Surprising truths about African history, science, and culture — facts you were never taught.
Did you know that Yaa Asantewaa, the Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire, led a war against British colonialism in 1900, famously declaring "If you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men. We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields."
Did you know that Queen Ndaté Yalla Mbodj, a 19th-century Senegalese queen, fiercely resisted French colonial expansion, leading her people in a valiant fight to protect their sovereignty and culture, becoming a symbol of African resistance to imperialism?
Did you know that the Ethiopian calendar is about seven years behind the Gregorian calendar and includes a unique 13th month, with its leap year celebrated every four years without exception?
Did you know that in 1803, a group of Igbo slaves in Georgia, USA, chose to drown themselves rather than endure enslavement, an event known as the Igbo Landing?
Did you know that ancient Egyptians performed complex surgeries, including brain surgery, as early as 3000 BC?
Did you know that ancient Egyptians performed complex surgeries, including brain surgery, as early as 3500 years ago?
Did you know that ancient Egyptians performed complex surgeries, including brain surgery, as early as 3000 BCE?
Did you know that Igbo Landing, in present-day Georgia, USA, is a historical site where enslaved Igbo people from Nigeria chose mass suicide over enslavement in 1803, symbolizing a powerful act of resistance?
Did you know that evidence suggests orthodontics were practiced in ancient Nubia (modern-day Sudan) as early as 3000 years ago?
Did you know that Igbo Landing on Dunbar Creek, St. Simons Island, Georgia, is a site of profound historical and spiritual significance representing the ultimate act of resistance against enslavement?
Did you know that the ancient city of Timbuktu, Mali, was home to Sankoré University, one of the world's oldest universities, dating back to the 12th century?
Did you know that Queen Amina of Zazzau, a Hausa warrior queen in present-day Nigeria during the 16th century, expanded her kingdom through military conquest and oversaw the construction of earthen walls around many cities, some of which still stand today?