Thursday, April 3, 6:30-8:00 PM

In Praise of the Universal

Keynote Lecture by Souleymane Bachir Diagne

Location to be announced

RSVP HERE

Friday, April 4 and Saturday April 5, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM

Celebrating the work of Souleymane Bachir Diagne

With contributions by:

Salim Abdelmadjid, Mouhamadou El Hady BA, Alioune Bah, Etienne Balibar, Akeel Bilgrami, Ali Benmakhlouf, Françoise Blum, Charles Bowao, Jean-Godefroy Bidima, Hamid Dabashi, Daniel Dauvois, Vishaka Desai, Penelope Lisa Deutscher, Mamadou Diouf, Thomas Dodman, Pierre Force, Lewis R. Gordon, Philippe Gouët, Chike Jeffers, Nadia Yala Kisukidi, Anais Maurer, Ramatoulaye Diagne Mbengue, Bado Ndoye, Nasrin Qader, Emmanuelle Saada, Felwine Sarr, Achille Varzi, Gary Wilder, Frédéric Worms, and Souleymane Bachir Diagne.

East Gallery, Maison Française, Buell Hall

RSVP HERE

This conference is organized by the Columbia University Maison Française and Department of French, with additional support provided by Columbia’s Institute of African Studies, Office of the Dean of Humanities, Department of Philosophy, Committee on Global Thought, SOF/Heyman Center for the Humanities, Alliance Program, Arts and Sciences, and MESAAS, and by Villa Albertine, Cultural Services of the Embassy of France.

We are excited to announce the launch of the Lumumba at 100 series, a graduate student-led initiative commemorating the 100th anniversary of Patrice Lumumba’s life and legacy.

Lumumba at 100 – April 18, 2025, 10:00 AM
Featuring scholars Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Didier Gondola, Pedro Monaville
Maison Française, Buell Hall, 515 W 116th St, New York, NY 10027

RSVP (RSVP required 48 hours in advance for non-CU ID holders)

CALL FOR PAPERS (Deadline: March 15, 2025)

Lumumba at 100 will include a cross-disciplinary conference and workshop, featuring discussions and lectures on Congo’s colonial history, Lumumba’s leadership, and ongoing struggles in the region, with an emphasis on global challenges like resource extraction and political instability. Leading scholars and early-career scholars will come together for engaging dialogues and critical feedback.

Current Supporters & Collaborators:
Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies, Department of Art History & Archaeology, Institute of African Studies, Middle East Institute, Maison Française, Just Humanities Initiative, The Society for Fellows and the Heyman Center for the Humanities, Department of History, Department of French, Department of Anthropology, African Student Association, Friends of the Congo, SIPA Pan African Network

For more information, upcoming programs, and updates, see our website.

We hope you can join us for these events.

Best regards,
The Lumumba at 100 Organizing Team