A new academic work by a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is putting African voices at the center of global discourse studies. Public Address in Africa: An Analysis of Great Speeches by African Personalities, by Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations Dr. Dane Kiambi, published by Peter Lang in August 2025, offers a comprehensive analysis of speeches that trace Africa’s political and socio-economic evolution over the past 65 years.
The 284-page scholarly work analyzes 20 notable speeches by African leaders, activists, and visionaries, from Patrice Lumumba's historic 1960 address during Congo's independence to Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo's 2023 call for global structural economic reforms at the UN Assembly.
Kiambi, who specializes in strategic communication and international public relations with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, brings a unique perspective to the project. Born and raised in Kenya, he worked as a journalist and public relations practitioner in the capital, Nairobi, for a combined eight years before pursuing further studies in the United States and eventually entering academia.
"Having worked as a journalist and PR practitioner in Kenya, I witnessed firsthand the power these speeches had in shaping public discourse and national identity," Kiambi said. "These weren't just political moments; they were defining communications that resonated across the continent and beyond. Yet in academic literature, they were largely absent."
While speech analysis is a well-established academic discipline in the United States and parts of Europe, Africa has lagged in this endeavor until now. Public Address in Africa aims to fill this critical gap and preserve the ideals of Africa's leading forefathers for current and future generations.
"For too long, public address studies have been dominated by Western voices," Kiambi said. "This book challenges that narrative by showcasing the rich rhetorical tradition that has emerged from Africa's complex journey through colonialism, independence and modern nation-building."
The book features analysis and texts of speeches by continental giants including Patrice Lumumba's historic 1960 Congo independence address, Nelson Mandela's 1964 Rivonia Trial speech ("I am Prepared to Die"), Kwame Nkrumah's 1963 clarion call for African unity, Wangari Maathai's 2004 Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Thomas Sankara's powerful 1984 UN address, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's 2019 Harvard speech on Africa's economic potential and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's 2011 Harvard commencement address as Africa's first woman president.
The collection spans multiple generations and languages, including translations from French and Portuguese to capture the full linguistic diversity of African oratory. Each speech is analyzed for its historical context, rhetorical strategies and lasting impact on both national and pan-African consciousness.
"The public address curriculum ought to take the student well beyond the United States and—to a small extent—Western Europe. Public Address in Africa facilitates that shift—allowing the opportunity to be seized and the challenge to be accepted," noted Theodore F. Sheckels, Professor Emeritus at Randolph-Macon College, who wrote the book's preface.
The work addresses a significant gap in academic literature, where African voices have been largely absent from communication and rhetoric studies. Kiambi's analysis reveals common themes from the speeches that unite sub-Saharan Africa: the legacy of colonialism, the pursuit of unity, economic self-determination, and the ongoing struggle for global recognition and respect.
Some of the most recent speeches analyzed include those from actress Lupita Nyong'o, Rwandan president Paul Kagame and Mukhisa Kituyi, former UNCTAD Secretary-General. The book demonstrates how African leaders have used oratory to heal, inspire and mobilize their peoples while challenging global power structures.
The book has garnered praise from leading communication scholars. Dr. Ronald L. Jackson II, professor at the University of Miami and past president of the National Communication Association, calls it "a wonderful compendium of sub-Saharan African orators" and "a necessary resource unmatched by any other rhetoric text available."
Dr. Mary E. Stuckey, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Communication at Penn State University, notes that the volume "fills an important gap in the study of political communication" and "illustrates just how much we learn by including international examples of political oratory in the canon of essential speeches."
At UNL, Kiambi teaches courses in crisis management and communication, international and multicultural public relations, and strategy development for advertising and public relations. His research continues to focus on crisis communication and public relations practices in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya.
"This book deepens my understanding of African communication traditions and practices, which informs how I teach students about strategic communication in global contexts," Kiambi said. "In my international public relations course, we discuss persuasion and how leaders communicate across cultures—this research provides that foundation."
"Public Address in Africa" is available in multiple formats (hardcover, paperback, and digital) through Peter Lang Publishing. The book offers essential reading support for courses in African studies, political science, communication studies and history, and it underscores UNL’s growing leadership in global communication scholarship by providing a vital step toward diversifying the academic study of political discourse.
