News & Events

The abrupt freeze of US Foreign Aid has left many communities in Africa in limbo, undermining the hard-earned trust that took years to build. In a new blog, PhD candidate Tinashe Chimbidzikai, who has actively participated in implementing USAID-programmes in Zimbabwe, observes the fragility of trust in humanitarian efforts.

From 18 to 20 March 2025 Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will go on a three-day state visit to Kenya. The visit has evoked strong criticism in Kenya and the Netherlands. In this reading list, the African Library has assembled resources on the state visit, recent protests, and Kenyan politics and human rights.

Apply for the Master or Research Master in African Studies at Leiden University! The Research Master is unique in continental Europe for its interdisciplinary approach and the six-months fieldwork in Africa. The Master is an advanced area studies qualification that combines leading Africanist scholarship with practice-based learning.

Eric Cezne is a new postdoctoral researcher at the ASCL who works on the political geographies of energy transitions and decarbonisation in Africa. Cezne organised a two-day workshop at the ASCL and the port of Rotterdam, bringing together social science scholars working on hydrogen energy in the Global South.

In light of the recent advance of the M23 rebel movement in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the African Library has created a list of web resources on this conflict, containing online articles, blogs, infographics, podcasts and videos, most of which are freely accessible.

Former ASCL PhD candidate Tycho van der Hoog was recently interviewed by VPRO journalist Bram Vermeulen for the podcast Achter de Frontlinie.

The ASCL is very sad to report that Sabine Luning, associate professor at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, passed away on 6 March 2025. Sabine was a close colleague and friend to many staff members at the ASCL. Jan-Bart Gewald wrote a personal reflection on her.