New publications

Namibian beer is celebrated as an inextricable part of Namibian nationalism, both within its domestic borders and across global markets. But for decades on end, the same brew was not available to the black population as a consequence of colonial politics. This book by Tycho van der Hoog aims to explain how a European style beer has been transformed from an icon of white settlers into a symbol of the independent Namibian nation. It is based on Van der Hoog's thesis for the Research Master in African Studies at Leiden University. 

This book is based on Tycho van der Hoog’s master’s thesis ‘North Korean monuments in southern Africa: Legitimizing party rule through the National Heroes’ Acres in Zimbabwe and Namibia’, runner-up for the ASCL’s 2018 Africa Thesis Award. Scattered across southern Africa, impressive North Korean monuments celebrate the rise of young, independent nations. Freed from the shackles of colonialism or white settler rule, many southern African states are loyal customers of the North Korean state-owned enterprise Mansudae Art Studio, a firm responsible for the propaganda of the reigning Kim dynasty.