Biography
Professor Kum'a Ndumbe III is a “cultural bridge-builder.” His entire life has been devoted to the fostering of peaceful and more equal and respectful relations between Africa and Europe. It has thus also been a life devoted to the uplifting and rehabilitation of Africa and African culture and history.
Born in Douala, Cameroon, into a royal family, he was sent to Germany at the age of 15, where he made his “Abitur.” He then moved to France for his studies. He holds Ph.D.s in History, Politics, and German Studies from the University of Lyon, France. In his thesis, he wrote on the plans for Africa developed by the Nazi-Regime, a topic hardly written about (its publication was long refused in Germany). After his studies, he lectured at the University of Lyon II and the Catholic University of Lyon for several years, before moving back to Cameroon in 1979, where he held the German Studies Chair at the University of Yaoundé (1980-1987). In 1989, he habilitated at the Political Science Department of the Free University of Berlin on Post World-War II German Africa Policy and has since been lecturing regularly in Berlin.
Prince Kum'a Ndumbe III has covered a wide range of research topics over the years, including race ideology, colonial policies, German Africa policy, African resistance struggles, Euro-African relations, democratization, development cooperation, conflict prevention and resolution, and African Renaissance and has written extensively on each topic.
Between 1993-1999, Prince Kum'a Ndumbe III has worked as a consultant for various German institutions on democratization and conflict prevention. Most notable is his 1997 evaluation and recommendation for conflict prevention in Rwanda (for GTZ).
Besides being an internationally experienced scholar and professor, Prince Kum'a Ndumbe III is also a poet and writer and has published over 30 non-scientific works, mostly theatre plays and short stories in Duala, German and French (see Letters & Prose).
Between 1981 and1991, Prince Kum'a Ndumbe III was President of the Cameroonian Writers' Association (APEC), Vice-President of the Central African Writers' Association (1985-1991) and since 2002 Board Member of the Association of Authors' Rights in Yaoundé. Recently, one of his poems - a hommage to the late Pan-African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop was put into music by the internationally successful Afropean band Les Nubians.
Since 2002, Prince Kum'a Ndumbe III is again living and working permanently in Cameroon and devotes most of his time and energy to furthering what can be called his life-project - AfricAvenir.