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Hint
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Born in
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Lifespan
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Person
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activist, first president of South Africa, NPP 1993
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South Africa
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1918 – 2013
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Nelson Mandela
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ancient Greek "father of geometry"
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Egypt
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-330 – -270
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Euclid
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British writer of The Lord of the Rings
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South Africa
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1892 – 1973
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J. R. R. Tolkien
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Berber theologian and Catholic saint
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Algeria
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354 – 430
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Augustine of Hippo
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British lead singer of Queen
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Tanzania
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1946 – 1991
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Freddie Mercury
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dictator of Libya 1969–2011
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Libya
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1942 – 2011
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Muammar al-Gaddafi
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UN Secretary-General 1997–2006, NPP 2001
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Ghana
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1938 – 2018
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Kofi Annan
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realist Arabic writer, 1998 NP in Literature
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Egypt
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1911 – 2006
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Naguib Mahfouz
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last Queen of Hellenistic Egypt 51–30 BCE
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Egypt
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-69 – -30
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Cleopatra
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French philosopher/writer (The Stranger), NPL 1957
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Algeria
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1913 – 1960
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Albert Camus
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Berber scholar & well-travelled explorer
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Morocco
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1304 – 1368
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Ibn Battuta
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Arab sociologist, philosopher, & historian
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Tunisia
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1332 – 1406
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Ibn Khaldun
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first leader of independent Ghana 1952–1966
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Ghana
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1909 – 1972
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Kwame Nkrumah
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leader of Palestine 1969–2004, NPP 1994
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Egypt
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1929 – 2004
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Yasser Arafat
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president of Egypt 1981–2011
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Egypt
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1928 – 2020
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Hosni Mubarak
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dictator of Zimbabwe 1980–2017
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Zimbabwe
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1924 – 2019
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Robert Mugabe
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mathematician, astronomer, geographer (Almagest)
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Egypt
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100 – 170
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Claudius Ptolemy
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businessman and richest person in the world
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South Africa
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1971 –
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Elon Musk
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general of Carthage in the 2nd Punic War
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Tunisia
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-247 – -183
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Hannibal
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Pharaoh known for his intact tomb
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Egypt
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-1341 – -1323
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Tutankhamun
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president of Egypt 1970–1981, NPP 1978
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Egypt
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1918 – 1981
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Anwar Sadat
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female anti-apartheid writer, NPL 1991
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South Africa
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1923 – 2014
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Nadine Gordimer
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president of Egypt 1954–1970
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Egypt
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1918 – 1970
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Gamal Abdel Nasser
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Emperor of Ethiopia, prophet to Rastafaris
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Ethiopia
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1892 – 1975
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Haile Selassie
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actress (Monster, The Devil's Advocate, Hancock)
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South Africa
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1975 –
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Charlize Theron
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Islamist president of Egypt 2012–2013
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Egypt
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1951 – 2019
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Mohamed Morsi
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co-ruling queen and possibly Pharaoh
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Egypt
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-1400 – -1330
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Nefertiti
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ancient Greek polymath, "founder of geography"
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Libya
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-276 – -194
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Eratosthenes
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brutal dictator of Uganda 1971–1979
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Uganda
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1923 – 2003
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Idi Amin
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British evolutionary biologist and atheist
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Kenya
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1941 –
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Richard Dawkins
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English-language writer, NPL 2003
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South Africa
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1940 –
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J. M. Coetzee
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first female president in Africa (Liberia), NPP 2011
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Liberia
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1938 –
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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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environmental & women's activist, NPP 2004
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Kenya
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1940 – 2011
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Wangari Maathai
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military-loving king of the Zulu
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South Africa
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1787 – 1828
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Shaka
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playwright & writer, first African NPL 1986
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Nigeria
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1934 –
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Wole Soyinka
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pharaoh who abandoned polytheism
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Egypt
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-1400 – -1336
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Akhenaten
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female Byzantine philosopher & mathematician
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Egypt
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350 – 415
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Hypatia
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Portuguese footballer playing for Benfica
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Mozambique
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1942 – 2014
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Eusébio
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leader of Congolese independence, first PM of DRC
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DR Congo
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1925 – 1961
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Patrice Lumumba
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second president of South Africa 1999–2008
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South Africa
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1942 –
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Thabo Mbeki
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president of South Africa 2009–2018
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South Africa
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1942 –
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Jacob Zuma
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UN Secretary-General 1992–1996
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Egypt
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1922 – 2016
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Boutros Boutros-Ghali
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bishop & human rights activist, NPP 1984
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South Africa
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1931 – 2022
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Desmond Tutu
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Roman emperor 193–211
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Libya
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145 – 211
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Septimius Severus
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female British chemist, NP in Chemistry 1964
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Egypt
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1910 – 1994
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Dorothy Hodgkin
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classical singer & actress, "The Voice of Egypt"
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Egypt
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1898 – 1975
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Umm Kulthum
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French novelist, NPL 1985
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Madagascar
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1913 – 2005
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Claude Simon
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footballer playing 9 years as striker for Chelsea
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Ivory Coast
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1978 –
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Didier Drogba
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footballer (forward) playing for Liverpool since 2017
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Egypt
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1992 –
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Mohamed Salah
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Things Fall Apart writer, "father of African literature"
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Nigeria
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1930 – 2013
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Chinua Achebe
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president of Egypt since 2014
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Egypt
|
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1954 –
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Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
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King of Morocco since 1999
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Morocco
|
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1963 –
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Mohammed VI
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president of Algeria 1999–2019
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Morocco
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1937 – 2021
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Abdelaziz Bouteflika
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footballer (PotY 1995), current president of Liberia
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Liberia
|
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1966 –
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George Weah
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second confirmed female pharaoh, ruled 20 years
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Egypt
|
|
-1507 – -1458
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Hatshepsut
|
|
actor (Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia)
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Egypt
|
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1932 – 2015
|
|
Omar Sharif
|
|
French postmodern philosopher, deconstructivist
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|
Algeria
|
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1930 – 2004
|
|
Jacques Derrida
|
|
Pope (189–199) from Roman Africa
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|
Libya
|
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120 – 199
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|
Victor I
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|
first president of Senegal 1960–1980, poet
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Senegal
|
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1906 – 2001
|
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Léopold Sédar Senghor
|
|
leader of Sudan 1989–2011 and war criminal
|
|
Sudan
|
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1944 –
|
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Omar al-Bashir
|
|
prime minister of Ethiopia since 2018, NPP 2019
|
|
Ethiopia
|
|
1976 –
|
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Abiy Ahmed
|
|
dictator of Zaire (DR Congo) 1965–1997
|
|
DR Congo
|
|
1930 – 1997
|
|
Mobutu Sese Seko
|
|
footballer (striker), African Cup leading scorer
|
|
Cameroon
|
|
1981 –
|
|
Samuel Eto'o
|
|
wrote the oldest Gospel
|
|
Libya
|
|
10 – 68
|
|
Mark the Evangelist
|
|
women's and peace activist, NPP 2011
|
|
Liberia
|
|
1972 –
|
|
Leymah Gbowee
|
|
Roman Hellenistic philosopher, first neoplatonist
|
|
Egypt
|
|
203 – 270
|
|
Plotinus
|
|
French actor (Léon, The Da Vinci Code, Godzilla)
|
|
Morocco
|
|
1948 –
|
|
Jean Reno
|
|
president of Tunisia 1987–2011
|
|
Tunisia
|
|
1936 – 2019
|
|
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
|
|
leader of South Africa, ended apartheid, NPP 1993
|
|
South Africa
|
|
1936 – 2022
|
|
Frederik Willem de Klerk
|
|
female anti-apartheid world music singer
|
|
South Africa
|
|
1932 – 2008
|
|
Miriam Makeba
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