to continental diplomacy, although political sovereignty did not by itself undo colonial economic...

At its Accra session, the OAU Assembly considered the Liberation Committee’s report and adopted a resolution on its structure. The committee coordinated assistance to liberation movements, but its...