Sovereignty and Independence of African States

(Being Opening Remarks by Collins Nweke, Patron of The  AfrikaFora on the occasion of: Nzuko2025 – Commemoration of Africa Week)

Distinguished Keynote Speaker, Prof. PLO Lumumba

Honourable guests

Esteemed speakers

Articulate moderator

Dear fellow Africans and friends of Africa

Welcome to Nzuko2025!

This is a special gathering that holds profound meaning as we commemorate Africa Week. At The AfrikaFora the traditional Africa Day marks our historical journey toward political independence. It also invites sober reflection on the future we must shape together. This perhaps explains why it became more than just a day event for us. It is fittingly a week long event.

As Patron of The AfrikaFora, it is both an honour and a solemn duty to open this important event. The AfrikaFora, as Convener, is not merely creating a platform for discourse. We are nurturing a Pan-African consciousness. We do this together with all of you. It is grounded in truth, dignity, and unapologetic ownership of our destiny.

The theme for Nzuko2025, “Sovereignty and Independence of African States”, compels us to move forward. We must look beyond the celebratory echoes of 1960s liberation. It encourages us to question the achievements of that era. We are dared to interrogate whether the political flags we hoisted back then have truly translated into sovereign agency. This translation is evaluated economically, mentally, diplomatically, and culturally. In this audience, today, we gather not to romanticize history, but to confront it. To question history and to forge the next chapter with clarity and courage. Have we truly secured the freedom for which our forebears paid the ultimate price? Or have we inherited symbols without substance: flags without power, anthems without autonomy?

In this context, we are deeply honoured. Our Keynote Speaker is a towering Pan-Africanist and a voice of moral clarity. He is a man whose intellectual fire continues to illuminate dark corners of complacency: Professor PLO Lumumba.

Permit me to share a personal reflection.

Professor Lumumba obtained his doctorate in Ghent, just a stone’s throw from where I speak to you from today. Belgium has been home to me for three decades, as it was for him briefly. I cherish that commonality that we share. But with that shared connection comes both a burden and a blessing. We both live with the reality of Belgium’s complex legacy in Africa. This legacy includes the imperial sabotage that silenced the original Lumumba. His name was Patrice Emery Lumumba. Our keynote speaker proudly bears this name. He honors it in his lifelong commitment to African freedom. Belgium was complicit in the violent erasure of a visionary leader. Yet today, from this very soil, I join you as Patron of The AfrikaFora to echo his vision anew. In doing so, I am undaunted and unapologetic.

Dear Professor Lumumba, your presence here today is not just symbolic. It is restorative. You remind us that Africa’s intellectual sovereignty must match its political aspirations. The AfrikaFora salutes your courage, your eloquence, and your steadfastness in reminding us that independence without sovereignty is illusion. Yours is a voice of prophetic clarity in these complex times. You are a true Pan-African luminary. Your words consistently summon us to abandon complacency. They urge us to reclaim the moral and intellectual sovereignty of Africa. Your body of work continues the legacy of your namesake: Patrice Emery Lumumba. Today, the flame burns in individuals like you, Professor. You speak truth to power. You provoke action where silence once reigned. The AfrikaFora and Nzuko2025 are proud to accept your light.

We are equally privileged by the presence of a remarkable lineup of thinkers and doers:

·       Sheba Montserrat, whose work on Mental Sovereignty reminds us that the colonization of the mind must be the last frontier to be deconstructed.

·       Dr. Martin Ejidike, who will walk us through African diplomacy and development midst the tremors of shifting global power dynamics.

·       Benoît Feyt, who courageously explores What’s left of the Lumumbist vision. This is a question we must ask ourselves if we truly claim Pan-African lineage.

·       Dr. Abu Bakarr Bah offers a global approach to the challenges of sovereignty. Africa does not operate in a vacuum, and neither do its struggles.

·       Chinwe Abuwa, addressing health systems financing. It is the bedrock of a continent’s wellbeing. It is also a true test of independence in the era of pandemics and donor-dependence.

·       And Trevor Garabali Palacio, who will stretch our thinking on autonomy and self-determination in the African diaspora. This is a timely exploration. Diasporic Africans seek rootedness without erasure.

·       All of which, ably moderated by Hon. Dr. Vernie Barnes from the beautiful Island of Montserrat

The founder of The AfrikaFora deserves special recognition. Our Convener, Winifred Uloaku Gaillard, is an uncommon visionary thinker. She is a quiet and unassuming doer. Let me simply say, thank you for all you do for Africa.

Ladies and gentlemen, Nzuko means “gathering” in Igbo. In its deepest cultural sense, it signifies a gathering of minds and spirits. This gathering is to deliberate on matters of urgent common concern. That is exactly what we are here to do. And let us do so with honesty, intellectual rigour, and a sense of shared purpose.

As we begin this day of reflection and challenge, let us remind ourselves of a critical truth. Africa’s sovereignty is not a gift. It is a task reclaimed. We may not all agree on the path. However, we must remain steadfast on the goal. Our goal is a sovereign, dignified, united, and prosperous Africa.

I thank you for your presence. I thank you for your commitment.

Let Nzuko2025 begin.

Long live the spirit of Africa. Long live African sovereignty. Long live The AfricaFora. Thank you.