Tag Archives: Africa

1159 BC: The First Strike in History

Posted on September 7, 2020 by

In his first two decades on the throne, Ramesses III had repelled invasions, restored Egypt’s temples and re-established national pride. The court now looked forward to the king’s thirty-year jubilee, determined to stage a celebration worthy of so glorious a … Continue reading →

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1939: Revolt

Posted on June 1, 2020 by

Hale Woodruff’s murals commemorating the revolt on the Spanish slave ship Amistad were installed in Talladega College’s Savery Library in 1939, the centennial of the uprising. The first mural depicts the moment when, on or about July 1, 1839, kidnapped … Continue reading →

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15 mya: Oecophylla

Posted on May 25, 2019 by

    Up to hundreds of weaver ants…line up side by side in militarily precise rows. They grip the edge of one leaf with the claws and pads of their hindlegs and the edge of the other with their jaws and … Continue reading →

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1895: A-ka-u-ku

Posted on May 12, 2019 by

In 1895, King Njoya of the Bamum, an ethnic group from what is now western Cameroon, invented an alphabet to record the history of his people. Njoya, who traced his linaege back 16 or 17 generations of kings, was insipred … Continue reading →

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1987: Basebenzi Masimanyane

Posted on May 11, 2019 by

Congress of South African Trade Unions: 1987 Calendar In 1987, COSATU conducted a two-day strike during the general elections in May as part of its Living Wage Campaign. More than 2.5 million workers took part. Later that month, their headquarters … Continue reading →

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1964: Oh, My Mangled Head!

Posted on April 14, 2019 by

In his book Alice in Many Tongues (1964), Warren Weaver spends the last chapter using a curious method to evaluate various translations of Alice in Wonderland. He takes the same passage from each translation—a portion of the Mad Tea-Party—and asks … Continue reading →

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170 AD: Memnon

Posted on November 25, 2018 by

Portrait of Memnon: Greek, c. 170 AD Memnon was the pupil, protégé, and adopted son of Herodes Atticus, a Greek aristocrat and sophist who served as a senator of the Roman Empire. He was named after the mythological Ethiopian king … Continue reading →

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2017: How Dogs Vote

Posted on November 7, 2018 by

African wild dogs vote by sneezing: African wild dogs exhibit dominant-directed group living and take part in stereotyped social rallies: high energy greeting ceremonies that occur before collective movements. Not all rallies result in collective movements, for reasons that are … Continue reading →

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1974: Author Awarded Avocado

Posted on September 4, 2018 by

The opening of Walter Abish’s 1974 novel, Alphabetical Africa: Ages ago, Alex, Allen and Alva arrived at Antibes, and Alva allowing all, allowing anyone, against Alex’s admonition, against Allen’s angry assertion: another African amusement . . . anyhow, as all … Continue reading →

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2010: Johannesburg

Posted on August 18, 2018 by

Zanele Muholi: Mbala Zulu, KwaThema, Springs, Johannesburg, 2010

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