Transkei Independence - 26th October

 Transkei Independence - 26th October

Transkei was a former autonomous region in South Africa, designated as a homeland for the Xhosa people during apartheid. It was reintegrated into South Africa in 1994 and is now part of the Eastern Cape province.  Transkei issued its own postage stamps between 1976 and 1994.  After reintegration into South Africa in 1994, Transkei stamps were discontinued, and South African stamps became standard.

Below are stamps issued on 26th October 1981 to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of their Independence.

August 6th: Bolivia's Independence Day

 August 6th: Bolivia's Independence Day

August 6th is Bolivia's Independence Day.  Bolivia came under Spanish colonial rule in the middle of the sixteenth century and was known as Charcas. On May 25th, 1809, the Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre) Revolution was the first popular uprising in Latin America and is known in Bolivia as 'Primer grito libertario' (the first shout of freedom). This led to the Bolivian War of Independence which lasted for 16 years from 1809 to 1825.  Eventually, the Colonial forces were defeated and Bolivian independence was proclaimed on August 6th, 1825.

To honour the role of the Venezuelan resistance leader Simón Bolívar in leading the fight for independence, Charcas was renamed Bolivia. Interestingly it is said that when deciding what path Charcas should take after independence from Spain, Bolívar favoured a union with Peru and that naming Bolivia after him was a way to get him to accept creating a newly independent country.

The interesting thing about Bolivia is, till recently (till 2021), Bolivia got the world's highest road at 18,953ft.  The Border Roads Organisation of the Indian Government has broken the record by constructing the world's highest road in eastern Ladakh at an altitude of 19,300 feet. 

Below the Bolivian flag stamp was issued for the 100th National flag anniversary on 5th November 1951.

5th August : Independence day of Upper Volta

 5th August: Independence day of Upper Volta / Burkina Faso

Upper Volta, now called  Burkina Faso got its full independence from French rule on August 5th, 1960. Maurice Yameogo became the country's first president.

With its inland location within Western Africa, the region did not attract colonial attention until the late nineteenth century. The French army officer Louis-Gustave Binger visited the Morho Naba in 1888. France started obtaining a protectorate over the region from 1895 and by 1898, the kingdoms that now make up the majority of the region corresponding to modern-day Burkina Faso had become a French protectorate.

In 1919, the colony of Upper Volta was established. It was dismantled and reconstituted several times. The present borders were recognized in 1947 when it was becoming an overseas territory of the French Union. On 11 December 1958, The Republic of Upper Volta became a self-governing autonomous republic within the French Community.  Independence was proclaimed on August 5, 1960.

In 1984, Upper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People." by Sankara, whose government was responsible for several concrete achievements.

Issued on 25th July 1969

Airmail stamp - Apollo 8 - First manned moon flight 

July 9th: Argentina Independence Day

European explorers arrived in Argentina as early as 1502 in Argentina. Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza arrived in Argentina in 1536, and he founded a Spanish settlement called Santa María del Buen Aire, today known as Buenos Aires and Argentina was under Spanish rule since then.

The 1810 May Revolution, the deposition of the Spanish king Ferdinand VII by the Napoleon forces paved way for Argentina's independence. On 9th July, 1816 - 33 congressmen gathered in Tucuman, Argentina and declared it to be independent from Spain.

The below MS is issued by Argentina Post in 2016 to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Independence.