Last week, University Distinguished Professor Nwando Achebe delivered the Africa Day Memorial Lecture at the University of the Free State's Qwaqwa Campus.
During her talk, she challenged audiences to confront what she called Africa’s “unfinished freedom,” arguing that true liberation requires more than political independence. Framed around gender as a lens for understanding power, memory, and authority, her talk examined how colonialism reshaped African societies—not only by seizing land and governance, but by altering cultural norms and reinforcing restrictions on women’s roles and leadership. Read more about her lecture.
Dr. Achebe is a University Distinguished Professor, the Jack and Margaret Sweet Endowed Professor of History, and Associate Dean for Access, Faculty Development, and Strategic Implementation at MSU. She is founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of West African History, a 2022-23 ACE Fellow and a 2022 HERS Leadership Fellow. Dr. Achebe is also a member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, and President of the African Studies Association.