The African theatre of the First World War comprises campaigns in North Africa instigated by the German and Ottoman empires, local rebellions against European colonial rule and Allied campaigns against the German colonies of Kamerun, Togoland, German South West Africa, and German East Africa.

Oct 5, 2018 · The First World War represented a turning-point in African history, not as dramatic as the Second World War, but nevertheless important in many areas. One of its most important legacies was the reordering of the map of Africa roughly as it is today. Michael Crowder

Throughout WW1, British Empire soldiers fought against a small German army in East Africa involving thousands of troops and costing the lives of many thousands but the reality is that it is a largely forgotten chapter of world history.

Mar 14, 2023 · About two million Africans were compelled to fight in the war, and more than 150,000 African soldiers and bearers lost their lives, with many more wounded and disabled.

The East African campaign in World War I was a series of battles and guerrilla actions, which started in German East Africa (GEA) and spread to portions of Mozambique, Rhodesia, British East Africa, the Uganda, and the Belgian Congo.

More than 1 million African soldiers, laborers and porters were vital actors in the war in Europe and especially in battles on the African continent, yet little commemorates their role. This is slowly changing as historians and artists highlight contributions made by …

Oct 5, 2018 · German East Africa campaign: troops of the Nigerian Brigade disembarking at Lindi, December 1917. The First World War represented a turning-point in African history, not as dramatic as the Second World War, but nevertheless important in many areas. One of its most important legacies was the reordering of the map of Africa roughly as it is today.

In Africa, where the British and the French had extensive colonial interests to protect, the conflict engrossed a number of European nations battling it out among themselves in different regions of Africa with armies that consisted mostly of soldiers from the colonies, including India.

Apr 30, 2015 · The map above shows how the African continent was divided in 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I. By this time, European powers controlled 90% of the continent with only Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Liberia retaining independence.

Since African involvement in the First World War was extensive, Africans had to make sense of their war experiences even if the war appeared to many as a European affair.