Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf Reflects on Walter Rodney's Legacy

Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf recounts his experience with the legacy of Walter Rodney, whom he learned about after Rodney's death. In August 1980, while studying at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Yusuf encountered a poster of Rodney that sparked his curiosity.

He began studying Rodney's works, particularly focusing on the historical context of African underdevelopment, which he found to be a critical perspective missing from his secondary education. Yusuf's history and political science lectures often referenced Rodney, especially in relation to Zimbabwe's independence struggle.

He describes Rodney as an influential Caribbean historian and radical political activist whose ideas on imperialism and neo-colonialism reshaped his understanding of African history. Yusuf emphasizes the importance of Rodney's contributions to the liberation movements in Southern Africa, including Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, and how these teachings resonated with his academic journey.