News & Events

Turkey has recently been showing increased interest in developing strong relations with African countries. The relatively new trend builds on the synergy of multiple public and private actors and Ankara has resorted to an arsenal of soft power instruments. Thus, development aid, humanitarian assistance and Islamic solidarity are strongly entwined with diplomacy and trade. Read this ASC Infosheet online or order a copy!

The new research project Society and Change in Northern Ghana: Dagomba, Gonja, and the Regional Perspective on Ghanaian History is a historical research and training programme. It focuses on the Dagomba and Gonja peoples, polities and cultures in Northern Ghana. The project provides an opportunity for universities in Ghana and the Netherlands to cooperate in developing academic expertise and capacity in the fields of regional history/regional studies. The launch of the project in Ghana took place in Tamale (University of Development Studies) on 5 February.

The ASC is delighted that Egosha E. Osaghae, Professor of Comparative Politics and Vice Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada, Nigeria, will give a public lecture on 20 March: 'Globalised Conflict Situations: Nigeria’s Boko Haram in Perspective'. In his lecture, Prof. Osaghae will analyse ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria as a product of the intersection between local/domestic variables and global forces. This lecture is a co-production of the African Studies Centre Leiden, LUF (Leiden University Fund), ICCT (International Centre for Counter-Terrorism), Connecting in Times of Duress (Leiden University) and Grounding Land Governance.

ASC senior researcher Benjamin Soares has a new co-edited volume out: New Media and Religious Transformations in Africa. The book analyzes Africa's rapidly evolving religious media scene. Following political liberalization, media deregulation and the proliferation of new media technologies, many African religious leaders and activists have appropriated such media to strengthen and expand their communities and gain public recognition. Media have also been used to marginalize and restrict the activities of other groups, which has sometimes led to tension, conflict, and even violence.