By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: The entire African continent and Pan-African community around the world woke up to sad news this morning, of the sudden death of Prof Wamba Dia Wamba, an undisputable Pan-African intellectual.
More mind boggling is that Wamba was one of the few who served the continent a brew of pure ideas, the guerrilla strategy and politics in the most conventional sense as he negotiated for peaceful accommodation of divergent views.
Global Pan-African Movement fraternity sitting in Kampala has confirmed Wamba’s death, and revealed that the late was one of its Governing Council members from DR Congo.
“In memory of him, we’ve opened up a book of condolence at messages at Pan African Movement Freedom Square offices at Clock Tower Kampala Uganda,” a statement read in part by the secretariate.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) has also payed tribute to Wamba who was its influential member and an active participant in the Organisation’s activities.
“CODESRIA along with the entire African scholarly community in the Social Sciences and Humanities extend its condolences to the family of Wamba-dia-Wamba. May his soul rest in perfect peace, CODESRIA will issue a longer tribute in honour of Prof. Wamba-dia-Wamba soon,” Pan-Africanist Organisation stated.
Who Was Professor Wamba?
Prof. Wamba-Dia-Wamba was a brilliant political theorist noted for his ground-breaking work on democracy, social movements and emancipative politics in Africa. He taught in many universities including the University of Dar es Salaam, Harvard University, Boston College and Brandeis University.
He was also scholar who sought to actualize his ideas through participation and intervention in major political processes. He was an active participant in the civil rights movement in the US where he studied. He was imprisoned and exiled from his country due to his thought and activism.
He was later to lead one of the rebel groups- Rally for Congolese Democracy- during what is often described as the Second Congo War in the 1990s and then served as a senator in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The entire Pan-African Pyramid community in Uganda and across the world join our fellow comrades across the world to send our deepest sincere condolences to the family of Prof.Wamba Dia-Wamba who never agonized,but died Organizing.
