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Posted on 9 November 2011, last modified on 9 October 2023
09 January 2023
On 9 January 1933, British-South African novelist Wilbur Smith was born in Ndola in what is now Zambia. He specialised in historical fiction about international involvement in Southern Africa across four centuries. He also wrote a series of historical novels that are based in Ancient Egypt during Pharaoh Memnon's reign.
02 January 2023
In 1793, Fulani scholar, poet and educator Nana Asma’u was born in a village called Degel in what is now Northern Nigeria. She was in particular devoted to the education of women. Her Yan Taru, a programme aimed at making education accessible to all, especially women, continues into the 21st century.
20 December 2022
'Talking About Trees' is a moving documentary about four older Sudanese filmmakers, Ibrahim Shaddad, Manar Al Hilo, Suliman Elnour and Eltayeb Mahdi. The film focuses on the project of the men to revive the Revolution Cinema, an old cinema in Khartoum. But their plans to renovate the dilapidated outdoor cinema come up against bureaucracy and lack of cash.
20 December 2022
UNICEF recently started a campaign to cope with ‘one of the worst emergency situations of the last forty years in Northeast Africa: food shortages as a result of climate change, conflicts, and the war in Ukraine’. Is the ongoing image of food insecurity in Africa correct, Ton Dietz and Jan Sterkenburg wonder?
19 December 2022
On 26 December 2009, South African activist, educator, journalist and poet Dennis Vincent Brutus died in Cape Town at the age of 85. He was best known for his campaign to have South Africa banned from the Olympic Games.
15 December 2022
The Leiden African Studies Assembly (LeidenASA) held its Annual Meeting on 12 December. LeidenASA is the network of Leiden based Africa-researchers. It has more than 170 scholars who work on Africa-related research and education. Fifteen researchers gave pitches on their projects, and sketches of Leiden University's Africa strategy were outlined.