Library

Describing almost 1400 Africa maps in three months: it’s no small task that student assistants Artemis Mantheakis and Beatriz Veiga have been working on within the joint ASCL-UBL Africa Maps Project. The aim is to describe a 20th-century map collection of the library of the African Studies Centre, that is housed in the Leiden University Libraries (UBL).

Marking International Women’s Day, the African Library highlights novels written by female African writers dealing with the topic of polygamy. The highlight looks at this topic from four different perspectives: human rights, religion, law, and health.

This week we celebrate Zanele Muholi, who won this year's Hasselblad Award. Muholi is a South African artist and visual activist working in photography, video, and installation. Muholi's work focuses on race, gender and sexuality, documenting and celebrating the lives of South Africa's Black lesbian, gay, transgender, and intersex communities.