Annual lecture by Dr. Mamphela Ramphele on "Africa's ill-fitting imperial clothes" at UC Berkeley

Hosted by the Center for African Studies and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UC Berkeley, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele spoke on "Africa's ill-fitting imperial clothes" on February 10, 2026. Africa’s Ill-fitting Imperial Clothes Mamphela Ramphele is a world-renowned figure with an outstanding career as an activist, medical doctor, academic, businesswoman, and thought leader. Dr Ramphele was co-founder of The Black Consciousness Movement with her then-partner Steve Biko that reignited the struggle for freedom in South Africa. She has a history with the Berkeley campus, having delivered the 1999 Cal Day Lecture, and having been an inspiration for the anti-apartheid struggle in the Bay Area through the 1970s and beyond. She was Co-President of the Club of Rome from October 2018 until end of term in November 2023. She is the Co-Founder & Global Brand Ambassador of ReimagineSA since 2016. Previously, she served as a Managing Director at the World Bank from 2000 to 2004 and as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, from 1996 to 2000. She is a medical doctor, a social anthropologist, and global public servant, having served as non-Executive Director of many large companies and Civil Society Organizations. She is an author and recipient of many awards including 24 honorary degrees. Dr Ramphele has graciously agreed to deliver the 2026 Annual Lecture for the Center of African Studies. Her lecture is entitled “Africa’s Ill-fitting Imperial Clothes,” Her talk asks: “Why has the African continent, with few notable exceptions, struggled to make a success of post-colonial democratic orders? Why is Africa with its abundant natural and mineral resources as well as a large youthful population, struggling to create well being and prosperity for all? Has Africa interrogated the fitness of its post-colonial heritage of ready-made imperial clothing? Such a lecture is timely given the 2026 G20 Summit, recently held in her home city of Johannesburg, and the centrality of the fastest-growing and youngest continent in an increasingly multi-polar world.