We are very sad to report that our former colleague, friend and mentor Professor Fantu Cheru passed on on Sunday 31 May. Fantu worked as a senior researcher at the ASCL from 2014 to 2019. Former colleagues Mohamed Salih (ISS) and Jon Abbink (ASCL) wrote an obituary in his honour.

On 2 June, Martin Luther Darko, Kauthar Khamis and Rashida Adum-Atta successfully defended their PhD theses at Leiden University within the Madina Project. Mare interviewed the three new doctors, alongside Madina Project alumnus Joseph Fosu-Ankrah.

On the occasion of Jon Abbink's emeritus status, the volume Ethnography, History, and the Politics of Knowledge in Africa has been created in his honour. It is a Festschrift to celebrate Abbink's wide-ranging career covering culture and politics in Ethiopia and Africa in general. 

In Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle the exhibition Back to Benin is currently on show, marking the restitution of one of the Benin Bronzes from their collection. The exhibition catalogue is among the items highlighted in this month’s Library Highlight, on writings and art related to the debate on African cultural heritage restitution.

Mirjam de Bruijn commented in various media outlets on the attacks by jihadists and Tuareg separatists on the military regime in Mali, and how this has an effect on the stability in the wider Sahel. Read the articles and listen to the podcast interview.

The African Studies Centre Leiden and the podcast De Africast are joining forces! De Africast is a podcast about the history, geopolitics and business climate in Africa. A range of topics are explored in conversations with experts.