News & Events

The Swedish author Henning Mankell, who died on Monday 5 October 2015, loved Africa. He lived in both Africa and Sweden since 1987, and travelled in Africa since the early seventies. After publishing his first novel in 1973, his maiden trip to an African country took him to Guinea-Bissau, where he immediately felt at ease. “I don't know why, but when I stepped out of the plane in Africa I had the odd feeling of coming home”, Mankell once remarked.

Miriam Ocadiz (23) from Mexico and Rob Hogenboom (24) from the Netherlands are two of our new Research MA students. Miriam is particularly interested in South-South relations, Rob is fascinated by music from North-India and the Arabic world, and how they influence African music. If you want to know more about their background, education so far and (career) expectations for the future, read these short interviews to get to know them better! 

The novel The Fishermen, by Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma, was on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize 2015. The Fishermen is Obioma’s first novel and, at the age of 28, he was the youngest of this year’s nominees. Chigozie Obioma was born in Nigeria and, after studying in Cyprus and staying in Turkey, now lives in the United States, where he is professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Fishermen is the subject of our latest Acquisition Highlight!

The ASC has been awarded a one-year research project on the attitudes, perceptions and usage of Mobile Money in four African countries: DR Congo, Zambia, Cameroon and Senegal. The project is financed by the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. It is a mix between academic research and consultancy and brings together anthropologists, young (African) research talent and key players in the industry. Project leader: Mirjam de Bruijn.

The ASC is pleased to announce the winner of the Africa Thesis Award 2015: Merel van ‘t Wout, for her thesis 'Entrepreneurs by the grace of God: Life and work of seamstresses in Bolgatanga, Ghana'. Van 't Wout completed her research master in Modern History and International Relations cum laude at the University of Groningen. Her research project aims at understanding the expectations and motivations of young women in Ghana's Upper East region to start their own business. It intends to contribute to, and criticize, the dominant discourse in the global development agenda on the need to advance entrepreneurship.

Stephen Ellis' wife Gerrie ter Haar, Honorary Fellow of the ASC Community, would like to thank all of you for your expressions of sympathy following Stephen’s death. She is also grateful for the practical support provided to her to finalise some of Stephen’s work. This includes his book on the history of organized crime in Nigeria that is scheduled for publication in Spring next year, in the UK as well as in the US. Two academic articles that Stephen finished also shortly before his death will be published in the next couple of months. Read the thank-you card here.