PAN-AFRICANIST PROFESSOR P.L.O. LUMUMBA LAUNCHES SHOW ON RT

MOSCOW, OCTOBER 2, 2024 – “Lumumba’s Africa” will explore the past and current issues affecting the African continent; it is filmed in Kenya and will air worldwide on RT TV channel beginning on October 3, 2024.

The program represents the latest addition to RT’s expanding content lineup that focuses on the affairs of the Global South, with a special emphasis on the issues of colonial legacy.

Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba is a highly decorated scholar, author, a former director of the Kenya’s Anti-Corruption Commission and the Kenya School of Law. His academic, public and advocacy work has focused on the issues of Pan-Africanism and finding African solutions for African problems.

Remarking on his new program, Prof. Lumumba noted that “the history of Africa has always been told by others, and when one looks at the media one sees a very negative depiction of Africa. Via this platform that we’ll have through RT, we have an opportunity to showcase Africa that is not heaven, but it is not hell. My motivation with this show is to demonstrate that Africans are a people with a history, we are people with a purpose, we are people with conviction. Would this show be hosted by other channels? Channels underwritten by former colonizers? My answer is no.”

“Lumumba’s Africa” will examine the many dichotomies found on the African continent today: why are some of the economies of African nations thriving while others are stalling? Why certain conflicts emerge and how they die down – or refuse to do so for decades? Is colonialism gone forever from the continent, or do its echoes still undermine the prosperity, and the future as a whole, of the African countries?

“Professor Lumumba is recognized and respected across all of Africa. In this new, television endeavor he leaves no stone unturned in his effort to center issues specific to Africa yet resonant for the broader international community – from demographics to trade, from energy to environmental conservation, from culture to spirituality. We are excited to bring Professor Lumumba’s unique and compelling perspective to RT’s audiences worldwide, and with it to continue debunking colonialist narratives about Africa that remain pervasive in the Western mainstream media,” said Anna Belkina, RT’s Deputy Editor in Chief.

Prof. Lumumba joins an illustrious line-up of RT hosts past and present. The list includes leading international media and public personalities: former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa, prolific Indian actor, best-selling author and motivational speaker Anupam Kher, broadcasting legend Larry King, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Pulitzer Prize winner and Emmy-nominated journalist Chris Hedges, the “most dangerous financial expert” Max Keiser, former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, top American news personality Rick Sanchez and French media icon Frédéric Taddeï, among others.

“Lumumba’s Africa” will air weekly on RT starting on October 3, at 15:30 MSK (12:30 UTC) and will be published online on rt.com. In addition to the English-language RT International channel, the show will also be available in French and Arabic.

RT is a global TV network providing news, current affairs, and documentaries in nine languages, and available to more than 800 million viewers in more than 100 countries around the globe. It is the only Russian TV channel to be an 11-time Emmy finalist and has been repeatedly recognized by numerous international awards competitions and media organizations, including the New York Festivals, Monte Carlo TV Festival Awards, the Cannes Lions, the Webby Awards, the Lovies, the Shorty Awards, the Association for International Broadcasting and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.