Kampala | Uganda proudly hosted the 62nd anniversary of Africa Liberation Day on May 25, 2025, at the historic Kololo ceremonial grounds in Kampala.
The celebration brought together cultural leaders, dignitaries, and thousands of citizens from across Africa in a powerful display of unity, heritage, and a shared vision for Africa’s future.
The event, titled “Africa First: A Call for an Accelerated Collaborative Approach Towards Culture, Political, and Economic Autonomy,” emphasised the importance of culture in Africa’s continued liberation and development.
Message from the chairman
Speaking at the ceremony, Mzee Ben Nzima Bob, chairman of the Pan-African Movement Uganda National Chapter, stated that the celebration’s goal is to demonstrate solidarity and revive African culture.
“It is to show solidarity. That is one way to revive our culture. You see, our culture has been compromised over the years. Most of you know, tribes are lost out of their culture and are adapted to foreign cultures. You see, we are reviving it. Now, the approach is okay, we started with universities. Now we want to go to secondary schools and we want to go to primary schools.”
Nzima engaged all cultural institutions of all the African states to come and identify with us. “In Uganda, we are doing business with all cultural institutions. Madi, Lubgara, Acholi, name them. That’s what we are trying to do. Our big challenge is finance. The government supports us in all that we do.
“Okay, we have a program which we Share with the government to help us advance this course,” Nzima said.
The voice from the cultural institution
Professor Prince Wassaja Kiwanuka of the Buganda Royal Family emphasised the importance of protecting not only the African people, but also the rich natural resources such as soil, environment, climate, trees, flowers, and so on.
Professor Wassaja, who also serves as chairman of the Uganda Traditional Forum, has urged African cultural leaders to organise dialogue in order to promote African peace and unity.
“And what we see today is a fact that when we talk about Africa, it is not only the people. It is something more than us who are here. It is something that we sometimes may not even be able to explain using words.
“Something rich, the soil that we don’t talk about, the environment, climate, the trees and flowers, the culture that is embedded in us, the values and morals that we need also to discuss about, and in order for us to appreciate our true identity, embrace holy.
“Ladies and gentlemen, in a forum like this, we need to accept that each of us have a belonging, and we call ourselves African because we are born somewhere,” said Professor Prince Wassaja.
“Ladies and gentlemen, when you come from Gulu and I come from Kampala, but all these places are from Uganda, we are pleased to be Ugandans. Similarly, I want us to start an African traditional and specifically Uganda traditional dialogue whereby we treat each other as brothers. This is the beginning of appreciating our unity, of appreciating the Africa in us, and of course evolving what will culminate as the day that we want to gazette today.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to remind us that we cannot be big and strong if we work independently. My message today is to call upon all the cultural leaders, those who are here and those who will hear this message, let us have a dialogue, in our midst, we have the president of the kings and queens.
“And I want him to stand and wave for us together with the queen. We are so delighted to have you and we want you to champion this dialogue so that we can start from the grassroots and be able to talk about a united Africa which is doing by the values, which is doing by a climate that we share,” Wassaja concluded.
The Queen mother, Mercy Nambura Ajambo of Kenya, also emphasized the need for unity and peace amongst the different African countries.
“Today we gather here not just to remember a date, but we gather here to celebrate and to honor the vision as this country Uganda has started. And the vision as I see is a vision of a united, proud, and empowered Africa.
“Honestly, truth be told, Pan-Africanism is the only vehicle that is going to Right Africa. If you agree with me, say by 80 Pan Africanism to me is more than a political movement. It is a bond that brings us together and it’s a bond that brings everybody back to the cradle of mankind,” the Queen said.
The Queen Mother Dr. Myrna Belgrave Acom V of Barbados, who was the ceremony’s chief guest, stated that the colonialists’ education system polluted African minds and made them feel inferior, and she therefore appealed to unity and love.
“They took our minds. They gave us an education that really polluted our minds and made us feel inferior. And made us feel as though we had nothing and they came and took everything we had. And we sustained their civilization. And that is why they do not want us to unite because if we unite, where will their civilization go? We are sustainers,” she noted.
“We African sustain the world. And I would like you to remember who you are. Remember your greatness. We have one president in one part of the world saying that he’s going to make that country great again. And he’s doing things that will make others suffer, we want to make Africa great again where everyone will have joy, and happiness, and a good standard of living because Africa has enough wealth and minerals to sell to sustain the world.
“So, in the present we have to reconnect, we have to return, we have to remember who we were, what we have, because we have the minerals It means that we had something very spiritual, very beautiful because we got those gifts, we must remember the one who gave us the gifts by whatever name you call that source,” added Queen Mother Myrna Belgrave.
The event featured traditional dances from various cultural backgrounds, as well as performances from Adjumani’s Mother Theresa preparatory primary and nursery school.
Asiku James, the proprietor of Mother Theresa Preparatory School, Adjumani, expressed his gratitude to the organizers for inviting his school to be part of the celebration and also appreciated the parents of the school for trusting him.
“I would like to thank God for all what has happened to this school but what I know where we have reached, and what we want is Africa to be one, to have one language, and good enough my school is the only school that is promoting Kiswahili from P1 up to P7 and the whole country has already recognized that, for this matter I would like to thank the parents who have trusted me with the responsibility of educating their children.
“I’m very grateful to them for their support, and it is my prayer that they continue to support the school so that we take it to greater heights,” said Asiku James.
The 62nd Africa Liberation Day was more than just a celebration; it served as a reminder that true liberation for Africa lies not only in political independence, but also in reclaiming its cultural strength and unity.
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