In this book, John Kegel places the final phase of the four-year civil war that formed the immediate context of the Rwandan Genocide, at the heart of the narrative. Kegel contends that it forms the bedrock of a real understanding of Rwanda between 1990 and 1994, and beyond.

Submit your Africa-related master’s thesis for the Africa Thesis Award 2025, have it published and win €500! The Africa Thesis Award is an annual initiative by the African Studies Centre Leiden that recognises outstanding master’s theses on African topics.

On 28 May 2025 African literary giant Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o passed away at the age of 87. ASCL senior researcher Annachiara Raia wrote a tribute in his honour, highlighting his fight as, in his own words, 'a language warrior' for African-language literatures.

On 2 June, Mayke Kaag gave a keynote speech at the UN Headquarters in New York about the importance of trust and trust-making in African politics for security sector reform. The other keynote speaker was renowned economist Paul Collier. Both keynotes can now be watched online.

To further new insights and conversations, Eric Cezne will be organising a South-South dialogue ‘from below’ on green hydrogen. The workshop will be held in Namibia in March 2026 and will bring together hydrogen-affected populations, grassroots groups, and academics from Namibia, South Africa, and Brazil. 

The jury of the Africa Thesis Award is delighted to announce that the 2024 prize has been awarded to Baleseng Maeneche, a graduate of the University of the Western Cape, for her thesis 'Media Representations of Male Perpetrators of Violence against Women and Children: A Decolonial Feminist Analysis'.