Habari no. 6 - March 2013

General

Seminar Report: ‘The conflict in Eastern DRC and mining: are local solutions possible?’
The ASC, together with IKV Pax Christi and the Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized on 31 January 2013 the seminar ‘The conflict in Eastern DRC and mining: are local solutions possible?’. The purpose of this seminar was to analyze and contextualize the recent political developments and conflicts in this unstable region. Issues discussed concerned the role of local authorities and the national state and conflict-free minerals.
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Documentary in Focus: Searching for Sugar Man
As Searching for Sugar Man recounts, Rodriguez was, in the early 1970s, a singer whom several music industry executives felt was as talented as anyone they'd ever encountered; several likened his distinctive voice and poetic lyrics to those of Bob Dylan, which is no small compliment.
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Exhibition: African colors. Photos by Johan Gerrits
Johan Gerrits was born in the east of the Netherlands, a green countryside full of nature. His interest for nature was one of the reasons to start 25 years ago with photography. Since then subjects changed from nature, architecture, art into people.
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Al-Qaeda goes Africa
Since 2012, Mali has faced a series of crises -- armed rebellion in the north, a military coup, the Islamist takeover of the north, the French military intervention, and ongoing political wrangling. Outside military intervention may have forced various groups of Islamists, including Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), to leave the northern towns they had held but such Islamists may have gained a foothold in the region. In this panel discussion, which is a follow up to a panel discussion in October 2012, panelists will discuss the ongoing conflict in Mali and its broader implications.
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Following the Research Master African Studies is preparing for academic excellence!
The Research Master African Studies is unique in the Netherlands. Not only in terms of that it is the only African Studies curriculum offered at any Dutch university, but also because of its unique set of lecturers for which it can draw on all the Africanist expertise there is at the various Dutch universities.
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PhD Defenses: Blandina Kilama and Bethuel
On 7 March 2013 Blandina Kilama defended her PhD thesis ‘The diverging South: comparing the cashew sectors of Tanzania and Vietnam’ at Leiden University. Bethuel Kinuthia defended his thesis Reversed fortunes in the South: A comparison of the role of FDI in industrial development in Kenya and Malaysia on the same day. You can order their books by sending an email to asc@ascleiden.nl

Dr. Akinyinka Akinyoade is the new contact person for the African Diaspora
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The richer harvest: economic development in Africa and Southeast Asia compared: the 'Tracking Development' study 2006-2011
Information and PDF online

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