Full text, catalogue, and publisher website
Publisher website:
Fantu Cheru, 1949–2026: a life of giving, inspiration and solace
On 31 May 2026 Fantu Cheru, born in Ethiopia in 1949, passed on. He was an Associate Senior Researcher at the African Studies Centre Leiden from 2015-2019. He was a towering scholar in development and the political economy of Africa and was both a friend of and contributor to the Review of African Political Economy, where he served on its Advisory Board. Jon Abbink and Mohamed Salih commemorate his extraordinary life and contribution in the Review. It is a reworked and extended version of the obituary on the ASCL website.
Read the obituary in the Review of African Political Economy.
Author(s) / editor(s)
Jon Abbink and Mohamed Salih
About the author(s) / editor(s)
Jon Abbink is Professor Emeritus of Politics and Governance in Africa, African Studies Centre Leiden, Leiden University.
Mohamed Salih is Professor Emeritus of Politics of Development at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University.
Posted on 18 August 2026, last modified on 18 August 2026