News & Events

The African Studies Centre and the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden offer a joint fellowship of (maximum) 6 months. The fellowship is intended for researchers specialising in Asian-African interactions. We are particularly interested in proposals that go beyond a mere analysis of current issues associated with African-Asian comparative economic developments or Chinese investments in Africa - although these themes will not be excluded. Deadline for application: 15 September!

ASC researcher Wijnand Klaver contributed to an article in Chronica Horticulturae, coinciding with the XXIX International Horticultural Congress in Brisbane. While a healthy diet is based on a diversity of foods, in Africa many people rely on monotonous diets. As a consequence, more people suffer from ‘hidden hunger’ than from overt starvation. This article proposes for tropical Africa a doubling of the present intake of about 100 g of vegetables as a long-term realistic target.

ASC senior researcher Jon Abbink wrote an article for the Journal of Eastern African Studies about the recent Muslim protest movement in Ethiopia and the response to it by the government in the light of the secular state model. While the challenges to it also extend to the large Christian community in Ethiopia, the problems became prominent mainly in the case of the Muslims, who contest perceived 'government interference' in their community life.