News & Events

In this seminar, ASCL visiting fellow 'Rantimi Jays Julius-Adeoye will focus on the representation of the Nigeria-Biafra war in popular culture, with an emphasis on film and literature. He will interrogate the role that fictional and non-fictional narration play in the memory of Nigerians in general and the Igbos in particular, while also looking at the link between the depiction of the war in popular culture and the renewed agitation for the nationhood of Biafra.

In this Roundtable the book Human trafficking and trauma in the digital era. The ongoing tragedy of trade in refugees from Eritrea will be launched. The editors, Mirjam van Reisen (Tilburg University, Leiden University) and Munyaradzi Mawere (Great Zimbabwe University) will give a presentation, after which participants will discuss on the main topics of the book: ICT, disruption and social cohesion in Africa. The Roundtable is held on the occasion of the inaugural lecture of Prof. Mirjam van Reisen at Leiden University on 10 March at 16:00.

ASCL senior researcher Jan-Bart Gewald has written a chapter in the lavishly illustrated book 'Good Hope: South Africa and the Netherlands from 1600' that accompanies the exhibition with the same title in the Rijksmuseum (on show until 21 May 2017). ASCL honorary fellow Professor Emeritus Robert Ross is co-editor of the book and wrote the chapter about pre-colonial South Africa. The book explores what took place between 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck landed at the Cape, and Mandela's visit to Amsterdam in 1990.

ASCL senior researcher Marcel Rutten wrote two new blog posts: in the first he compares witchcraft in the days of his ancestor Joannes Heurnius (1543-1601, a former Rector Magnificus at Leiden University!) with today's accusations of witchcraft in Coastal Kenya. In the second he describes a conman in a Dutch TV show about the most dangerous roads in the world, that tricks the participants about water draining clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Enjoy!

Are you interested in doing a (Research) Master's in African Studies? Join us for the presentations on the one-year Master's and the two-year Research Master's in African Studies. Date: Friday 10 March, time: 13.15-14.00, Lipsius Building, Leiden. Register now and watch the video about the Master's programmes in African Studies!

ASCL senior researcher Marcel Rutten was interviewed by VPRO's Bureau Buitenland on Radio 1 about the drought in Eastern Africa. A humanitarian disaster is being faced by some 12 million people. After this interview, the young girl Elyke from Friesland started to sell her own baked cookies to collect money for the good cause. She and Marcel were interviewed again on 17 February.

A special issue of Vice Versa on land rights pays extensive attention to land rights in Africa. The issue has features on land rights in Mozambique, Uganda, and the city of Beira (Mozambique). ASCL director Ton Dietz is quoted in an article about the coherence of the Aid & Trade policy of the Netherlands. Matthijs van Leeuwen is interviewed about his research project 'Grounding Land Governance'. An essay by Annelies Zoomers (director of LANDAC, of which the ASCL is a partner) highlights the land grab and how to 'leave no one behind'. Her book 'The Global Land Grab: Beyond the Hype', written with ASCL researcher Mayke Kaag, is also quoted.

This will be the first workshop organised in the framework of LeidenASA (Leiden African Studies Assembly) for postdocs and advanced PhD students - not necessarily with an Africanist background - from Leiden University and other universities in the Netherlands. The workshop, given by Joed Elich, will focus on Publication Strategies. After the workshop, there will be ample opportunity for meeting your peers, networking and 'speed dating' with senior researchers and specialists.