Building an Africa of Rights: Achievements and Prospects of the African Universities Hub for Human Rights Program

Author: Etienne Zounde, Participant at the 2025 Africa Hub Summer School

Participating in the African Universities Hub for Human Rights (AUH) Summer School 2025 at the University of the Western Cape was a transformative experience. In an African context marked by repression, democratic erosion, and the fragility of civic spaces, this initiative is a laboratory of ideas and a strategic lever for strengthening the resilience and effectiveness of human rights defenders (HRDs).

Beyond the lectures, this program fostered deep and collective learning around essential themes: geopolitics and democracy, innovation and sustainability of movements, storytelling and advocacy, well-being and resilience, as well as interregional and interdisciplinary cooperation. These modules have provided me with concrete tools to analyze global issues, develop strategies adapted to our African contexts, and strengthen transnational alliances.

The Hub’s approach ; connecting universities, civil society, and practitioners showed me that it is possible to build a true ecology of rights defence. The discussions among researchers, activists, journalists, and students showed a shared vision: that of an Africa where knowledge and action complement each other to restore the rule of law and defend fundamental freedoms.

Based on this experience, I have come to believe in the importance of the expansion of such programs across the continent. It is necessary to institutionalise the training of HRDs within African universities building a pan-African network of young defenders capable of innovating and sharing practices and establishing an integration and support mechanism for the first cohorts as they grow into regional human rights promotion structures. I also see values in strengthening action research on sustainability, protection, and leadership in citizen movements.

Over the years I have learned that anything that is not the result of deep conviction will disappear. African defenders must understand the theory and vision behind their mission: defending rights also means building a collective future based on dignity and justice. Through training and research, the AUH is paving the way for a new generation of actors capable of thinking, acting, and innovating for human rights in Africa.

Read more about the Africa Hub Summer School here.