On 4 December Emile van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal passed away. Van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal worked at the African Studies Centre from 1967 to 2002. Van Rouveroy’s main academic interests were African chieftaincy and customary law. He published books, articles and films about these topics.

The Include Knowledge Platform, of which the ASCL co-hosts the Secretariat, and postdoctoral researcher Eric Cezne have won a grant from the International Development Research Centre for the project 'Making green hydrogen work in Africa: Addressing the skills gap and employment prospects for youth and women'.

PhD candidate Carlien Donkor has been awarded a scholarship under the Patrimonies Funding Initiative of the Gerda Henkel Foundation. She recieves the funding for her PhD project ‘Navigating the Dualities of Inclusive Development within Living Heritage Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa: Nzulezo, Ghana’.

A lively Stephen Ellis Debate took place on 4 December. Pascah Mungwini, Professor of Philosophy, gave a thoughtprovoking keynote - 'considering what we are witnessing around the world today, this topic could not have come at a better time' - followed by an engaging debate.

An impressive total of 21 graduates of the Bachelor, Master and Research Master African Studies received their diplomas on 18 November during a festive ceremony in the Academy Building in Leiden. Congratulations to you all!

Addis Ababa is undergoing a spectacular metamorphosis. Futuristic high-rise, state-of-the-art museums, new broad lanes, and hundreds of new buildings arise. However, there are dark sides to this urban transformation. In a new blog post, Jon Abbink discusses how the renovation process invites both praise and scrutiny.