ElimuBiso Launches on the Day of the African Child: Reclaiming Our Education
- aminakayc
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
June 16, 2026
Today, on the Day of the African Child, we proudly launch ElimuBiso – The Global Afronational Education Organisation.
We do so in honor of the students of Soweto whose struggle reminds us that education is not merely about schooling—it is about freedom, dignity, identity, and the future of a people.
The choice of this date is intentional.
Every year on June 16, we honor the courage of the thousands of Black students who took to the streets of Soweto, South Africa, in 1976 to protest an education system that denied their humanity, their languages, and their futures. Their struggle reminds us that education is never neutral. It can be used to liberate, or it can be used to dominate. It can strengthen identity, or it can erase it.
Fifty years later, communities across Africa and the African diaspora continue to ask important questions:
Who decides what our children learn?
Whose histories are taught?
Which cultures are valued?
What kind of education fosters national sovereignty?
What does an education rooted in Black identity, dignity, and self-determination look like?
ElimuBiso was created as a contribution to that conversation.
The name combines "Elimu", meaning education in Swahili, and "Biso", meaning our in Lingala. Together, they express a simple but powerful idea:
Our Education.
Who We Are
ElimuBiso is a multilingual global organisation dedicated to equipping, supporting, and connecting individuals and institutions working in Afronational and Afrocentric education worldwide.
We operate both as:
A global network connecting educators, scholars, parents, entrepreneurs, artists, community leaders, and institutions; and
An enterprise developing educational products, services, programs, research, and learning resources.
Our work is grounded in the belief that education should affirm Black identity, strengthen communities, cultivate critical consciousness, and contribute to collective advancement.
Our Vision
We envision a world in which people of African descent have access to educational systems, resources, and networks that reflect their cultures, aspirations, and contributions to humanity.
We believe education should not only prepare individuals for employment but also empower them to understand themselves, serve their communities, and participate in nation-building.
Why Afronational?
ElimuBiso is rooted in Afrocentric education and its essential work of restoring historical knowledge, cultural grounding, and identity affirmation.
We use the term Afronational because we believe education must go beyond understanding who we are and where we come from. It must also help us build the future.
Afronational education connects cultural consciousness to nation-building. It recognizes the shared histories and connections that unite African and Afrodescendant communities while embracing the unique realities of different countries, regions, and cultures.
It expands the conversation beyond historical correction to include leadership, institutional development, economic self-determination, and community empowerment.
Simply put: if Afrocentric education helps us remember, Afronational education helps us build.
Why Multilingual?
Across Africa and the diaspora, language often creates barriers between communities that share common histories and aspirations.
ElimuBiso strategically works across English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese to make ideas, research, opportunities, and resources accessible to Afrodescendant communities globally.
Rather than allowing colonial languages to divide us, we seek to use them as bridges that connect us.
Freedom, Education, and Memory
To mark this launch, we share Freedom, a painting by prominent Johannesburg-based, Zambian-born artist Stanley Mawelela.
The painting emerged from a workshop the artist facilitated with South African youth on June 16, Youth Day. The day commemorates the Soweto Uprising of 1976, when thousands of Black students protested the apartheid regime's Bantu Education system—a system designed to limit their opportunities, suppress their languages, and deny them an equal future.
Following the workshop, a young schoolgirl began dancing freely around the studio. Her joy, confidence, and spirit left a lasting impression on the artist. Affectionately nicknamed "Freedom," she became the inspiration for this painting.
With its vibrant colors, expressive lines, and youthful energy, Freedom captures more than a single child. It symbolizes the creativity, resilience, imagination, and potential of African children everywhere. It reminds us that education is not simply about acquiring knowledge; it is about nurturing identity, possibility, confidence, and the freedom to dream.
As we launch ElimuBiso, we honor the students of Soweto and all the young people across Africa and the diaspora whose aspirations continue to challenge us to build educational systems worthy of their potential.
Join the Movement
We invite educators, parents, researchers, students, institutions, and community builders to join us as we explore what it means to reclaim our education.
Follow ElimuBiso and become part of the conversation:
Instagram: @ElimuBiso
Together, we can build stronger networks, share knowledge across borders, and contribute to an educational future rooted in identity, dignity, collective action, and self-determination.
Welcome to ElimuBiso.
Our Education. Our Voices. Our Future.
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