Pictures Of African Kings Taken Decades Ago

Daniel Laine was a French photographer who travelled across the whole of Africa between 1988 to 1991 taking photographs of powerful African Kings "whose dynasties marked the history of Africa until the middle Twentieth Century".

And he focussed on African monarchs who continued to "retain a traditional and spiritual authourity that is difficult for the Western mind to comprehend".

Laine encountered some difficulties in the process: A war in Sudan prevented him from taking the photograph of the King of Shiluk who is a descendant of black dynasties that ruled Egypt. The King of Swaziland refused to be photographed.

He eventually succeeded in taking the pictures of 70 Kings and the photographs and details are contained in a book he wrote.

Below are pictures of some of these monarchs, all the words and descriptions are those of Daniel Laine.

 Keep in mind also that these pictures were taken decades ago and some monarchs portrayed may have passed to the Great Beyond and new persons may currently be occupying these positions.

But these pictures are important for historical purposes.

Joseph Langanfin (Benin):Representing the Abomey dynasty, Joseph Langanfin is the president of CAFRA, the council of Abomey’s royal families. With this title, he is considered as the official representative of the kings of Abomey. He presided at the centenary ceremonies for the death of King Glele, who was his great grandfather.

The Ooni of Ife (Nigeria):In 1980, Sijuwade became the fiftieth Oni (King) of Ife, one of the most ancient African Dynasties. Formerly, during his coronation, an Oni had to embrace the sword of justice, and enter into his palace on a cloth stiffened by the dry blood of sacrificed men and women. Today the Oni is a rich businessman, with several vaste properties in Nigeria and England.

Ngie Kamga Joseph-Fon of Bandjun (Cameroun):

The Fon (King) is the brother of courageous and powerful animals. At night, he has the power to transform himself into a panther, where he haunts the forest, runs through the savana and drinks from torrents. When a panther is killed by a hunter, the Fon from Bamileke region are afraid. Will one of them not perish from the death of his double. Formerly a chief administator and cabinet chief for the finance Minister of Cameroun in 1964, Kamga Joseph is the thirteenth Fon of Bandjun. On the day of his predecessor’s funeral, he was stopped in the Bandjun market by two Bamileke chiefs, “the hangmen”, in the middle of the nobles and princes who wept the deceased King. Wearing a head dress made of sisal as a sign of humility, he was taken to the noblemen, the “tafo meru”, where he learned during nine weeks how to be a King.

Halidou Sali - Lamido of Bibemi (Cameroun):

Halidou Sali, the twelfth Lamido (king) of Bibemi, received his kingdom in 1958. He is a descendant of Aido Samba, one of the 42 Kings of Adamawa, who during the eighteenth century carried the flag for the Jihad (holy war) of Ousman Dan Fodio. 

Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III - King of Akropong -Akuapem (Ghana): A graduate from the University of London and an economic advisor for the Ghanaian administration, The King of Akropong holds for the last sixteen years the “sacred seat” of the Akuapem-Asona, one of the seven major Akan clans. To his right, his “spokesman” carries the royal emblem, the elephant, a remembrance that his kingdom was founded by force.

Abubakar Sidiq -Sultan of Sokoto (Nigeria):

 This photo was taken fifteen days before the death of the Sultan of Sokoto. He had reigned for more than fifty years. At the time of his successor’s coronation, who was chosen by a council of “king makers”, a conflict erupted. Two royal families disputed the choice; the consequence: one hundred deaths.

Sworn Virgins of Albania Who Live All Their Lives As Men.

In the European country of Albania there are women who live all of their lives as men. They have taken a vow of chastity (usually at an early age) and becomes Sworn Virgins or Burnesha.

This elevates her to the status of a man and such women usually cut their hairs, wear male clothings and could even change their names. Male gestures, swags and expressions are practiced until they become second nature. All these together with a vow of celibacy turns a "She" into a "He".

This step is usually necessary because of a society that generally maintains an oppressive rule over the female gender. Women are seen as properties of their husbands and the rights to vote, drive, conduct business, drink, smoke and even to swear were the exclusive preserves of men.

This means that a family without a partriach or a male heir is usually in danger of losing everything and so a female needs to come in and become the partriach.

With modernisation and civilisation this practice is increasingly becoming obsolete, but it is still practiced in not a few places...even till today.

These Words Have No Direct English Equivalents

These illustrations were done by Mumbai-born graphic designer Anjana Ilyer, now based in Auckland, New Zealand.

It highlights words in other languages that have no direct English equivalents. This means that there are no exact English words for them, word-for-word.

Below are come of these words in graphic illustration:

Spanish

Add caption

German

Czeck/Slovak

Japanese

Russian

Yagan

Japanese

Maori

German

Very Interesting Facts About Germany

1. Germany is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

2. One third of Germany is covered with forests and woodlands.

3. The Christmas Tree that we know so well today originated in Germany.

Get Beautiful Christmas Trees Here

4. Saturday is part of the working week in Germany.

5. In Bavaria, Beer is officially considered a food.

6. Germany ranks second in world beer consumption.

7. The Oktoberfest takes place in Munich every September. It is the largest beer festival in the world. The size of the beer glasses during the festival is 1 litre.

Oktoberfest

8. There are more football clubs in Germany than in any country in the world.

9. Most taxis in Germany are Mercedes.

German Taxis, Mercedes

10. In Germany, denial of the Nazi Holocaust is a crime.

11. The German language is not spoken in Germany alone. German is also the official language of Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Lichtenstein.

German is also spoken in Northern Italy and the French province of Alsace and Lorraine.

12. The first printed book in the West was printed in German. It was the Gutenberg Bible.

Gutenberg Bible

13. Berlin has the largest train station in Europe.

14. The tallest cathedral in the world is the Cathedral of Ulm Munster in Germany.

Cathedral of Ulm

15. Germany has the largest number of zoo's in the world, more than 400.

16. Berlin, the capital of Germany is 9 times bigger than Paris, the capital of France.

17. Germany has Europe's largest economy. It is both the industrial and economic heartbeat of Europe.

18. The most popular surname in Germany is Muller.

19. The German language has 35 dialects.

20. There are no speed limits on 65% of the Autobahn (highway) in Germany.

21. German is the third most widely taught language in the world.

22. The official uniform for the Nazi Party and the Hitler Youth during World War 2 was designed by the great designer Hugo Boss.

23. Germany alone has more than 150 castles some of which are still inhabited by Aristocratic families, others have been converted to hotels and museums while others have been abandoned and lay in ruins.

24. Albert Einstein, the most recognised scientist in the world, was a German Jew born in Ulm, Germany.

Albert Einstein

25. Adidas was founded by Adolf "Adi" Dassler, a German from Bavaria while Puma was founded by Rudolph Dassler, his brother.

26. Notable German inventors are: Johanes Gutenberg (Printing Press), Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (X-ray), etc.

27. Famous German composers includes: Beethoven, Schuman, Bach, Wagner, Strauss, Handel etc.

28. Famous German philosophers includes: Nietzche, Karl Marx, Kant, Hegel etc.

29. Bayern Munich is the most successful football club in Germany.

30. 10% of Bayern Munich's shares is owned by Adidas.

31. There are more football fans club in Germany than in any country in the world.

32. Germany recycles 48% of all wastes produced within the country.

33. The world's first airline was founded in Germany in November 1909. It is now known today as Lufthansa.

34. Levi Strauss, a German Jew invented the Jeans.

35. The Weihenstphaner is the oldest brewery in operation in the world. It has been operating since 1040.

36. There are over 300 different kinds of bread in Germany.

37. There are more than 1,500 different beer brands in Germany alone.

38. Spreuerhofstrasse is the world's narrowest street. It is just 31cm wide at it's narrowest point and is located in Reutlingen, Germany.

39. There is a museum in Germany dedicated to bread.

40. More than 100 Germans have won the Nobel Prize.

41. Germans don't answer the phone with "hello", they answer the phone with their surnames. If you live in Germany you have to get used to this.

Facts You Did Not Know About Brazil

1. The word "Brazil" is derived from "Pau Brasil" (Brazilwood) a tree that was once abundant across the coast and was used to produce a deep, red dye. Brasil means "red like an ember"

2. Brazil has the longest continous coastline in the world, about 7,491 km long.

3. Brazil is the fifth largest country by land mass in the world, it is the largest country in South America and the entire Latin America region. It  is 8.45 million sq. Km.

4. It is the largest Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in the world and the only Portuguese -speaking country in the Americas.

5. Over 60% of the Amazon, the worlds' largest river lies within Brazil.

6. 60% of the Amazon rainforest,the worlds largest rainforest, lies within Brazil.

Amazon Rainforest

7. 73% of Brazilians are Catholics and it has the largest population of Catholics in the world.

8. About 3.5 million slaves actually survived the crossing from Africa to Brazil over a period of about 300 years (1500's to 1800's) and their descendants still live in Brasil till today.

9. Football was brought to Brazil (Sao Paolo) by a young Brazilian-born Englishman, Charles Miller around the turn of the 20th century.

10. Brazil has the second highest number of airports in the world, about 4,000. It is second only to the U.S.A.

11. Brazil has the fifth largest population in the world at over 200 million people.

12. Brasilia, the capital, looks like an aeroplane from above.

Brasila, Aerial View

13. The most popular surname in Brasil is Silva.

14. More than 2 million people in Brazil are of Japanese descent.

15. Salvador, in Brazil, is the biggest African city outside of Africa. About 82% of it's 3 million strong population traces their ancestory back to the black slaves from Africa.

16. Brazil is the only country to have won the FIFA World cup five times and the only country to have qualified for every World Cup editions.

17. Brazil has the third largest road network in the world.

18. It also has the second largest christian population in the world.

19. The country is 100% energy dependent. It acheived this wonderful feat in 2006.


20. The Monumental Axis is the widest road in the world. It can hold 160 cars side-by-side.

Monumental Axis

21. In 1967 during the Biafran War a 48-hour ceasefire was declared in Nigeria between the Federal troops and Biafran seccessionists so that they could watch the Brazilian football legend, Pele, play on a visit to Nigeria.

22. Prostitution is legal in Brazil.