New African
1 August 2004


Your 100 Greatest Africans of all time: New African asked you, the readers, to nominate your greatest Africans of all time--both Continental and Diasporan (or people of African descent)--in all walks of life. The aim was to come up with your Top 100 Greatest Africans of all time. You have spoken and we publish here your choice

Since last December when we first announced the poll, we have had a very exciting time. Your nominations flooded in. Analysing them has been an eye-opener. The total shows Nelson Mandela as your No.1 Greatest African of all time, followed closely by Kwame Nkrumah, and Robert Mugabe in third place. Mugabe's high score is particularly interesting, given that in the last four years a high profile campaign in the media has painted him in bad light. The nominations in the other categories are equally fascinating.

Overall, the results point out certain characteristics about Africans. Why did politicians dominate the poll? Do people tend to vote for men as only a few women were nominated? Or is there a paucity of women to vote for? Over 95% of the nominations were of recent heroes (mostly from the post-independence era). Have people forgotten Africa's history? Must this worry us, as a people?

Africa's history and greatness are not just about the past 44 years of political independence. It goes back thousands and thousands of years! In fact, Africa is the cradle of humanity. So why were the nominations predominantly about heroes of the recent past, mainly politicians? Surely, if they were still alive, the Africans who built the pyramids in Ancient Egypt or Great Zimbabwe in Monomatapa, or the first university in Timbuktu (after which the first university in Europe at Salamanca, Spain, was fashioned), or the great empires of Mali, Ghana and Songhai, and the other glorious achievements of Africa's past, would be greatly disappointed that the current generation of Africans did not include any of them in the Top 20. Could this be attributed to Africa's lack of written history? In this particular regard, the results are disappointing. It shows that African governments and educationists have to review the kind of history and education we are teaching and providing in our schools. Without knowing our past and where we came from, we can hardly know our present and why we are where we are, and plan for the future. Another interesting characteristic of your nominations is the "prototype" hero? What do people look for in someone who is "great"? What makes someone "great"? What are the qualities necessary?

On the following pages, we have selected some of the top people you nominated, and "profiled" them by using your own words, the reasons you think they are your greatest. We also publish the full Top 100 list, so you can see how your favourites fared. The numbers on the profiles show the ranking in the Top 100 list.

Enjoy this special issue, and may Africa and its people both at home and in the Diaspora draw big lessons from here and grow from strength to strength.

100 greatest Africans of all time
1. Nelson Mandela A living legend. The symbol of Africa. Freedom fighter. The most recognisable face in the world.
2. Kwame Nkrumah Former president of Ghana. He envisaged the African Union long before it became a reality. His foot-prints are still blueprint for us to follow.
3. Robert Mugabe President of Zimbabwe. Fearless pan- Africanist of recent times who is fighting for the land which belonged to his ancestors.
4. Julius Nyerere Former president of Tanzania. A great leader who refused to allow the trappings of power to corrupt him. He was respected by his country, Africa and the rest of the world.
5. Marcus Garvey A visionary pan-African leader and thinker. A practical man, he could have united all blacks if he had not been jailed.
6. Patrice Lumumba A pan African hero and symbol of African nationalism. A martyr of the African cause.
7. Martin Luther King African-American religious and political leader who changed the course of life for all African-Americans. His speech in 1968 "I have a dream" has become a classic.
8. Thabo Mbeki President of South Africa. The representative of the young generation of new African statesmen. A Renaissance man.
9. Malcolm X African-American political leader. His resistance against racism helped African- Americans to realise their dream.
10. Kofi Annan UN secretary general. Africa's greatest diplomat of all time. He is handling the reforms at the UN in a calm and efficient way.
11. Muhammad Ali The greatest boxer of all. "If you can do it, it ain't bragging," he once said. Civil rights activist. The loudest mouth in the world. Steve Biko South African activist tortured to death by the apartheid police. He famously said: "the greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed". Muammar Gaddafi Libyan Guide and African leader. He has realised you cannot defy the whole world. A rallying point for African heads of state.
12. Winnie Mandela The most popular woman in Africa. South Africa political leader and former wife of Nelson Mandela.
13. Shaka Zulu A Zulu king and military genius. An empire builder who wanted to unite all Zulu chiefdoms into one strong Zulu nation for the benefit of all Zulus.
14. Chinua Achebe A great Nigerian writer and recorder of African history. His first book, Things Fall Apart, has sold 8 million copies worldwide and translated into 50 languages.
15. W. E. B. Du Bois African-American intellectual and political leader. The pioneer of African liberation and conscience-father of pan-Africanism.
16. Haile Selassie The last emperor of Ethiopia. A liberator of his country and the continent. Thomas Sankara Former president of Burkina Faso. He changed the country's name from the colonial Upper Volta.
17. Pele African-Brazilian footballer. The greatest. His feet and feats on the football pitch brought huge pride and honour to all blacks.
18. Bob Marley Jamaican musician and creative genius. He touched the hearts and minds of millions worldwide.
19. Olusegun Obasanjo President of Nigeria. A former military officer who voluntarily gave up power to civilians in 1979. He was returned to power in 1999 to save a worsening situation.
20. George Weah Liberian footballer and world best player in 2000. An icon of selflessness who has provided financial help out of his own pocket to transport his country's national team to a major tournaments.
21. Kenneth Kaunda Former president of Zambia and one of the few first generation independence leaders...