In a major development at Makerere University, Lumumba Hall, which was hitherto considered to be a no-go zone for girls, will for the first time in many years host ladies as works are ongoing at Mary Stuart Hall. This is part of the university’s broader effort at improving living conditions for its students.
The move of the ladies to the Lumumba Hall is temporary and may stand until the refurbishment of Mary Stuart Hall is complete. The makerere university will later review the residential arrangements once the renovation of the hall is complete.
Lumumba Hall is named after the highly regarded Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba, and since its founding, it has been at the center of student culture at Makerere University. Traditionally, the hall has become synonymous with male student activism and the unity of a strong brotherhood with the female students of Mary Stuart through what has come to be famously known as the “Lumbox solidarity.”.
This has taken a full gamut from active participation in university events down to vocal protests on the rights of students. Right at the very heart of this cameraderie was Lumumba Hall’s mascot, “Gongom,” that became a symbol of the hall’s spirited unity, marshaling students in those moments of difficulties and also moments of celebration.
The integration of female students into the male hall ushers in a new era in the tradition of “Lumbox solidarity.” The era of the popular Gongom mascot is, arguably, effectively over and gone as one of Ghana’s most iconic halls of residence readies itself to adapt to its shifting role in the university residential community.
