New publications
New publications by ASCL staff and affiliates, and new books in our series, are frequently highlighted on this website. You may also use this RSS feed to keep informed. All recently added publications can be found in our database.
ASC researcher Klaas van Walraven just published an article in Politique Africaine about the putsch by Seyni Kountché in Niger in 1974, which led to the fall of President Hamani Diori. The French were accused of involvement because Diori had had disagreements with them. During his research in the Paris archives, Van Walraven made a fascinating discovery: not only were the French not involved in the putsch, they actually started up measures for an airborne operation to save President Diori, code-named “Plan Somme”. Read the interview with Van Walraven about his discovery.
ASC researcher Wijnand Klaver contributed to an article in Chronica Horticulturae, coinciding with the XXIX International Horticultural Congress in Brisbane. While a healthy diet is based on a diversity of foods, in Africa many people rely on monotonous diets. As a consequence, more people suffer from ‘hidden hunger’ than from overt starvation. This article proposes for tropical Africa a doubling of the present intake of about 100 g of vegetables as a long-term realistic target.
ASC senior researcher Jon Abbink wrote an article for the Journal of Eastern African Studies about the recent Muslim protest movement in Ethiopia and the response to it by the government in the light of the secular state model. While the challenges to it also extend to the large Christian community in Ethiopia, the problems became prominent mainly in the case of the Muslims, who contest perceived 'government interference' in their community life.
The African Studies Centre's Annual Report for 2013 is out now! In addition to an excellent list of publications by our researchers and our well-attended seminars, you will find other highlights such as the launch of LeidenGlobal in November and the ASC's Annual Lecture by Morten Jerven. Read the Annual Report online or order a hard copy.
This thematic map gives insight into Africa's population dynamics between 1960 and 2010. Africa's population has grown rapidly over the last fifty years: from 289 million inhabitants in 1961 to more than 1 billion today. The number of urban residents has increased even more quickly: from 65 million in 1960 to 460 million today. The average life expectancy, literacy rates and primary-school attendance figures have also all increased spectacularly. Changes in the structure of Africa's population are evident in the continent's population pyramid. A 'youth bulge' can be seen in Southern Africa's population statistics. The expectation is that there will be a relatively high number of 10-30 year olds across the continent over the next few decades.