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.

Pictures of Queen Elizabeth With The Last 12 American Presidents

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne on Feb.6 1952 and since then she has met all the U.S Presidents with the exception of Lyndon Johnson.

Below are pictures of her with the U.S Presidents she met through the decades.

Queen Elizabeth with former President Herbert Hoover on October 21,1957 in New York. This meeting took place more than 20 years after Herbert Hoover left the White House.

The then Princess Elizabeth with U.S President Harry S. Truman at the Canadian embassy in Washington Nov. 1 1951.

Queen Elizabeth with President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House on Oct. 20, 1957.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip host President John Kennedy and his wife at Buckingham Palace on June 5,1961.

Queen Elizabeth with President Richard Nixon at Buckinghamshire in 1970.

Queen Elizabeth dancing with President Gerald Ford during a State Dinner at the White House on July 17, 1976.

The Queen with President Jimmy Carter in Buckingham Palace May 1, 1977. President Carter refused to bow and instead opted for a kiss, and the Queen held a grudge against him for several years.

The Queen with President Ronald Reagan at San Francisco, 1983. 

Queen Elizabeth with President Goerge H.W Bush at the White House on May 15,1991. 

Queen Elizabeth with President Bill Clinton in June 1994.

Queen Elizabeth with President George W. Bush at Windsor Castle on June 15,2008.

Queen Elizabeth making a toast with President Barak Obama at Buckingham Palace on May 24,2011.

These Banknotes Shows The Gradual Aging of Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth of England was born on 21 April 1926 she ascended the throne on 6 February 1952 also making her the head of the Commomwealth.

Because of this she has been featured on the currencies of so many Countries and territories over the years.

The following pictures shows how she has aged from the age of 8 till date as featured on the banknotes of several territories:

8 Years,$20 Canada (1935).

25 Years, $1 Canada (1967).

26 Years, £1 Jamaica (1960).

29 Years, Five Mauritius Rupees 

34 Years, $100 Cayman Islands (1974).

38 Years, $1 Australia (1966)

40 Years, £5 St Helena

51 Years, £50 Isle of Man

52 Years, £20 Jersey (1989)

58 Years, $5 Australia (1995).

60 Years, $20 New Zealand.

66 Years, £50 Gibraltar (1995).

73 Years, $5 Fiji (2007).

78 Years,£100 Jersey(2012)

85 Years,$20 Canada(2012).

Last Known Pictures of Some Famous Dead People

Elvis Presley is pictured here driving into his Graceland home on August 16,1977. He was found dead just a few hours later.

Heath Ledger pictured on the set of the movie The Imaginarium of Dr Parnasus in January 2008. He died just a few days after this picture was taken and before he could complete the movie.

This picture of Amy Winehouse walking outside her home was taken on July 23, 2011 a week before she died of alcohol intoxication.

This is the last known picture of Albert Einstein taken in March 1955 taken at his home in Princeton, New Jersey just a month before he died.

Notorious BIG posing for a picture with Sean Combs on March 9,1997. Fifteen minutes after this photo was taken, BIG was shot and killed.

This photo of the Ultimate Warrior(right) was taken with a fan at New Orleans Airport on the morning of April 8,2014. He died later that same day, of a heart attack.

A picture of John F. Kennedy taken on November 22, 1963 moments before he was shot and killed.

Robert Kennedy was campaigning for President when he was shot and killed in June 1968. Here is a picture of him on a stretcher after the shooting.

Adolf Hitler is seen here outside his Berlin bunker inspecting bomb damage in April 1945. Two days later he allegedly shot himself inside the bunker.

Steve Irwin poses with friend Chris Jones on his boat two days before Irwin was killed by a Sting Ray in 2006.

Billionaire and Apple Inc. founder, Steve Jobs is helped into a car outside his home in California. Several weeks before his death in 2011.

Jimi Hendrix poses with "Black Betty" his guitar on September 17,1970. He died the next day. This is his last known photograph.

John Lennon giving an autograph to Mark David Chapman(Right) on December 8,1980. Several hours later Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon. 

The last known photograph of professional wrestler Chris Benoit, taken by a mobile phone on June 22, 2007. By this time he had already killed his wife, the next day he killed his son and then himself.

Amelia Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1937 she attempted a circumnavigational flight across the globe and she disappeared forever. These photograph was taken just before the flight.

This picture of Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight was taken on the night of Sept. 7, 1996. A few hours later Tupac was shot multiple times. He died six days later.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

We are all aware of the Seven Wonders of the world and how the list has been around for long. Well, in the year 2000 a new initiative was started as part of a Millennium project to choose a new list of the wonders of the world from an existing number of 200 monuments around the world.

The voters were not a group of experts but rather voting was open to every one on planet earth. Voting was done on the internet and also via phone calls.

More than 100 million votes were cast and in July 2007 a new list based on seven years of voting was released. That list is known as The New Seven Wonders of the World and they are as follows:

1. Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: This is a giant statue of Jesus Christ located at the peak of the 700-Meter Corcovado Mountain overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Christ the Redeemer Statue

This statue is a very strong and visible symbol of Christianity in Brazil and it has become a powerful icon for both the city of Rio and the country as a whole.

Construction started in 1922 and was completed in 1931.

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2. The Great Wall of China: This wall is the longest man-made structure in the world with an incredible lenght of 4,000 miles (6,400 km).

Great Wall of China

It was built between the 5th Century B.C and the 16th Century to keep out invasing Mongol tribes from the north, among other things.

Many parts of the wall still remain standing even till today. It is so awesome that it is visible from space.

3. The Colosseum, Rome, Italy: This massive structure was built between A.D 72 and A.D 80 and was built for only one major reason: To stage deadly and bloody combats of gladiators and wild animals for public viewing.

Collosseum, Exterior

It could comfortably seat about 55,000 spectators, it is 188 Meters long and 156 meters wide, the shape is elliptical.

Collosseum, Interior

Modern stadium designs and architecture are borrowed from structures like these.

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4. Petra, Jordan: This ancient city on the edge of the Arabian Desert was the capital of King Aretas of the Nabataean Kingdom and was built between 400 B.C and A.D 106.

Petra

This city with vividly vibrant colours was carved directly onto the cliff faces and is a stunning sight to behold.

It sat empty and in near ruins for centuries and it's exact location was unknown to the Western World until the early 1800's when a traveler from Europe disguised himself in Bedouin costume and got access to this ancient and mysterious city.

This ancient city was featured in the Hollywood movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

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5. The Taj Mahal, India: Located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh region of India. It was built between 1632-1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Taj Mahal

It is one of the most universally admired masterpieces in the world and the style and design copies elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian Architectural styles.

Taj Mahal (Wonders of the World)

6. Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsular, Mexico: Chichen Itza which served as the political and economic center of the Mayan Civilisation was a very famous city which has some amazing structures some of which are:  The Pyramid of Kukulkan, The Temple of Chac Mool, The Hall of a Thousand Pillars, and The Playing Field of the Prisoners.

Most of these structures are still standing even till today and they have been incredibly preserved.

Get more Resources about Chichen Itza Here.

7. Macchu Picchu, Peru: Built by the Inca's around 1450, it is located about 2,430 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge.

Macchu Picchu

The city was abandoned by it's inhabitants probably due to an outbreak of Smallpox during the Spanish conquest and remained "lost" for over three centuries before it was re-discovered by Archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911.

Macchu Picchu is today one of the most stunning icons of the fallen Inca civilisation.

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