News & Events

The ASCL celebrated its 75th anniversary on 8 September in Museum Volkenkunde. We look back on a festive and interesting day with many partners. Take a look at the photos and read the report!

Algemeen Dagblad interviewde Jan Abbink en Chibuike Uche over 75 jaar Afrika-Studiecentrum, de rol van handel tussen Afrikaanse landen en Nederland - in 1947 en nu -, en de maatschappelijke betekenis van het Afrika-Studiecentrum.

On 5 September 2010, South African writer, university teacher and journalist Lewis Nkosi died in Johannesburg at the age of 73. He spent 30 years in exile as a consequence of restrictions placed on him and his writing by the Suppression of Communism Act and the Publications and Entertainment Act passed in the 1950s and 1960s. Read the Library Weekly!

The African Studies Centre Leiden is sad to report that Jan Hoorweg passed away in his home in Leiderdorp on 3 August 2022. Jan started to work as a social psychologist at the African Studies Centre in 1967. He continued to work at the ASC up to 2014, ten years after his official retirement. 

This book by Bert van Pinxteren shows that maintaining former colonial languages as medium of instruction in education will become impossible to sustain. Over the next decade, some African countries will have to transition to African languages. This will bolster the new, decolonised cultural traditions already taking shape on the continent.

On 29 July 1945, Xhosa dramatist, essayist, critic, novelist, historian, biographer, translator and poet Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi died in Ntab'ozuko at the age of 69. His works are regarded as instrumental in standardising the grammar of isiXhosa and preserving the language in the 20th century. Read the Library Weekly!

Jon Abbink produced a new bibliography on Ethiopian-Eritrean studies in society and history. It is a by- product of research he did on these countries in the past five years and is the ultimate volume in the series. It contains all the crucial references to recent work in history, archaeology, sociology, anthropology, economics, agricultural studies, politics, environmental studies etc.

The ASCL Annual Report for 2021 is out now! In addition to an excellent list of publications by our researchers, you will find other highlights such as the Stephen Ellis Annual Lecture on African feminism by Nanjala Nyabola, the Comenius Award for André Leliveld, and the Library acquisition trip to Rwanda.

Strengthening the cooperation between Moroccan, other African, and Dutch institutions for higher education. This was the focus of a two-day seminar at NIMAR (Netherlands Institute Morocco) in Rabat, in which the ASCL's Marleen Dekker, Mayke Kaag and Rahmane Idrissa participated.

On 21 July 1955, writer, poet, novelist, illustrator and academic Véronique Tadjo was born in Paris. Having lived and worked in many countries within the African continent and diaspora, she feels herself to be pan-African, in a way that is reflected in the subject matter, imagery and allusions of her work. Read the Library Weekly!