News & Events

Development cooperation is not only assessed by what it delivers. It is assessed by how it is experienced and interpreted within wider narratives about power, history and global economic relations. A large study by INCLUDE with research teams across Africa examines these perceptions. 

On 23 August, poets, scholars and cultural practitioners from Kenya, Tanzania and Pemba Island gathered to honour Ustadh Mau for his contribution to Kiswahili poetry and Swahili literary heritage. Annachiara Raia, who co-led the digitisation of Mau’s archive with Mau himself, reflects on his significance to African literature.

Two recent additions to our library, Teaching World Epics and Soundjata Keïta, La femme-buffle, provide an opportunity to take a closer look at the Sundiata epic, which tells the story of the founder of the Mali Empire in the early 13th century. These two acquisitions are the subject of this month's Library Highlight.

The ASCL and the Netherlands Defence Academy are constituting parts of the Knowledge Hub Africa, which seeks to develop a research agenda on ‘African Peace and Security’. The Knowledge Hub Africa aims to highlight the agency of governmental organisations, non-state armed groups, and citizens in matters of war and peace.

From 8 June to 31 July, the online Frugal Innovation Virtual Online International Collaborative Exchange (VOICE) brought together an international community with participants from Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. They shared different perspectives on frugal innovation.

On 19 June 2026, the annual meeting of the ELIAS network took place in the African Library. Nearly 30 participants from African libraries, museums, archives and universities across Europe and Africa attended, making it an interactive and engaging event.