Lumumba at 100 Conference

April 18, 2025 | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (EST) | In-person

Maison Française, Buell Hall, 515 W 116th St, New York, NY 10027

Lumumba at 100 is a graduate student-led initiative commemorating the 100th anniversary of Patrice Lumumba’s, honoring his life and legacy. The conference will focus on Congo’s colonial history, Lumumba’s leadership, and the region’s ongoing struggles, with a particular emphasis on how these issues connect to contemporary global challenges such as resource extraction and political instability. The event will feature lectures from leading scholars, including Prof. Didier Gondola and Prof. Pedro Monaville, and discussions with Prof. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja. An interactive workshop will allow graduate students and early-career scholars to engage with senior African Studies scholars for feedback. The program will also include a screening of Soundtrack to a Coup d’État (Johan Grimonprez, 2024), followed by a moderated discussion,. This cross-disciplinary conference seeks to illuminate the past and engage with present issues, while underscoring the value of African Studies in today’s academic landscape.

Speakers

• Bruno Bosteels (Dean of Humanities, Columbia University)
• Didier Gondola (Johns Hopkins University)
• Baba Badji (Rutgers University)
• Pedro Monaville (McGill University)
• Jennifer Wenzel (Columbia University)
• Elaine Sullivan (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Elizabeth Povinelli (Columbia University)
• Aude Tournaye (Columbia University)
• Christopher Davey (Binghamton University)
• Mahmood Mamdani (Columbia University)
• Joshua Walker (New York University’s Center on International Cooperation)
• Amanda Long (Columbia University)
• Roland Gillah (Columbia University)
• Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• Peter Vale (Harvard University)
• Noam Chen-Zion (Columbia University)
• Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

RSVP here