1958 — African Freedom Day

On April 15, 1958, the First Conference of Independent African States opened in Accra, the first pan-African summit ever held on African soil. Eight independent states attended, joined by freedom fighters from still-colonized lands. In the Ghanaian capital, leaders of a young, partly free continent gathered alongside those still fighting to join them, to speak together for the first time at home.

That first day they declared April 15 African Freedom Day. The observance did not fade. In 1963, it became the Africa Day we know today, carrying the Accra gathering's promise forward into a yearly celebration of African unity and freedom.