News & Events

The ASCL Library has compiled a reading list which gives background information on Africa-Ukraine and Africa-Russia relations, and on what the present war means for Africa. It contains articles, blogs, infographics, podcasts and videos.

On 10 June 2010, Cameroonian diplomat, politician and author Ferdinand Léopold Oyono died in Yaoundé at the age of 80. Writing in the 1950s, Oyono had a brief literary career, but his anti-colonialist novels are considered classics of 20th century African literature. Read the Library Weekly!

Are you interested in Africa and is your master's thesis on a related subject? If so, the African Studies Centre Leiden is offering you the chance to win € 500,- and have your thesis published in the African Studies Collection. Submission deadline: 31 August.

On 30 May 1933, Sultan Ibrahim Njoya, the 17th ruler of the Bamun, a large ethnic group located within what is now western Cameroon, died in exile in Yaoundé at the age of 66. He is foremost known for the invention of the Bamun script. Read the Library Weekly!

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. Apply before 15 June!

A new paper by Tycho van der Hoog explores the largely unknown history of North Korean development aid in Africa. In the twentieth century, Pyongyang was an important partner for recently liberated African countries and actively used development aid as a tool for its foreign policy, aiming to gain international recognition.

On 28 May 1989, Cape Verdean writer, poet, linguist and lawyer Baltasar Lopes da Silva died in Lisbon at the age of 82. With Manuel Lopes and Jorge Barbosa, he was the founder of the literary journal Claridade. Read the Library Weekly!

On 17 May 1973, South African painter and printmaker Maria Magdalena ('Maggie')  Laubser died in Strand, Western Cape, at the age of 87. She is generally considered, along with Irma Stern, to be responsible for the introduction of Expressionism to South Africa. Read the Library Weekly!

The African Studies Centre Leiden proudly presents its new logo! It depicts a frame through which the ASCL observes, researches and aims to understand diverse African realities. With the new logo comes a new website with a fresh look, which we will continue to work on in the coming months.

On 15 May 2002, Nigerian educationalist, writer and advocate for women’s education Lady Kofoworola Ademola (née Moore) died at the age of 88. She was the president of the National Council of Women Societies in Nigeria and was the head of the women's organisation from 1958 to 1964. Read the Library Weekly!