Return of Lumumba

The Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia will again bear the name of the Congolese fighter against colonialism Patrice Emery Lumumba (1925–1961), whom he parted ways with in 1992. The order to this effect was signed by the Ministry of Education and Science following a “discussion” at the university itself. Experts interviewed by Kommersant are sure that both the decision to remove Lumumba’s name and his return is a “political issue.”

The name of Patrice Lumumba has been returned to the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). This was announced on Thursday by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin – according to him, such an order was signed by the Ministry of Education and Science. Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky told Kommersant that the decision was made in response to the request of RUDN graduates. According to him, this was preceded by a discussion, the majority of participants of which supported the initiative. “Of course, there were also opinions that now we are at a new stage, and it was a different time and other heroes,” the deputy minister admitted. “But communication with colleagues from other countries shows that many of them did not know that for a number of years the university did not bear this name. Thus, we can emphasize the presence of good, good traditions. That RUDN was a home for thousands of students from different countries.” However, the decision was certainly taken in the light of the foreign policy context, the official said: “His name is associated with the struggle for freedom, against colonialism. Now the issues of neo-colonialism and the alternative struggle for the idea of ​​a multipolar world, for the rights of nations to free and independent development have come to the fore again. Therefore, it is very useful now to recall such a hero from the recent past.

It should be noted that the idea of ​​returning RUDN University named after Patrice Lumumba periodically arose in the public field, but never moved beyond discussions. For example, in 2017, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised to discuss this idea with the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia and the Ministry of Education and Science – he announced this after negotiations with the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In December 2022, the “Communists of Russia” already came up with this initiative. In February, she was supported by the Foreign Ministry, saying that “such a step will give impetus to the development of ties with African partners.” The idea was supported by the director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irina Abramova – she said that “it is necessary not in words, but in deeds” to demonstrate to African countries the importance of Russian interaction with them.

The initiative was also discussed in the State Duma – then the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said: “The return of the name of Patrice Lumumba, the first chairman of the government of the Republic of the Congo, is symbolic, because he died for his position in support of the country, fighting for its sovereignty, independence. He was killed for his anti-Western statements and anti-Western stance in the interests of his state.”

RUDN University confirmed to Kommersant that the supervisory board of the university supported the initiative to return the Patrice Lumumba University. More than 200 thousand graduates of the university work all over the world, and for many of them the name of RUDN University is associated with the name of Patrice Lumumba, the university adds.

Alexander Zdanevich, Senior Lecturer at the African Studies Department of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at St Petersburg University, perceives this decision as a tribute to the past and a signal to intensify relations with African states. “Lumumba is a star that never rose. Rather, this is a role in spite of, for his short political career, he did not manage to do anything, – he says. – But as a symbol of the struggle against the colonial past of Africa, he sounded bright. His famous phrase, said to the Belgian monarch: “We are no longer your monkeys,” sounded epic.” He hopes that from such “signals” the Russian authorities will come to practical solutions in the field of building relationships with African states.

Dmitry Bondarenko, Deputy Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says that “to this day this university is known all over the world as Lumumba University.” In his opinion, those who deprived RUDN University of this name in 1992 did not take into account that “Lumumba for a Western young man is a real hero.” According to Mr. Bondarenko, this was also wrong from a political point of view: he said that more than ten years ago, the ambassador and employees of the Congo embassy came to the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Then they asked for help in returning the name of Lumumba to RUDN University. “It is clear that this is a political issue,” he says. “It is clear why this happened in 2023, and not a few years ago. However, this issue has been raised many times before.

It is no coincidence that the name was removed in 1992 in the wake of a completely different era and mood, and it is no coincidence that it is being returned right now. It is clear that this is connected with our current foreign policy relations.”

Let us add that Alexei Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, recently announced that Swahili and Amharic are being taught as additional languages ​​in Russian schools. Also, according to Mr. Maslov, the teaching of Yoruba and Somali is being revived at the institute, Swahili, Amharic, Zulu and many others are being actively taught. In addition, the Ministry of Education and Science recently announced a doubling (up to 4.7 thousand) of the number of state-funded places in Russian universities for students from African countries for the upcoming 2023/24 academic year.

Ivan Tyazhlov