The launch of the African Journal of Health and Social Justice signifies an important milestone in Africa’s academic scene, where the continent’s intellectual traditions, historical experiences, and aspirations for justice come together to steer a new path for knowledge creation. For many years, discussions on African health, rights, and justice have been dominated by frameworks that depicted Africa as an object of analysis rather than a source of theory. This inaugural issue clearly and authoritatively shows that Africa is not just engaging in global debates — it is actively reshaping them. Across the seven papers presented in this inaugural volume, a shared narrative emerges. Each contributor, working from different disciplinary, methodological, and conceptual angles, interrogates the persistent legacies of colonialism within African health systems, legal regimes, educational structures, and epistemologies.