Osiri University: Institutional Statement
Whether we acknowledge it or not, a wave of change is sweeping across the globe, and the world is hungry for an intellectual narrative capable of lifting all people. Osiri University, a new American institution, is built for this moment. We exist to lead the global renaissance, to challenge convention, and to demonstrate how a university can embody the African philosophy of Ubuntu: I am because we are.
This vision begins with our leadership and faculty. Osiri is guided by a Council of Elders that includes distinguished voices such as Mallence Bart Williams, Prof. PLO Lumumba, and Prof. Chigozie Obioma. Our faculty are chosen not only for their expertise, but for their integrity, their impact, and their unwavering commitment to servant leadership.
Authorized in Nebraska and actively pursuing U.S. accreditation, Osiri is not for those seeking tradition; it is for those ready to build what comes next. Designed to develop changemakers, Osiri brings together a global community spanning more than 25 countries and delivers a dynamic, online learning experience for mature professionals and emerging leaders committed to driving real impact.
If you want convention - a traditional university experience - Osiri is not for you. But if you are ready to create real impact in your community or organization, and you are willing to join us even as we build something new, then step into this movement. Become part of our vision to make “Ubuntu to the World” a reality. Enroll today.
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Mallence Bart-Williams
Founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHO
Mallence Bart-Williams
Founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHOMallence Bart-Williams is a Sierra Leonean-German multi-facetted social entrepreneur in publishing, film, fashion, Ayurveda, writing and philanthropy are among her professional repertoire. Mallence pursued her studies in economics and finance in Paris, Singapore and Great Britain. Today she lives across the globe, produces a holistic natural body care line in Asia, and is the founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHO, a ‘SHARITY’ that she initiated with street kids in Sierra Leone. Due to her cross-cultural roots she perceives herself as a bridge connecting two vastly different worlds.
Her diverse background enables her to see creative solutions to common problems. Her Freetown based collective has taken homeless children off the streets into school via pure creativity without donations. Through her work with FOLORUNSHO and various other social enterprises in different parts of Africa, she connects cultural contrast, enabling unique synergies that yield action driven results.
In her TED x Berlin CHANGE YOUR CHANNEL Mallence shared a truth that not only deeply resonated with people across the globe, but many felt compelled to share. Her TED x was independently translated into more than 5 languages and became a social media phenomena that was shared over 50 million times via various social media platforms, raising global awareness via a sensational grass -roots movement. Today Mallence's TED Talk has become an integral part of academic curricula of universities and high schools in African, Europe, Asian and the Americas as a timeless piece of essential truth that will be recognized by generations to come, when analyzing the global economic imbalances of our present times.
CHANGE YOUR CHANNEL not only served as an eye opener, but also opened the space for discussions that encourage perspectives many were formerly reluctant to express. Her lecture raised the bar of the widespread status quo in regards to Africa's representation and its perception globally. Ever since independent research and reports have been published that enforce Mallence's statement.
P. L. O. Lumumba
Legal Scholar, Anti-Corruption Advocate, and Public Intellectual
P. L. O. Lumumba
Legal Scholar, Anti-Corruption Advocate, and Public IntellectualProfessor P. L. O. Lumumba is a distinguished legal scholar, public intellectual, and one of Africa’s most respected voices on leadership, governance, and development. With a career spanning academia, public service, and international speaking, he has consistently championed ethical leadership, institutional reform, and the advancement of the African continent.
He previously served as the Director of the Kenya School of Law and as the Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, where his work focused on strengthening accountability and promoting integrity in public institutions. Professor Lumumba holds a PhD in Law from Ghent University and has contributed extensively to legal scholarship and policy discourse.
Beyond his formal roles, he is widely recognized for his powerful public lectures and thought leadership across Africa and globally, where he speaks on issues of governance, justice, and the future of emerging economies.
As a member of the Council of Elders at Osiri University, Professor Lumumba brings intellectual depth, global perspective, and a strong commitment to values-driven leadership. His presence supports the university’s mission to develop globally minded leaders grounded in purpose, responsibility, and the principles of shared humanity.
Chigozie Obioma
Author and Professor
.
Chigozie Obioma
AuthorChigozie Obioma is the Helen S. Lanier Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia. His debut novel, The Fishermen, is winner of the inaugural FT/Oppenheimer Award for Fiction, the NAACP Image Awards for Debut Literary Work, and the LA Times prize for First Fiction, and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize 2015.
Obioma was named one of Foreign Policy's 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2015. In 2019, upon the shortlisting of his second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, Obioma became the only writer in Booker prize history to be shortlisted for all his books. An Orchestra of Minorities was also a finalist for the Digital World Book prize.
Together, his two novels have been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted into stage. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in Esquire, Virginia Quarterly Review, Granta, New York Times, Guardian, amongst others. He is an assistant professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
KATHIE SWEET
Associate Vice Chancellor for Academics
Paul Easterling
Vice President for Faculty Affairs & Dean of Humanities
OSIRI
Emerges from crimson clay in a sea of sameness – fearless, distinct, and resilient.
Mallence Bart-Williams
Founder and creative director of the
Freetown-based creative collective
FOLORUNSHO
Mallence Bart-Williams
Founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHOMallence Bart-Williams is a Sierra Leonean-German multi-facetted social entrepreneur in publishing, film, fashion, Ayurveda, writing and philanthropy are among her professional repertoire. Mallence pursued her studies in economics and finance in Paris, Singapore and Great Britain. Today she lives across the globe, produces a holistic natural body care line in Asia, and is the founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHO, a ‘SHARITY’ that she initiated with street kids in Sierra Leone. Due to her cross-cultural roots she perceives herself as a bridge connecting two vastly different worlds.
Her diverse background enables her to see creative solutions to common problems. Her Freetown based collective has taken homeless children off the streets into school via pure creativity without donations. Through her work with FOLORUNSHO and various other social enterprises in different parts of Africa, she connects cultural contrast, enabling unique synergies that yield action driven results.
In her TED x Berlin CHANGE YOUR CHANNEL Mallence shared a truth that not only deeply resonated with people across the globe, but many felt compelled to share. Her TED x was independently translated into more than 5 languages and became a social media phenomena that was shared over 50 million times via various social media platforms, raising global awareness via a sensational grass -roots movement. Today Mallence's TED Talk has become an integral part of academic curricula of universities and high schools in African, Europe, Asian and the Americas as a timeless piece of essential truth that will be recognized by generations to come, when analyzing the global economic imbalances of our present times.
CHANGE YOUR CHANNEL not only served as an eye opener, but also opened the space for discussions that encourage perspectives many were formerly reluctant to express. Her lecture raised the bar of the widespread status quo in regards to Africa's representation and its perception globally. Ever since independent research and reports have been published that enforce Mallence's statement.
P. L. O. Lumumba
Legal Scholar,
Anti-Corruption Advocate,
and Public Intellectual
P. L. O. Lumumba
Legal Scholar, Anti-Corruption Advocate, and Public IntellectualProfessor P. L. O. Lumumba is a distinguished legal scholar, public intellectual, and one of Africa’s most respected voices on leadership, governance, and development. With a career spanning academia, public service, and international speaking, he has consistently championed ethical leadership, institutional reform, and the advancement of the African continent.
He previously served as the Director of the Kenya School of Law and as the Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, where his work focused on strengthening accountability and promoting integrity in public institutions. Professor Lumumba holds a PhD in Law from Ghent University and has contributed extensively to legal scholarship and policy discourse.
Beyond his formal roles, he is widely recognized for his powerful public lectures and thought leadership across Africa and globally, where he speaks on issues of governance, justice, and the future of emerging economies.
As a member of the Council of Elders at Osiri University, Professor Lumumba brings intellectual depth, global perspective, and a strong commitment to values-driven leadership. His presence supports the university’s mission to develop globally minded leaders grounded in purpose, responsibility, and the principles of shared humanity.
Chigozie Obioma
Author
and
Professor
Chigozie Obioma
AuthorChigozie Obioma is the Helen S. Lanier Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia. His debut novel, The Fishermen, is winner of the inaugural FT/Oppenheimer Award for Fiction, the NAACP Image Awards for Debut Literary Work, and the LA Times prize for First Fiction, and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize 2015.
Obioma was named one of Foreign Policy's 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2015. In 2019, upon the shortlisting of his second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, Obioma became the only writer in Booker prize history to be shortlisted for all his books. An Orchestra of Minorities was also a finalist for the Digital World Book prize.
Together, his two novels have been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted into stage. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in Esquire, Virginia Quarterly Review, Granta, New York Times, Guardian, amongst others. He is an assistant professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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“I am because we are!”
“If you are ready to create real impact in your community or organization, and you are willing to join us even as we build something new, then step into this movement. Become part of our vision to make “Ubuntu to the World” a reality. Enroll today.”
- Chancellor JK Osiri
Mallence Bart-Williams
Founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHO
Mallence Bart-Williams
Founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHOMallence Bart-Williams is a Sierra Leonean-German multi-facetted social entrepreneur in publishing, film, fashion, Ayurveda, writing and philanthropy are among her professional repertoire. Mallence pursued her studies in economics and finance in Paris, Singapore and Great Britain. Today she lives across the globe, produces a holistic natural body care line in Asia, and is the founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHO, a ‘SHARITY’ that she initiated with street kids in Sierra Leone. Due to her cross-cultural roots she perceives herself as a bridge connecting two vastly different worlds.
Her diverse background enables her to see creative solutions to common problems. Her Freetown based collective has taken homeless children off the streets into school via pure creativity without donations. Through her work with FOLORUNSHO and various other social enterprises in different parts of Africa, she connects cultural contrast, enabling unique synergies that yield action driven results.
In her TED x Berlin CHANGE YOUR CHANNEL Mallence shared a truth that not only deeply resonated with people across the globe, but many felt compelled to share. Her TED x was independently translated into more than 5 languages and became a social media phenomena that was shared over 50 million times via various social media platforms, raising global awareness via a sensational grass -roots movement. Today Mallence's TED Talk has become an integral part of academic curricula of universities and high schools in African, Europe, Asian and the Americas as a timeless piece of essential truth that will be recognized by generations to come, when analyzing the global economic imbalances of our present times.
CHANGE YOUR CHANNEL not only served as an eye opener, but also opened the space for discussions that encourage perspectives many were formerly reluctant to express. Her lecture raised the bar of the widespread status quo in regards to Africa's representation and its perception globally. Ever since independent research and reports have been published that enforce Mallence's statement.
P. L. O. Lumumba
Legal Scholar, Anti-Corruption Advocate, and Public Intellectual
P. L. O. Lumumba
Legal Scholar, Anti-Corruption Advocate, and Public IntellectualProfessor P. L. O. Lumumba is a distinguished legal scholar, public intellectual, and one of Africa’s most respected voices on leadership, governance, and development. With a career spanning academia, public service, and international speaking, he has consistently championed ethical leadership, institutional reform, and the advancement of the African continent.
He previously served as the Director of the Kenya School of Law and as the Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, where his work focused on strengthening accountability and promoting integrity in public institutions. Professor Lumumba holds a PhD in Law from Ghent University and has contributed extensively to legal scholarship and policy discourse.
Beyond his formal roles, he is widely recognized for his powerful public lectures and thought leadership across Africa and globally, where he speaks on issues of governance, justice, and the future of emerging economies.
As a member of the Council of Elders at Osiri University, Professor Lumumba brings intellectual depth, global perspective, and a strong commitment to values-driven leadership. His presence supports the university’s mission to develop globally minded leaders grounded in purpose, responsibility, and the principles of shared humanity.
Chigozie Obioma
Author and Professor
.
Chigozie Obioma
AuthorChigozie Obioma is the Helen S. Lanier Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia. His debut novel, The Fishermen, is winner of the inaugural FT/Oppenheimer Award for Fiction, the NAACP Image Awards for Debut Literary Work, and the LA Times prize for First Fiction, and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize 2015.
Obioma was named one of Foreign Policy's 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2015. In 2019, upon the shortlisting of his second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, Obioma became the only writer in Booker prize history to be shortlisted for all his books. An Orchestra of Minorities was also a finalist for the Digital World Book prize.
Together, his two novels have been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted into stage. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in Esquire, Virginia Quarterly Review, Granta, New York Times, Guardian, amongst others. He is an assistant professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.