Between 1822 and 1847, some 4,500 American ex-slaves and free-born Blacks, unwanted and ill-treated in the country of their birth, sailed to West Africa to settle in an unknown territory. While researching the history of Liberia’s origins, author Fred van der Kraaij made a remarkable discovery. 

'Meat and Mining' is a conference on the animals whose flesh was used to power the industrial mining revolution that took place in southern Africa following the discovery of copper, diamonds, and gold from the 1850s onwards. The conference will be held in Leiden 1-4 September 2027. Deadline papers: 1 October 2026.

South Africa witnesses nationwide anti-immigration protests, demanding the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. The protests tap into anxieties around unemployment and crime. Beneath these grievances lies a dangerous political habit of turning migrants into scapegoats, writes Tinashe Chimbidzikai.

Eric Cezne and Tanja Hendriks have won a Leiden University seed ('Kiem') grant for a project on green fertilizer industries in Namibia. The project develops an innovative, interdisciplinary pilot study on the emergence of green fertilizer industries in Namibia.

The week of 8 June marked the official launch of VOICE: Learning Globally, Acting Locally. The education programme brings together facilitators from eleven institutions across four partner countries, and forty participants from more than ten countries have signed up.

Submit your Africa-related master’s thesis for the Africa Thesis Award 2026, have it published and win € 500! The Africa Thesis Award is an annual initiative by the African Studies Centre Leiden and Brill that recognises outstanding master’s theses.