For the first Oxford Pan-Afrikan Forum (OXPAF) event of the term, Dr Ama Biney will be the guest speaker, exploring the political evolution of Kwame Nkrumah, followed by discussion.

Kwame Nkrumah is perhaps the most prominent symbol of Pan-Afrikanism in the 20th century. Nkrumah led the first successful independence movement on the continent as Ghana won its independence in 1957. In the Western academy, we often hear that Nkrumah "failed." But who or what was responsible for Nkrumah's fall from power? Though not without his flaws and weaknesses, Nkrumah's vision of a united Africa inspired a whole generation. And his various writings on such topics as neocolonialism, the class struggle, and African unity are still painfully relevant to the politics of Black liberation today.

Dr Ama Biney has over 20 years of teaching experience in the UK. She has taught courses in African history (ancient and modern); Caribbean History; African American history; post-independence African politics; the history of Pan-Africanism and the history of black people in Britain. Her publications include: "The Political and Social Thought of Kwame Nkrumah" published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2011; "Speaking Truth to Power: Selected Pan-African Postcards of Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem" compiled by A. Biney & A. Olukoshi, published by Pambazuka Press in 2010. She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Pan-African weekly electronic newsletter, Pambazuka News, which is a platform for radical debate on African social, economic and political justice issues and the African diaspora in the Caribbean and North, South and Central America.

For this event, we encourage you to read Dr Biney's article "Nkrumah at 100" for an introduction. For more in-depth treatment, see her book: The Political and Social Thought of Kwame Nkrumah, published by Palgrave-Macmillan, 2011.

Special thanks to the Pembroke College Annual Fund for its financial support for the Oxford Pan Afrikan Forum.