News & Events

On 27 April 1941, the Senegalese novelist Aminata Sow Fall was born. She is considered the first published woman novelist from francophone Africa.

Two ASCL researchers have been appointed Visiting Professor abroad. Rahmane Idrissa has been appointed Visiting Professor at the Africa Institute (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates). Annachiara Raia will serve as a Visiting Professor at the University of Torino. 

Hendrik De Beer Groenewald has written a new blog post for the Boom2Dust project, a comparative study among three industrial mining centres in southern Africa between 1870 and 2020.

On 11 April 1942, the Beninese philosopher, politician and academic, Paulin Jidenu Hountondji was born. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of African philosophy. 

This month’s Library Highlight showcases 23 zines from the Swahili region of Lamu, Kenya, which the African Library recently acquired. The booklets were produced in January 2025 as part of the Lamu Maktaba Ya Sanaa Project, initiated by Karin Voogd. The recently acquired zines are currently exhibited at the African Studies Centre.