Student Life
On campus, students from various corners of the world mingled, collaborated and formed friendships. They participated in sporting events, clubs and trips across the Soviet Union. Despite its optimistic beginnings, Lumumba University would not be without its challenges in providing educational services to its visiting students. Among the various issues of accomodation were the complaints of Soviet students spying on their foreign counterparts, African students exercising their civil rights, and participation in underground trade of Western goods. Overall, testimonies reveal a range of different experiences both positive and negative, but each shaping our understanding of the University. Read more about student experiences in our Recruitment and Development Tour of Africa Map.
The University permitted and organized a number of events to create a hospitible environment for foreign students such as social outings on and off campus, celebrations like the Folklore Festivals, and trips across the Soviet Union to build solidarity with the working classes.
(Left) Wilhelmina Scott Boyle, a Third Year Student from Sierra Leone, Speaks at the International Women’s Day Ceremonies.
(Right) Celebration of the International Women’s Day at Patrice Lumumba University (March 8, 1972).
African students faced many challenges travelling to the Soviet Union including having to learn Russian and the foreign climate. Illustrated to the left are students from the Nigerian Federation attending a Russian language lesson at the People's Friendship University.
The recent technological advancemenets of the USSR made the Soviet Union an attractive location for post secondary education amongst African students. The image to the left is a Soviet African Solidarity Poster entitled “Oppressed Africans redeemed by Sputnik.”
The curriculums of the University provided desirable programs for graduates including engineering and medicine. The professors made an effort to adapt the course content to the climate and conditions of the student's home countries. Pictured left, the Curriculums for the Engineering Specialty of Industrial and Civil Construction at Patrice Lumumba University.
