News & Events

On Thursday 5 June Lieve Joris will give a presentation about her newest book 'Op de vleugels van de draak' (On The Wings of The Dragon). In this book, for which she won the VPRO Bob den Uyl prize 2014, Joris journeys between Africa and China. She submerges herself in the world of Africans and Chinese who venture into each other’s territory in the slipstream of the big business contracts. Seada Nourhussen, Africa journalist at Trouw, will interview Lieve Joris. Language: English.

On the occasion of the recently published book ‘Among the Mende in Sierra Leone. Letters from Sjoerd Hofstra, 1934-36’ the ASC organizes a seminar on 3 July about anthropologist Sjoerd Hofstra, who did the first major ethnographic study of the Mende people in the Upper West African forest (Sierra Leone) in the 1930s. Hofstra never completed his study, yet made a few hundred photos and wrote extensive letters home. These letters, edited by Hofstra’s daughter and sociologist Marijke Gijswijt-Hofstra, form the basis of the book. At the seminar, Paul Richards of Njala University, Sierra Leone, will evaluate the significance of Hofstra's contribution to our understanding of the Mende.

This seminar on 10 July will discuss resistance and collaboration during the Italian Fascist occupation of Ethiopia, 1935-41, the prelude to World Word II. Shiferaw Bekele, Associate Professor of History at Addis Ababa University, will cast a new glance on the topic on the basis of old and new sources: memoirs of Ethiopian veterans and patriots, autobiographies of Italian participants, and reports of members of the British armed forces who fought in Ethiopia to oust the Italians in 1940-41. Bekele's findings are that ’community collaboration’ from clans, parts of ethnic groups or religious communities, was quite large-scale. Except for the first year of the occupation, resistance was not widespread.

Are you a student in the Netherlands or another EU country, and are you interested in Africa? You can then apply for the 2-year Research Masters in African Studies which is run by the African Studies Centre and Leiden University. The Research Masters at the ASC is unique in the Netherlands: it is the only programme with full focus on Africa and its global connections. The programme involves intensive course works in Leiden and possibilities for research in Africa. The ASC offers an attractive learning environment with excellent library services, international co-students and supervision by renowned researchers. Read all about the September 2014 intake and the entry requirements.

The Suri of Southwest Ethiopia, with their spectacular body painting and decorative culture, have become known as a prime object of the tourist gaze, yet have not always been depicted in a responsible way. This book by ASC researcher Jan Abbink, linguist Michael Bryant and former language teacher Daniel Bambu presents the Suri as a contemporary people that face many new economic, social and cultural challenges. It covers the social organization, historical background and the way of life of this agro-pastoralist group. The book also contains linguistic overviews and a selection of Suri oral texts, presented in an annotated form.

The ASC Library started breathing new life into Connecting-Africa last December. This service provides access to African research information produced worldwide and more than 100 publications are currently being added to it on a daily basis. One of the latest acquisitions is a series of digitalized books from the German Colonial Library. The Colonial Library houses the libraries of various colonial societies, forming the basis of Frankfurt University’s Africana Collection. The treasures from the German Colonial Library are the subject of our latest Acquisition Highlight.