Lecture Series

The Marwa Africana Lecture Series (MALS): Established in 2003 through a generous donation by Dr. Mohamed Buba Marwa, a Nigerian businessman, politician, and philanthropist, MALS brings in a leader annually to address matters related to Africa and/or the African Diaspora.

• 2024: Osonye Tess Onwueme, Ph.D. (University of Benin), Nigerian playwright, scholar and poet and Distinguished Professor of Cultural Diversity and English at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.
• 2023:  Mohamed Buba Marwa, Ph.D. (Pitt), a Nigerian businessman, politician, philanthropist, and chairman of Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
• 2018: Michael Gomez, Ph. D. (Chicago) Silver Professor; Professor of History and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies at New York University and Founder, Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD)
• 2017: Micere Hithae Mugo, Ph.D. (University of New Brunswick) Emeritus Professor of African American Studies at Syracuse University
• 2014: Fred Harris, Ph.D (Northwestern), Political Scientist, TV and Radio Commentator, Director of Center on African-American Politics and Society.  
• 2011: Nawal El Saadawi, M.D. (Cairo University) Egyptian activist and outspoken author and human rights advocate
• 2009: Amiri Baraka, poet, playwright, novelist, music critic and political activist.
• 2008: Martin Bernal, Ph.D (Cambridge), Professor Emeritus in Near Eastern Studies and Government, Cornell University
• 2005: Molefi K. Asante, Ph.D (UCLA), Prolific Author and Scholar, Professor of African-American Studies, Temple University. The 2005 lecture was very special because Dr. Marwa, after whom the lecture series is named, was able to return to Kansas for the lecture.
• 2004 : Ali Mazrui, Ph.D (Oxford), Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities, Director of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University.