BAH Giants Book of Record

Black African History Book of Records

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We are constantly searching to celebrate vibrant, skilled, innovative, and successful Black African creative mindsets who have made history in their careers.

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Celebrating Black African History Icon

Politics & Activism

Martin Luther King Jr.

African American civil rights leader who championed racial equality through nonviolent activism. Famous for his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Nelson Mandela

South Africa’s first Black president and anti-apartheid revolutionary. Spent 27 years in prison before leading the nation to democracy.

Barack Obama

First African American U.S. president (2009–2017). Known for healthcare reform and global diplomacy.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

First African woman to lead the World Trade Organization (WTO). Former Nigerian finance minister and global economic expert.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Award-winning Nigerian author of Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Advocate for feminism and African storytelling.

Entertainment & Music

Burna Boy

Grammy-winning Nigerian Afrobeats artist known for hits like Ye and Last Last.

Wizkid

Nigerian music superstar behind global hits like Essence and Ojuelegba.

Angelique Kidjo

Beninese singer and activist. Multiple Grammy winner blending African rhythms with global sounds.

Tiwa Savage

Leading Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter. Known as the "Queen of Afrobeats.

Trevor Noah

South African comedian and former host of The Daily Show. Advocate for social justice and equality.

Davido

Nigerian Afrobeats star with global hits like Fall and If.

Youssou N'Dour

Senegalese music legend known for 7 Seconds and promoting African culture globally.

Fela Kuti

Nigerian pioneer of Afrobeat music and political activist.

Black Coffee

South African Grammy-winning DJ and producer.

Miriam Makeba

South African singer and anti-apartheid activist known as "Mama Africa.

K’naan

Somali-Canadian rapper famous for Wavin’ Flag, the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem.

Diamond Platnumz

Tanzanian music star and one of Africa’s most celebrated artists.

Sports

Didier Drogba

Ivorian football legend and former Chelsea striker. Advocate for peace in Ivory Coast.

Samuel Eto’o

Cameroonian football icon. Played for Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Mohamed Salah

Egyptian football star. Key player for Liverpool and the Egyptian national team.

Eliud Kipchoge

Kenyan marathon world record holder and Olympic gold medalist.

Serena Williams

Tennis legend with African roots. One of the greatest athletes of all time.

Chioma Ajunwa

First Nigerian woman to win Olympic gold (1996, long jump).

Corrie Sanders

South African boxer. First African to win a heavyweight championship (2003).

Fela Kuti

Nigerian pioneer of Afrobeat music and political activist.

Black Coffee

South African Grammy-winning DJ and producer.

Sadio Mané

Senegalese football star. Former Liverpool forward and African Footballer of the Year.

Francis Ngannou

Cameroonian MMA fighter. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Kanu Nwankwo

Nigerian football legend. Played for Arsenal and the Nigerian national team.

Entertainment & Film

John Boyega

British-Nigerian actor known for Star Wars and The Woman King.

Lupita Nyong’o

Kenyan-Mexican actress. Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave.

Danai Gurira

Zimbabwean-American actress. Known for Black Panther and The Walking Dead.

Yvonne Orji

Nigerian-American actress and comedian. Star of Insecure.

Omar Sy

French-Senegalese actor. Known for Lupin and The Intouchables.

Djimon Hounsou

Beninese actor. Oscar-nominated for Blood Diamond and Gladiator.

Thuso Mbedu

South African actress. Star of The Woman King and The Underground Railroad.

Edi Gathegi

Kenyan-American actor. Known for Twilight and X-Men: First Class.

Fashion & Modeling

Iman

Somali supermodel and entrepreneur. Founder of IMAN Cosmetics.

Adut Akech

South Sudanese-Australian supermodel. Face of Chanel and Dior.

Alek Wek

South Sudanese-British model. Redefined global beauty standards.

Literature & Activism

Wole Soyinka

Nigerian playwright and Nobel Prize winner (1986). Advocate for human rights.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Kenyan author. Known for Petals of Blood and advocating for African languages.

Leymah Gbowee

Liberian peace activist. Nobel Peace Prize winner for ending Liberia’s civil war.

Wangari Maathai

Kenyan environmentalist. Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Green Belt Movement

Billionaires & Business Magnates

Aliko Dangote (Nigeria)

Africa’s richest man, founder of “Dangote Group”, with businesses in cement, sugar, and oil.

Mike Adenuga (Nigeria)

Billionaire businessman, founder of “Globacom”, a major telecommunications company in Africa

Patrice Motsepe (South Africa)

Billionaire mining magnate, owner of “African Rainbow Minerals” and president of CAF (African football).

Strive Masiyiwa (Zimbabwe)

Founder of “Econet Group”, a leading telecoms and technology company in Africa.

Nassef Sawiris (Egypt)

Billionaire businessman, owner of “Orascom Construction” and a major investor in Adidas.

Mohamed Mansour (Egypt)

Billionaire investor and head of “Mansour Group”, with interests in automotive, retail, and finance.

Tech & Innovation

Tunde Kehinde (Nigeria)

Co-founder of “Lori Systems”, a digital logistics platform in Africa.

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (Nigeria)

Co-founder of “Flutterwave”, a billion-dollar fintech company.

Rebecca Enonchong (Cameroon)

Tech entrepreneur and founder of “AppsTech”, a global enterprise software company.

Jason Njoku (Nigeria)

Founder of “iROKOtv”, Africa’s Netflix-style streaming service.

Fred Swaniker (Ghana)

– Founder of “African Leadership Group”, which focuses on developing Africa’s future leaders.

Mohamed Mansour (Egypt)

Billionaire investor and head of “Mansour Group”, with interests in automotive, retail, and finance.

Banking & Finance

Tony Elumelu (Nigeria)

– Chairman of “United Bank for Africa (UBA)” and founder of the “Tony Elumelu Foundation”, promoting entrepreneurship in Africa.

Jim Ovia (Nigeria)

Founder of “Zenith Bank”, one of Nigeria’s biggest financial institutions.

Koos Bekker (South Africa)

Billionaire investor and media mogul, chairman of “Naspers”, a global tech and media giant.

Dare Okoudjou (Benin)

Founder of “MFS Africa”, a leading digital payments company.

Retail & Manufacturing

Folorunsho Alakija (Nigeria)

Billionaire businesswoman with interests in oil, fashion, and real estate.

Tabitha Karanja (Kenya)

Founder of “Keroche Breweries”, Kenya’s first homegrown brewery.

Mitchell Elegbe (Nigeria)

Founder of “Interswitch”, a multi-billion-dollar fintech company in Africa.

Mohammed Dewji (Tanzania)

Billionaire CEO of “MeTL Group”, with investments in manufacturing, agriculture, and energy.

Vusi Thembekwayo (South Africa)

Entrepreneur and motivational speaker, founder of “MyGrowthFund”, which supports African startups.

Black African literary icons

Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)

Author of “Things Fall Apart”, one of the most influential African novels.

Wole Soyinka (Nigeria)

– First African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1986), known for “Death and the King’s Horseman”.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Kenya)

Renowned author of “Petals of Blood” and “Decolonising the Mind”, a strong advocate for African languages.

Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)

Nobel Prize-winning writer, known for “Burger’s Daughter”, focused on apartheid.

Modern & Contemporary African Writers

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)

Award-winning author of “Half of a Yellow Sun”, “Americanah”, and “We Should All Be Feminists”.

Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe)

Writer of “Nervous Conditions”, the first published novel in English by a Black Zimbabwean woman.

Ben Okri (Nigeria)

Booker Prize-winning author of “The Famished Road”, known for magical realism.

Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)

Author of “The Memory of Love”, which explores post-war Sierra Leone.

Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya)

Known for his satirical essay “How to Write About Africa” and memoir*One Day I Will Write About This Place”.

Sefi Atta (Nigeria)

Writer of “Everything Good Will Come”, exploring gender and politics in Nigeria.

Teju Cole (Nigeria)

Author of “Open City”, a deep literary exploration of identity and migration.

Warsan Shire (Somalia)

Poet whose work was featured in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”, known for Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth.

Poets & Spoken Word Artists

Warsan Shire (Somalia)

Poet whose work was featured in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”, known for Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth.

Léopold Sédar Senghor (Senegal)

Poet, politician, and philosopher, co-founder of the “Négritude movement”.

Christopher Okigbo (Nigeria)

One of Africa’s most celebrated poets, known for “Labyrinths”.

Niyi Osundare (Nigeria)

Award-winning poet and academic, known for his activism through poetry.

Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica)

Poet and literary critic, known for “Wisteria” and ‘Duppy Conqueror”.

African-American Writers of African Descent

Toni Morrison (USA, African descent)

Nobel Prize-winning author of “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye”.

James Baldwin (USA, African descent)

Influential writer on race, identity, and politics (The Fire Next Time).

Maya Angelou (USA, African descent)

Poet and activist, famous for “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”.

Ta-Nehisi Coates (USA, African descent)

Author of Between the World and Me, exploring race in America.

Law and human rights

Fatou Bensouda (The Gambia)

Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) (2012–2021).

Chile Eboe-Osuji (Nigeria)

Former President of the ICC, known for advocating international justice.

Sophia Akuffo (Ghana)

Former Chief Justice of Ghana, known for her work in legal reforms.

Martha Koome (Kenya)

First female Chief Justice of Kenya, an advocate for children's and women’s rights.

Albie Sachs (South Africa)

Anti-apartheid activist and former Justice of South Africa’s Constitutional Court.

Mohamed Shahabuddeen (Guyana, African descent)

Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Navanethem “Navi” Pillay (South Africa)

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, known for her work on war crimes and apartheid-era justice.

Dikgang Moseneke (South Africa)

Former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa, a key legal mind in post-apartheid law.

Human Rights Activists & Advocates

Nelson Mandela (South Africa)

Legendary anti-apartheid leader and advocate for justice.

Desmond Tutu (South Africa)

Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist known for his fight against apartheid.

Femi Falana (Nigeria)

Human rights lawyer and advocate for democracy and freedom of speech.

Thuli Madonsela (South Africa)

Former Public Protector of South Africa, known for exposing corruption.

Kumi Naidoo (South Africa)

Former Executive Director of Greenpeace International, advocate for climate justice and human rights.

Leymah Gbowee (Liberia)

Nobel Peace Prize winner, led the women’s peace movement to end Liberia’s civil war.

Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

Nobel Prize-winning environmental activist, known for fighting for land and women's rights.

Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria)

Economist and advocate for human rights in economic policies.

Hauwa Ibrahim (Nigeria)

Human rights lawyer known for defending women sentenced under Sharia law.

Alice Nkom (Cameroon)

Lawyer and LGBTQ+ rights activist, fighting for marginalized communities in Cameroon.

Philanthropists & Social Entrepreneurs

Aliko Dangote (Nigeria)

Founder of Dangote Group and one of Africa’s richest men, Dangote is known for his extensive philanthropic contributions in healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation, including building hospitals and providing scholarships.

Mo Ibrahim (Sudan)

Founder of Ibrahim Foundation, which focuses on promoting good governance and leadership across Africa, particularly in the fields of public service and technology.

Tony Elumelu (Nigeria)

– Founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, which invests in African entrepreneurs, supporting small businesses and economic empowerment across the continent.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria)

As the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), she is advocating for social and economic reforms that will benefit the global South, particularly in improving global trade and access to healthcare

Mohammed "Mo" Dewji (Tanzania)

Founder of “MeTL Group”, Mo Dewji is also known for his philanthropic efforts, including establishing the Mo Dewji Foundation, which supports education, health, and rural development.

Strive Masiyiwa (Zimbabwe)

Founder of “Econet Wireless” and “Higherlife Foundation”, which provides education, health services, and access to ICT resources to impoverished communities across Africa.

Jacob Zuma (South Africa)

Former South African president, involved in social development initiatives aimed at improving the living standards of the country's citizens, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.

Ruth Oniang'o (Kenya)

Nutrition expert and philanthropist, founder of “Ruth Oniang'o Foundation”, which focuses on food security and nutrition programs for vulnerable communities in Africa.

Patrice Motsepe (South Africa)

Founder of “African Rainbow Minerals” and philanthropist, he has committed to giving away half of his wealth to support various charitable causes through the “Motsepe Foundation”, focusing on health, education, and rural development.

Billionaire Otedola (Nigeria)

Founder of “Zenon Petroleum”, known for his philanthropic contributions to education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability across Africa.

Humanitarian & Social Change Advocates

Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

Nobel Peace Prize-winning environmental and women's rights activist, known for establishing the Green Belt Movement, which works towards sustainable development and empowerment of women through tree planting and environmental conservation.

Leymah Gbowee (Liberia)

Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist, led the women’s peace movement that helped end Liberia's civil war, and continues to advocate for women’s rights and peacebuilding.

Desmond Tutu (South Africa)

Archbishop and anti-apartheid activist, known for his efforts in reconciliation and his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to promote healing post-apartheid.