Lesotho becomes independent

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...

Delegates from Africa, Asia and Latin America meet to coordinate solidarity against colonialism, racism and imperialism. The conference widened Afro-Asian cooperation into a global South framework and...

While Nkrumah was abroad, military and police officers overthrew his government. The coup weakened Ghana’s role as a hub for pan-African organizing and exposed the vulnerability of state-led unity...

Botswana became independent from Britain. Its new sovereignty joined a still-expanding set of African states, while the region remained structured by apartheid South Africa and colonial rule in...

The OAU Council of Ministers adopted a resolution concerning the Coordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa. The document shows how continental diplomacy formalized support for national...

Mauritius became independent from Britain. The new state entered a continent-wide political landscape where sovereignty, labor rights and economic dependence remained intertwined; its multiethnic...

Swaziland, now Eswatini, became independent from Britain. Independence enlarged the sovereign African community, although monarchy, land and labor systems inherited from colonial rule remained central...

Equatorial Guinea became independent from Spain. Its transition expanded African self-rule beyond former British and French colonies and made visible the varied colonial languages and political...

At the close of the East and Central African summit in Lusaka, leaders issued the Manifesto on Southern Africa. It condemned racial domination and affirmed self-determination, while proposing dialogue...