Honouring Our Communities for Black History Month

Every October, Black History Month allows us to celebrate Black history, culture and achievements across the UK. This year’s theme is “Honouring Our Communities”. At Edinburgh Napier, that feels like a perfect opportunity to look closer to home. Our University community is full of people who are making a difference. They are students, graduates, staff, researchers, athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives and leaders. So this Black History Month, we are celebrating some of the people of colour who have been part of the Edinburgh Napier community and recognising the contributions they have made.

Panashe Muzambe: making history in Scottish rugby

For Panashe Muzambe, Edinburgh Napier was where a new passion began. Panashe studied Sport and Exercise Science at the University. Before then, rugby was not part of her sporting plans. She had grown up playing basketball. That changed when she attended a women’s rugby “come and try” session during her third year. She quickly fell in love with the sport.

Panashe became an early member of Edinburgh Napier’s women’s rugby team and went on to become team captain. Her university experience helped her develop her skills and confidence, both on and off the pitch.

Her achievements continued after graduation.

In 2019, Panashe became the first Black woman to play rugby for Scotland, making her international debut during the Women’s Six Nations Championship. She has since continued her career in rugby and coaching and was appointed Head Coach of Heriot’s Rugby Women for the 2025/26 season.

Her story is a reminder that sometimes university gives us more than the qualification we came for. It can also introduce us to opportunities, people and passions that change the direction of our lives.

Liseli Sitali: changing the game

Another Edinburgh Napier alumna making an impact is Liseli Sitali. Liseli studied English and Communications at Edinburgh Napier after moving to Edinburgh from Zambia at the age of 17. During her time at the University, she became a Student Representative, played hockey and worked as an International Marketing and Advertising Intern. A university assignment even helped open the door to her first major career opportunity. After Liseli wrote about branding and Formula One for her final-year assignment, her lecturer connected her work with Ferrari’s Head of Communications. She subsequently secured an internship with Ferrari’s racing division, Scuderia Ferrari.

Since then, Liseli has built an impressive career across sport, marketing and media. Her roles have included working with Ferrari, The Wall Street Journal, DAZN, Sky Sports and Expedia. But her work goes beyond her own career.

Liseli founded In Her Corner, a platform supporting women in sport, and has worked to create career and development opportunities for women and girls. She has also used her experience in marketing and sport to support greater visibility and opportunities for underrepresented talent.

Liseli received an Edinburgh Napier Alumni Award in 2013. Her story shows how the ideas, connections and opportunities developed at university can continue far beyond graduation.

Mary Abboah-Offei: Improving healthcare through research

Dr Mary Abboah-Offei is a Lecturer in Public Health at Edinburgh Napier University and Programme Leader for the MSc Healthcare Management. Her research focuses on public health, person-centred care and health inequalities. She is Principal Investigator for the ExtraCECI project, a major research programme exploring how community-based, person-centred care can improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The project received around £1.5 million from the Medical Research Council.

Mary began her healthcare career as an emergency nurse in Ghana, and her experiences there helped shape her research interests. Through her research and teaching, she continues to connect healthcare practice, education and communities across Scotland and Ghana.

Dr Timothy Olawumi: Building a more sustainable future

Dr Timothy Olawumi is a Lecturer in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University. His work brings together construction, technology and sustainability, exploring how new approaches can help address some of the challenges facing the built environment.

Timothy has worked across academia and industry in Nigeria and internationally, including at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His experience includes major construction projects, including a US$4 million World Bank-funded bridge construction and highway rehabilitation project in Nigeria.

At Edinburgh Napier, his research focuses on sustainable construction and informatics. He also leads the development and delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the built environment.

His work extends beyond the University too. Timothy is a member of the Green Building Council Nigeria’s Research and Development Board and co-founded Nigerian Researchers in Europe, where he supports and mentors research students.

Through his teaching, research and professional work, Timothy brings an international perspective to Edinburgh Napier while contributing to research into how we can create more sustainable buildings, infrastructure and communities.

Celebrating our community

These are just a few stories from the much bigger Edinburgh Napier community. They also show why this year’s Black History Month theme matters. Honouring our communities means looking at the people around us and the amazing contributions they make. We should be recognising the work people do to create opportunities for others and listening to different experiences and making space for new voices.

The University has also taken steps to strengthen its Black community and create a more inclusive environment. In 2024, Edinburgh Napier became the first Scottish higher education institution to partner with Black Professionals Scotland, supporting the University’s commitment to creating a more inclusive and representative community.

Want to learn more and check out some books or research: Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk can help

By Juliet Kinsey