Portugal’s Carnation Revolution opens the way to decolonization

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...

The OAU adopted a regional convention addressing the specific causes and consequences of refugee displacement in Africa, including colonialism, racial conflict and liberation struggles. It asserted...

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...

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...

Cabo Verde became independent from Portugal. The achievement reflected anticolonial organizing linked to Guinea-Bissau and demonstrated the transnational character of liberation movements across...

The Comorian parliament declared independence from France. The subsequent dispute over Mayotte and French control illustrates how decolonization could leave sovereignty contested across islands and...

São Tomé and Príncipe became independent from Portugal after the collapse of Portuguese dictatorship and negotiations with the liberation movement. The date marked sovereignty, while the plantation...