University marks 80th anniversary of historic fifth Pan-African Congress
Events will commemorate the Congress that took place in Manchester in 1945
Manchester Met is commemorating the 80th anniversary of the fifth Pan-African Congress, a significant event in Black British history, which was held in Manchester in 1945.
In October 1945, 200 delegates came from all over the world to meet at Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall – now home to Manchester Met’s Grosvenor East building – in a moment that is considered to have been a turning point in the fight for African independence.
Organised by the Trinidadian socialist George Padmore, the week-long event was attended by three future African presidents, and within two decades, multiple African countries had won their independence.
Ntombizodwa Nyoni, Lecturer in Scriptwriting at Manchester Met, wrote a powerful new play Liberation, which tells the story of the Pan-African Congress of 1945.
Liberation, which ran at the Royal Exchange Theatre over the summer, explored the private lives of the activists involved in the congress and their struggles to liberate their communities from colonialism.
Speaking about the significance of the upcoming anniversary, Nyoni said: “I think we’re existing in a time right now where the conversations that took place at the Pan-African Congress in 1945 are still relevant today.
“The conversations they were having about what it means to be liberated, and fighting colonialism and capitalism are all discussions that we are having today. This anniversary allows us to reflect on how far we’ve come as well as honouring those activists who were having those important conversations 80 years ago.”
Now 80 years on, the University is marking the anniversary, which takes place during Black History Month, with several events reflecting on the legacy of this momentous occasion as well as highlighting its impact in shaping modern world history.
On Saturday October 18, Manchester Met, in partnership with SEE MY WORLD, the Black and Global Majority Cultural Creative Network, and Oxford Road Corridor will present a roundtable discussion and networking event.
Taking place at the University’s Grosvenor East building – where a plaque commemorating the fifth Pan African Congress is located – this event will explore what liberation, self-realisation and self-determination looks like for communities today and how the enduring legacy of the Pan-African Congress can inform collective action and cultural leadership in Manchester.
Manchester Met’s Manchester Centre for Public Histories and Heritage and the Race Gender Sexuality and Identity Research Group, in partnership with the People’s History Museum, will host two events at the museum.
On Friday 17th October, from 5pm to 7pm, Archives in Solidarity will allow visitors to explore the People’s History Museum’s galleries and archives which hold the Negro Association Manchester Membership Ledger, Labour Party material about the Pan African Federation and a rich collection of material about the life of Congress attendee Thomas Bangbala.
Libraries and archives from across the city will also showcase their collections, highlighting stories of resistance and solidarity in connection with the Congress, including the University’s North West Film Archive, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, and Working Class Movement Library.
Later in the evening, from 7pm to 8.30pm, award-winning author, broadcaster and academic Gary Younge will discuss this global moment in Manchester with an insightful lecture and Q&A, chaired by anti-racist historian and Manchester Met lecturer, Dr Shirin Hirsch.