The African Studies Centre Leiden is deeply saddened by the news that its former colleague and board member of the Netherlands Association of African Studies (NVAS) Karin Willemse passed away in Leiden on 18 March 2023. Karin was a driving force in propagating African Studies in the Netherlands. 

The closure of borders is one of the most disputed political issues of our time. In this seminar, Hugh Lamarque (University of Edinburgh) will use examples from East Africa and the Great Lakes Region to present the political pressures around closing borders, the practical challenges, and the concept of 'cross-border asymmetry'.

Indy Koster, student of the Research Master African Studies, collaborates with REEFolution for her thesis research. This NGO in Shimoni, a coastal village in south eastern Kenya, aims to restore the degraded coral reefs. Indy collects data both under water, to analyse the condition of the reef, and on land, interviewing female stakeholders.

Air pollution is the second largest cause of death in Africa and air pollution-related costs are high. Vulnerable groups face higher risks and environmental injustice hampers achievement of inclusive development. Marleen Dekker and Agnieszka Kazimierczuk participated in a workshop on a pilot design for air quality in Africa. 

Studium Generale en het ASCL bieden in april en mei lezingen aan die inzicht geven in ontwikkelingen in Afrika. Thema's zijn o.a. migratie, de diversiteit van de islam, Afrikaanse talen en literatuur, de mogelijke relatie tussen diamantwinning en het uitsterven van soorten, en de link tussen Afrika en Noord-Korea.

Robert Okello (Development Studies, International Institute of Social Studies) is the winner of the Africa Thesis Award 2022. He wrote his thesis on the legal empowerment of rural women through digital technology in Northern Uganda. His thesis was partly inspired by the experiences of his mother with the Ugandan legal system.