OAU adopts the African Refugee Convention

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...

Nkrumah dies in Bucharest after his 1966 overthrow. His writing and advocacy for continental federation remained influential, while his rule and the limits of state-led unity are debated. Recording...

On the OAU’s tenth anniversary, heads of state endorsed an African declaration on cooperation, development and economic independence. It linked political liberation to collective economic...

A military revolt in Portugal overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo government. The regime change accelerated negotiations to end Portuguese rule in Africa, after long armed struggles by Angolan,...

The congress convenes in Tanzania, reconnecting formal Pan-African congresses with liberation struggles and debates over political economy. It included organizations and activists from Africa and...

Mozambique became independent after FRELIMO’s armed struggle and negotiations following the 1974 Portuguese revolution. Independence was a major liberation victory, but conflict, settler flight and...