UJ’s 20th Anniversary with a Call to Pan-African Sovereignty and Global Justice
Chinua Achebe Auditorium, University of Johannesburg 15 May 2025
As the University of Johannesburg marks its 20th anniversary, the UJ Congolese Students Society hosted a resounding Africa Month celebration at the Chinua Achebe Auditorium, affirming its unwavering commitment to the spirit of Pan-African unity, resistance, and rebirth.
In a deeply symbolic and spirited gathering, the Society invoked the memory and sacrifice of Africa’s global ancestors, those visionary leaders and martyrs who dared to dream and fight for a free, post-independence Africa. The auditorium reverberated with ancestral pride and future-focused resolve as youth from across the continent—Nigeria, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Burkina Faso and beyond—stood shoulder to shoulder, pledging to carry forward the torch of liberation through critical, decolonial education and continental solidarity.
The theme was unapologetically radical: total African sovereignty in a multipolar world. In this spirit, the leadership of Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré was reverently celebrated,not as mere political symbolism, but as a living example of the fearless, selfless leadership Africa’s future demands. Traoré’s defiance of neocolonial control and unwavering call for a dignified and self-reliant Africa inspired roaring affirmation from the youth present.
Equally electrifying was the resonance with the BRICS+ movement and its bold efforts to dismantle unjust global financial structures and usher in an equitable, multipolar financial order. The students pledged solidarity with BRICS+ as a critical ally in the battle for economic decolonisation and development driven by African priorities.
This was more than a celebration—it was a declaration. The UJ Congolese Students Society reaffirmed its commitment to building a new African intellectual and political vanguard. One that is unafraid to confront imperialism, that reveres its ancestors not with nostalgia but with action, and that marches resolutely towards a United Africa—sovereign, self-determined, and standing tall among the nations of the world.
As one speaker powerfully concluded:
“We are the children of Sankara, Lumumba, Biko and Nkrumah. We will not be bought. We will not be silenced. We will not be colonised again.
Dr Malusi Mncube
University of Johannesburg
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