News & Events

The African Studies Centre Leiden is sad to report that Henk Meilink died on 21 March. An economist, Meilink worked at the African Studies Centre in Leiden as a senior researcher as from March 1977. He did research and consultancy work in Kenya, Zambia and other African countries. Among his publications is one article that would fit in well in the current discourse on migration: ‘Some economic interpretations of migration’ (in: African Perspectives, 1978). After his early retirement in 2005 Henk regularly visited the ASC. Our condolences go to Henk’s family and friends.

On Monday 14 May the book Entrepreneurship in Africa, edited by ASCL researchers Akinyinka Akinyoade, Ton Dietz and Chibuike Uche, will officially be launched. Chapters in the book contribute to an understanding of the theory, structure and practice of entrepreneurship in diverse African countries. Peter de Ruiter, Managing Director of the Netherlands-African Business Council NABC, and Nicky Pouw, University of Amsterdam, will review the book. You are very welcome!

The ASCL will organize a workshop during the 'Afrikadag' on 14 April in the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. The workshop will deal with 'the human and the animal in African Studies' and is based on the new ASCL collaborative research group 'Trans-species perspectives on African studies'. The workshop will be held in Dutch. The overall theme of Afrikadag this year is: 'Change we can believe in! The power of activism and citizens' initiatives in Africa'.

Recently several collections of Africa photographs were added to Wikimedia Commons by the ASCL. Hans Muller, Wikipedian in Residence, added hundreds of photographs to Wiki from several collections: the Dogon photo collection of Wouter van Beek, African postal stamps, and the Robben Island Collection of Aart Rietveld. These images are now freely available for anyone to use. 

Did you know Africa is the fastest growing destination for international migrants? What are the motivations of those who see Africa as a destination, and how do the hosts perceive the newcomers? The conference 'Destination Africa', to be organized on 22-23 March in Leiden, will centre on these questions. ASCL researcher André Leliveld gives a foretaste of what the conference has in store for you, in the latest contribution to the new ASCL Africanist blog!

Elvire Eijkman and Heleen Smits of the ASCL Library visited the annual book fair SIEL in Casablanca together with Marjan Nijborg of the Netherlands Institute in Morocco (NIMAR) and Tijmen Baarda, subject librarian for Middle Eastern Studies and the Islamic world at the Leiden University Libraries. Some 200 books from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt were bought.