LINCOLN, Neb. - s4story -- If you took a public address course at any American university, chances are a Western figure delivered every speech you studied. A new scholarly work by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) professor argues that this is not just an oversight but a structural failure in how the discipline has been taught for decades.

Dr. Dane Kiambi, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication at UNL's College of Journalism and Mass Communications, has published Public Address in Africa: An Analysis of Great Speeches by African Personalities (https://www.peterlang.com/document/1289257) (Peter Lang International Publishers, 2025), a 284-page work that brings rigorous rhetorical analysis to 20 speeches by African leaders, activists, and cultural figures spanning 65 years.

"For too long, public address studies have been dominated by Western voices," said Dr. Kiambi. "This book challenges that narrative by showcasing the rich rhetorical tradition that has emerged from Africa's complex journey through colonialism, independence, and modern nation-building."

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Why It Matters Now

At a time when universities across the country are re-examining what belongs in the academic canon, Dr. Kiambi's book offers a concrete, scholarly intervention. Speech analysis is a foundational discipline in American communication and rhetoric programs, yet the speeches that students encounter are overwhelmingly drawn from U.S. and European contexts. Africa, a continent of slightly over 1.5 billion people with a deep and layered oratorical tradition, has been virtually absent.

The book fills that gap with an analysis of speeches that shaped the political, social, and cultural trajectory of an entire continent. These are not obscure texts. They include Nelson Mandela's 1964 Rivonia Trial speech ("I am Prepared to Die"), Kwame Nkrumah's 1963 call for African unity, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai's 2004 lecture on environment and peace, and Lupita Nyong'o's 2014 speech on Black beauty and African identity at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.

Dr. Kiambi's analysis reveals common threads that unite these speeches across six decades: the legacy of colonialism, the pursuit of continental unity, economic self-determination, and the ongoing struggle for global recognition and respect.

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What Scholars Are Saying

Dr. Ronald L. Jackson II, Professor at the University of Miami and past President of the National Communication Association, calls the book "a wonderful compendium of sub-Saharan African orators" and "a necessary resource unmatched by any other rhetoric text available."

About the Author

Dr. Kiambi brings a rare dual perspective. Born and raised in Kenya, he worked for eight years as a journalist and public relations practitioner in Nairobi before furthering his education in the United States, ultimately earning his Ph.D. in Media and Communication. He has been on the UNL faculty since 2013 and specializes in crisis communication and international PR with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

His students won first place nationally in the 2022 PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition. Dr. Kiambi turned the pain of watching both his parents struggle to find resources to fight cancer in Kenya into purposeful teaching, deliberately selecting cancer-fighting organizations as clients for his capstone students.

Book cover and author photos are available for download from this Google Drive link. (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sJqAeh4DUGEzy0-0MI0jg8mi2mll4k8k?usp=sharing)