Stephen Ellis Debate on the role of African philosophy in peace and security

The 11th edition of the Professor Stephen Ellis annual event, organised by the African Studies Centre in Leiden on 4 December 2025, will take a fresh look at African philosophy and its relevance for conflict resolution, peace, and security issues on the continent.

In Season of Rains (2011), Stephen Ellis observed that many of Africa’s emerging roles in the world are neither surprising nor alarming, but that understanding the continent’s complexities requires us to rethink Africa’s place in time. Inspired by this perspective, this year’s edition asks:

What is African philosophy’s take on peace and security issues in the specific context of Africa?

To explore this question, Professor Pascah Mungwini will deliver the keynote address, drawing on his extensive work on African philosophy and its contribution to peacebuilding and reconciliation in a region where growth and prosperity coexist with fragile states.

Unlike previous editions, this event will take the form of a public debate rather than a lecture. Following the keynote, three experts – John Kegel, Angela Roothaan, and Irma Specht - will share reflections from both academic and practitioner perspectives. The discussion will be moderated by Jos Hummelen (Africast) and will include ample time for audience participation, both in person and online.

The debate date takes place on 4 December 2025 at 16:00-18:00  in Auditorium 1A20 of the FSW in Leiden University, and will be followed by drinks.

Pascah Mungwini, UNISA

Pascah Mungwini is a professor of philosophy in the Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology, at the University of South Africa. He received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Zimbabwe. Over the years, he has taught philosophy in a number of universities in the region including the University of Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe University, the National University of Lesotho and the University of Venda. His research interests are mainly in African philosophy, particularly the question of epistemic liberation and the place of the African intellectual heritage. He has published widely on a number of issues in African philosophy. Among his most recent publications are African Philosophy: Emancipation and Practice (2022), The Question of Re-centering Africa: Thoughts and Issues from the Global South (2016), and Dialogue as the Negation of Hegemony: An African Perspective (2015).

John Kegel, Netherlands Defence Academy

John Kegel is a is a lecturer at the Netherlands Defence Academy and guest researcher at the ASCL. He specialises in African military and economic history from roughly 1850 to the present. His research has culminated in the book The Struggle for Liberation: A History of the Rwandan Civil War, 1990-1994 (2025). Between 2022 and 2024 John worked at the ASCL on research sponsored by the Ford Foundation, focusing on the history of colonial concessionary companies in sub-Saharan Africa between roughly 1880-1960. Previously, John worked or taught at the University of Kent, the London School of Economics and London Business School.

Angela Roothaan, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Angela Roothaan’s research focuses on Intercultural and African philosophy, criticism of modernity, spirituality, and spirit ontologies. Approaches she uses are critical theory, postcolonial theory, hermeneutics, deconstructivism and pragmatism. Angela supervises PhD candidates whose projects span African and Intercultural Philosophy, Continental Philosophy and Philosophy of Race. From 2020 on she coordinated the Graduate Winter Course (VU) on Intercultural Philosophy and Postcolonial Theory. At the Master's level she teaches Social and Political Philosophy, Environmental Humanities and Philosophy of Culture and Governance (from a perspective of Race Theory), at Bachelor's level she teaches Intercultural Philosophy (Diversifying), the Bachelor Thesis Seminar, and Intercultural Philosophy for non-philosophy students. Next to her research and teaching Angela aims to bring philosophy out of the ivory tower by writing a blog, giving lectures, and connecting to philosophers and philosophy students all over the world through social media. 

Irma Specht, Transition International

Irma Specht is an anthropologist with 24 years of experience in the transition processes from conflict to peace. She has an international reputation in the field of socio-economic reintegration, youth employment, gender and conflict transformation. Seven years of field and headquarter experience in the ILO programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction has provided her with expertise on employment issues and the inclusion of vulnerable or special groups in transition processes. She brings solid expertise in capacity building and training, conflict analyses, strategy and programme design, and applied research. Her record as a researcher and writer is illustrated in her long publications list, among which her book Red Shoes : Experiences of Girl-Combatants in Liberia (2016). Additionally, Irma has extensive experience in training, facilitation and design of tailor-made training courses and materials.

Jos Hummelen, Africast

Jos Hummelen produces the Africast podcast. Hummelen is also chair of the Albinism in Africa foundation and previously worked in Malawi and the Gambia.

Stephen Ellis Annual Event

Stephen Ellis (1953-2015) was a renowned senior researcher at the African Studies Centre Leiden. He was a courageous, deeply inquisitive researcher, going further than most researchers of his generation to uncover hidden truths about Africa. He combined a great interest in how ‘real politics’ work and have an impact on people’s lives, with a fascination for the role of religion and morality. He did so as a historian, with particular attention for the way history influences the present. With the Stephen Ellis Annual Event, the African Studies Centre Leiden wants to honour Stephen Ellis as the great scholar he was and encourages others to work in his spirit.

Every year, a committee consisting of the director of the African Studies Centre Leiden, the Chair of the ASCL Researchers Assembly and Prof. Gerrie ter Haar (Stephen Ellis’ widow) invites a scholar to be the keynote speaker at the event.