Top 10 Africans who have graced the covers of international magazines

Africa is home to some of the most talented and influential individuals in the world. From actors to musicians to athletes, Africans have made their mark on the global stage.

Many of these individuals have been featured on the covers of some of the most prestigious international magazines, showcasing their talent, beauty, and success to the world.

These are just a few of the many talented Africans who have made their mark on the international stage.

As they continue to inspire and empower others, they are sure to grace the covers of many more magazines in the years to come.

Here are the top 10 Africans who have graced the covers of international magazines:

Kwame Nkrumah

Some four years before Ghana gained independence in March 1957, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah on 9 February 1953, became presumably the first Ghanaian to grace the front-page cover of the TIME Magazine.

Kwame Nkrumah at 47 years old was the leader of the Convention Peoples Party seeking to bring the country into a new state from British colonial rule.

An image of TIME Magazine’s cover from that year in 1953 has emerged online with Kwame Nkrumah captured by Boris Chaliapin who was an artist for the magazine and credited for illustrating more than 400 covers including former US President, Richard Nixon among other notable personalities.

Behind the image of Nkrumah was the illustration of the African map while an inscription, ‘GOLD COAST’S KWAME NKRUMAH – In the Dark Continent, dawns early light’ captured beneath.

On 24 February 1966, Kwame Nkrumah was deposed in a coup by the National Liberation Council in an operation dubbed “Operation Cold Chop” while he was on visit to Hanoi in Vietnam.

Nelson Mandela

At the end of Mandela’s twelve-day, eight-city U.S. tour — during which he declared himself a Yankees fan and danced the toyi-toyi, a traditional South African victory dance — this story reflected on what the icon means to Americans:

“For the many blacks who have begun to call themselves African Americans, he is a flesh-and-blood exemplar of what an African can be…He arrived in the U.S. more as a symbol of courage and hope than as a politician with well-known positions.”

Lupita Nyong’o

She may have won an Oscar for her role as the slave Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave and recently landed a contract with Lancôme Paris, but Lupita Nyong’o “never dreamed” she would be touted as “Most Beautiful” for all the world to see.

“It was exciting and just a major, major compliment,” the 31-year-old says of gracing this year’s cover. And especially, “I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen.”

Born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, Nyong’o first equated beauty with what she saw on television: “Light skin and long, flowing, straight hair,” she says. “Subconsciously you start to appreciate those things more than what you possess.” Her mother, Dorothy, who is the managing director and head of PR for the Africa Cancer Foundation, “always said I was beautiful,” Nyong’o adds. “And I finally believed her at some point.”

Burna Boy

Burna Boy is soaring over the crowd at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome, yelling the Yoruba term that loosely means “move your legs.” His six-foot-one frame explodes into the air, seemingly powered by enough energy to fuel the Space Drift Tour race car he zoomed onto the stage in earlier. Wearing a blue custom Botter jumpsuit, he looks like some kind of Afro-futurist astronaut, ready to fly even higher.

“He gives his all. And when he comes off [stage], you’ll see him in the dressing room, falling flat out on the floor and shaking,” says his younger sister Ronami Ogulu, who’s also his stylist and creative director. “Then he comes up and we patch him all together and we go again the next day.”

Tyler

If you are one of the few humans left on the planet who has somehow escaped the gravitational pull of the song that has quickly become as ubiquitous as the element it’s named after (spoiler: water), your days are numbered.

Soon after Tyla’s now-hit was uploaded to the internet last July, its uniquely hot vibe catapulted her monthly Spotify streams to 29 million and infiltrated every single one of my playlists. The accompanying choreography spawned a whole pop culture moment of its own on TikTok. Even as a 37-year-old mom, I found myself playing it on repeat while popping that thang everywhere from the beach to the Winelands during my COVID-redo honeymoon in sunny South Africa earlier this year.

I soon became fascinated with this new global pop (or “popiano,” if we’re being technical—more on that later) star from South Africa. And it wasn’t just because of the shiny new self-titled debut album and freshly won Grammy. It was also because she’s sparked nuanced conversations around the world about racial identity simply by being who she is, a proud member of the Coloured community of South Africa (more on that later too). Something that’s even more powerful than a chart-topping track.

Tiwa Savage

Tiwa Savage’s electricity went out three times during our video call. “Sorry about the power breakup,” she apologises each time. I totally understand as we’re both connecting from West Africa: Savage in Lagos, Nigeria, where she’s been since the pandemic began; me in Accra, Ghana, where I’ve been for the past two months to be with family. Electricity going out is a regular occurrence in major African cities such as ours. Despite the steady interruptions, Savage’s energy never flags.

Our meeting is serendipitous as Savage’s music has actually been a sounding guide, a hymnal of sorts, that subconsciously encouraged me to move across the Atlantic, from New York to the motherland. Last year, I deeply connected to her music because of my desire to get back to my roots. I wanted to learn about where my mother came from and see my grandmothers’ childhood homes because that plays a role in who I am becoming.

On this particular afternoon, Savage’s honey-highlighted hair is blown out straight. Her skin, tinted with bronzer, is glowing and she wears a comfy-looking Burberry knit sweater. The international Afrobeats star has traveled the world through her music, performing across continents for a decade, but for the past year, the “Dangerous Love” singer has been in her hometown of Lagos with her son, Jamil. She seems at peace taking care of her five-year-old, being close to family, and making music away from the chaos of the world. ”Being at home with my son, not having to wear makeup, and I don’t have to suck my belly in all the time and wear heels,” she says. “It was amazing.”

Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah – The South African comedian and host of The Daily Show has appeared on the covers of magazines like GQ and Rolling Stone.

With his sharp wit and insightful commentary, Trevor has become one of the most influential voices in comedy and politics.

Liya Kebede

The Ethiopian supermodel and actress has graced the covers of magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

Known for her elegant beauty and philanthropic work, Liya has become a symbol of grace and style in the fashion world.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It’s the rare novelist who in the space of a year finds her words sampled by Beyoncé, optioned by Lupita Nyong’o and honored with the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. But the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is just that sort of novelist.

A MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, Adichie writes of the complex aftermath of Nigeria’s colonial history and her nation’s rise to prominence in an era when immigration to the West no longer means a one-way ticket.

With her viral TEDxEuston talk, “We Should All Be Feminists,” she found her voice as cultural critic. (You can hear it rising midway through Beyoncé’s woman-power anthem “Flawless.”) She sets her love stories amid civil war (Half of a Yellow Sun) and against a backdrop of racism and migration (Americanah). But her greatest power is as a creator of characters who struggle profoundly to understand their place in the world.

Mo Salah

Salah was born to middle-class parents in Basyoun, Egypt, north of Cairo. As a youth, he idolized such professional football players as Brazilian Ronaldo and French Zinedine Zidane, whose moves he tried to emulate during pickup games.

He joined the Egyptian club El Mokawloon’s youth team at age 14 and debuted with the club’s senior team in 2010. Salah’s speed and scoring ability soon caught the attention of Swiss club FC Basel, which signed him to a contract in 2012. He helped lead FC Basel to the Swiss Super League title and an appearance in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League semifinals in 2012–13. That season he received the Swiss Golden Player award as the Super League’s outstanding player.

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