1958 — The Central African Republic Is Born

On December 1, 1958, Ubangi-Shari became an autonomous republic within the French Community, taking the new name Central African Republic as leaders proclaimed self-government in Bangui. Barthélemy Boganda, the charismatic former priest who had founded the MESAN movement, became the territory's first premier.

Boganda led the new republic toward the full independence that followed in 1960, giving December 1 a meaning larger than a change of name. It marked the moment a territory began to govern itself and to speak in its own name. That is why the date endures: December 1 is still celebrated as the nation's Republic Day, a yearly return to the founding moment in Bangui when self-government was proclaimed and the road to independence opened.