We are saddened by the news that fellow Africanist Paul Hebinck passed away on 21 June. Paul worked at Wageningen University until his formal retirement three years ago. He was involved in the ASCL as a teacher in the Research Master African Studies, in various conferences, and as a Community member.

Rahmane Idrissa has been awarded the Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellowship in Global African Studies at the The Africa Institute in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). Idrissa will devote the Fellowship mainly to write a book on the Songhay Empire in the global context of the birth of modernity. 

The ASCL calls for visiting fellows for a 90-day research fellowship in 2023. Visiting fellows use their time in Leiden for data analysis and/or writing, often on a joint project with one or more ASCL staff members. Preference will be given to applicants based in Africa. Application deadline: 24 July 2022.

Are you interested in Africa and is your master's thesis on a related subject? If so, the African Studies Centre Leiden is offering you the chance to win € 500,- and have your thesis published in the African Studies Collection. Submission deadline: 31 August.

Azeb Amha will be a visiting fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh in June and July 2022. Dr Amha is a grantee of IASH’s 2021 European Fellow Programme. She will work on her research on the language-culture nexus in the Omotic language family of Ethiopia.

The Netherlands Association of African Studies dedicates its 25th anniversary conference to spoken mediation. Fighting with words can be as harmful as fighting with swords. Similarly, in reconciliation and cooperation, speech is an essential resource. Submit your papers before 31 August!