The following are speeches delivered by people of African ancestry around the world which have contributed to the shaping of Global African history. These speeches serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited at the end of the speeches.
On Saturday, October 1, 1960, Nigeria became an independent nation. What follows is Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s speech delivered at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos at the Independence Ceremony. Today is Independence Day. The first of October 1960 is a date to which for … Read More(1960) Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, “Independence Day”
In December 1960, Albert Luthuli, President of the African National Congress of South Africa, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the struggle against apartheid. The South African government however, refused to allow Luthuli to leave the country to accept the award … Read More(1961) Albert Luthuli, “Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech”
In January 1962, Nelson Mandela, the emerging leader of the South African campaign against apartheid, spoke at a convention of Pan African advocates meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In that speech he outlined the history of the freedom struggle that he would one day personify. … Read More(1962) Nelson Mandela, “Address at the Conference of the Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa”
By 1962 Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904-1996) was a well-known independence leader in Nigeria. As President of the Nigerian Senate he was one of the most powerful individuals in the government of the young nation. Azikiwe, like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Leopold Senghor of Senegal, and Jomo … Read More(1962) Nnamdi Azikiwe, “The Future of Pan Africanism”
Es’kia Mphahlele was a South African writer, professor, and political activist who was critical of the nation’s apartheid regime. He subsequently spent twenty years in exile from South Africa between 1957 and 1977. In the speech below, given in Johannesburg, South Africa in June, 1963, … Read More(1963) Es’kia (Ezekiel) Mphahlele, “On Negritude in Literature”
On May 25, 1963 the Organization for African Unity (OAU) was established with a permanent headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, was selected as the first President of the OAU. His acceptance speech appears below. This is indeed a momentous and … Read More(1963) Haile Selassie, “Towards African Unity”
What follows is the speech by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa on the occasion of the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) at Addis Abba, Ethiopia, on May 24, 1963. Your Imperial Majesty, Mr. President, Your Excellencies, First, I want to express the thanks … Read More(1963) Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, “Addis Ababa”
On November 17, 1948 the University of Ibadan became the first modern institution of higher education in Nigeria when it began as an external college of the University of London. Fifteen years later the University became independent of all ties with the British university. Sir … Read More(1963) Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, “Chancellor’s Address at the University of Ibadan”
On December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King became only the second African American (after Ralph Bunche) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. His acceptance speech given in Oslo, Norway, appears below. Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: I accept … Read More(1964) Dr. Martin Luther King, “Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize”
In 1962, Nelson Mandela, leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) the armed wing of the African National Congress, was convicted by a South African court of traveling outside the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike. He was sentenced to … Read More(1964) Nelson Mandela, “I Am Prepared To Die”
