A lot of people actually think Katanga is the real name of the first all-male hall in KNUST. Well, the hall’s real name is The University Hall, opened on the 19th of January, 1963. As to how the hall came by the name Katanga, let’s take a trip down memory lane and get you the facts.
At the time the hall was opened, crisis in Congo was at its pinnacle. A province in Congo called Katanga was trying to break away from the newly independent state. The province felt it was responsible for more than half of the income of Congo as a country and therefore must be independent.
As such, the first students of the University Hall took inspiration from the rich mineral resources of the Katanga province in naming the hall, KATANGA. This was an attempt to portray the rich nature of the hall in terms of its residents and graduates.
However, there has been a misconception over the years to make it seem like the hall chose the Katanga name as an inspiration from the rebellious nature of the Katanga province. This has been because of the involvement of a few fellows in scandalous stuff in and around the KNUST campus.
