African students studying in Ireland came together last Saturday to inaugurate a new forum at Trinity College Dublin.
In his opening address, acting co-ordinator of the forum David Nyaluke explained that the event was not to celebrate but to lay a concrete foundation for a forum that would be of great benefit to Africans studying in Ireland, and to the African community at large.
Cllr Rotimi Adebari gave the keynote address, in which he encouraged students of African descent to make use of the multicultural nature of Ireland, and “renew that African thinking” exemplified by post-colonial leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyatta, who used the opportunity of studying outside Africa to campaign for liberation.
“Today you are starting a similar thing like Kwame Nkrumah, but yours today is not [liberation through] confrontation but education,” he said.
Cllr Adebari reminded the audience of Africa’s problems such as lack of rule of law and functioning democracy, and acute corruption. He said the solution to these problems lies in the education of Africans, which will lead to positive attitudes towards the continent.
Later, Metro Éireann editor Chinedu Onyejelem reminded students that no association could succeed without the dedication and support of its members.
He urged them to reject corruption in any instance and to be proactive on issues affecting Africa and Africans to build a positive image for the continent.
The student forum will meet again before the end of the year to draw up the association’s constitution and elect its representatives and committees.
