The Oxford Union declares itself the most prestigious debate society in the world, founded in 1823 for students whose discussions were being restricted by the university. It claims its genesis is in free speech, but at the time of its founding, the British Empire still colonized and terrorized the peoples of the world. African slavery was still a “legal” institution.
This “free speech” that the Oxford Union prides itself on was founded on the enslaved voices of African people.
On March 19, 2025, Chairman Omali Yeshitela, revolutionary leader and founder of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) and worldwide Uhuru Movement, author of African Internationalist theory, was once again invited to participate at the Oxford Union debates in London on the question of the eviction of colonial powers from Africa.
The letter read:
“Dear Chairman Omali Yeshitela,
I hope this email finds you well.
I am writing with an invitation for you to join us at the Oxford Union, for one of our historic debates. I have attached a letter from our President, Ms Anita Okunde, and we would be delighted if you were to consider and accept.
Founded in 1823, the Union is the largest society at the University of Oxford and one of the most prestigious debating societies in the world. In the past we have hosted visits from US Presidents Reagan, Nixon, and Carter, to celebrities such as Morgan Freeman, Julia Fox and Michael Jackson and world leaders like HM Queen Elizabeth, Malala Yousafzai and HH the Dalai Lama, to name but a few.
One of the Union’s most famous traditions is our Thursday debates, in which we confront the
boldest questions of the day, giving an opportunity for our members to learn from, engage with, and be inspired by our guests. It is our pleasure to invite you to speak on the motion:
The House Believes Africa must evict its colonial masters
After gaining independence in the 20th century, Africa continues to grapple with the lasting influence of its colonial past. From economic inequality and land ownership to political control and cultural identity, neocolonialism still remains dominant. Who truly belongs to Africa—those with ancestral ties to the land or those born on it, regardless of heritage? Does foreign influence soft or hard, whether from former colonial powers or emerging global players, still shape the continent’s future? Or is the involvement of the global west pivotal in bringing Africa into the global sphere and realising its economic potential? And what would it mean for Africa to fully reclaim its sovereignty?
We are challenged to consider the legacy of colonial rule, the realities of modern neocolonialism, and the future of African self-determination as we explore to what degree the colonial masters are to blame… Or perhaps Africa’s problems are of their own making.
As a revolutionary leader, founder of the African People’s Socialist Party, and lifelong advocate for the liberation of African people worldwide, your work has been a beacon of resistance against colonialism, imperialism, and systemic oppression. For decades, you have fearlessly challenged the structures of global white supremacy and tirelessly fought for the unity, self-determination, and empowerment of African people. Your unwavering commitment to Pan-Africanism and your profound understanding of the historical and ongoing struggles against colonialism offer a vital perspective on this critical issue. We believe your voice, rooted in decades of activism and revolutionary thought, would ignite a transformative dialogue, inspiring us to confront the legacies of colonialism and envision a future of true liberation and sovereignty for Africa and its diaspora.
It would be an honor to have you join us for this historic debate.
This debate will be held on the evening of Thursday 29th May. If this would be of interest, please do let us know.”
The invitation comes just shy of three years following the U.S. government attacks initiated on the APSP using pre-dawn raids and bogus foreign agent charges which, through an international campaign that demanded, “Hands Off Uhuru!” delivered an embarrassing loss to the U.S. government.
This invitation sent by the first African woman president of the union comes six years following the Charman’s first appearance, where he debated the issue of closer African unity, and won!
In the previous invitation for the January 2019 debates, Chairman Omali Yeshitela was recognized for his decades of service to the African Liberation struggle and as a leading contributor to the development of socialist theory and practice.
Millions of people have seen and circulated the now viral video of the Chairman speaking on the need for the African Revolution to achieve a closer African union.
For many who came across the presentation, coined as “the shot heard around the world, Africa speaks for itself,” it was the first time since the time of Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X that such clear, anti-colonial revolutionary analysis could be heard.
This time around, the union presented the debate theme: “The House Believes Africa Must Evict its Colonial Masters.”
The topic in and of itself represents the obvious influence of Chairman Omali Yeshitela and African Internationalism, and all of his work to make the colonial question the primary focus in the struggle for national liberation and socialism.
It’s a topic with an obvious answer, and one the Chairman is the most prepared to answer. However, on April 16, less than a month after the invitation was sent, the Chairman was essentially uninvited to participate.
The correspondence came from the assistant to the union president, and it reads:
I hope this email finds you well. We have been working very hard to organise our lineups for both sides of this debate, and the current situation is that we have our lineups for the proposition side set and currently we only need speakers in opposition to the motion. Please let us know if this would be of interest – if not, we will be sure to reach out again if another event comes up which we think would benefit from Chairman Yeshitela’s presence.
The insulting notion that the Chairman would argue in favor of colonialism is a blatant and poor excuse to remove the Chairman from a debate literally structured around his theoretical contributions to the African Liberation Movement.
More than this, the clear backpedaling by Oxford suggests the intervention of the colonial masters themselves, preventing yet another important discussion around the question of colonialism—especially during a time where the global economy built on slavery and colonialism is in irrevocable disrepair due to Africans and other colonized peoples taking the eviction process into their own hands.
The well known fact is that the Chairman’s participation calls for more than just a discussion. In fact, for African Internationalists, the question is not up for debate.
The issue of colonialism and the global colonial mode of production is not an academic issue that gets resolved in a room with a few trained debaters.
It is an issue that Africans, Palestinians, Mexican and Indigenous people are fighting against and the colonizer seems unable to get ahead.
It is an issue that Chairman Omali Yeshitela and the African People’s Socialist Party assumed leadership over to destroy the colonial mode of production.
To further understand the extent of their own crisis, the Oxford Union invited the leader of the African Revolution as they were doing when they invited Malcolm X to participate during the rise of the Black Revolution of the 1960s.
The rescinding of the invitation marks the collaboration of the Oxford Union with the colonial powers to maintain this oppressive, destructive relationship with the rest of the world, for the remaining time they have.
They are functioning in the same capacity as the U.S. government with this maneuver to silence anti-colonial free speech and the leadership of the African Revolution.
They cannot afford the impact of any real, meaningful contribution to this discussion.
We ain’t going back!
Despite their attempts to silence the voice of the African working class, we will host our own forums that will aid in our efforts to continue growing the anti-colonial free speech movement.
As Chairman Omali says, “The genie is out of the bottle.”
The colonial State desperately moves to protect itself by attacking free speech, banning or rewriting history.
Anything it can do to keep their own colonial population ignorant to reality, they will do–even if it’s to their own detriment. But African and colonized people are clearer now than we ever have been: colonialism must go!
In order for humanity and this planet to stand a chance, we must be victorious.
The U.S. government, the Oxford Union and the colonial powers as a whole cannot put a stop to the international African Revolution that is already in motion.
We cannot let them contain this discussion, which means we must organize our own community debates and forums, conduct regular studies of the writings of Chairman Omali Yeshitela and articles in The Burning Spear newspaper.
We must approach this process with an abundance of creativity so that we are able to reach those forces who are searching for an explanation and a solution to the colonial mode of production.
Join the African People’s Socialist Party!
APSPUhuru.org
Sell and Study The Burning Spear!
