News & Events

The Ustadh Mau Digital Archive (UMADA) project kicked off with a digitisation workshop on Lamu Island, Kenya, from 3 to 5 October. Mahmoud Ahmed Abdulkadir, locally known as Ustadh Mau, is an eminent poet and imam. Digitising his library will enhance the accessibility to this cultural heritage.

On 25 October 2001, Cameroonian writer, journalist, poet, novelist, and playwright René Philombe, pen name of Philippe Louis Ombedé died in Yaoundé at the age of 70. He was one of the founders of the Association of Cameroonian Poets and Writers (APEC) of which he was the secretary for 20 years.

On the occasion of the upcoming edition of Bamako Encounters, which will take place in Bamako (Mali) in the coming months, the ASCL Library has created a web dossier on African Photography. The introduction is by visual artist Andrea Stultiens.

On 19 October 2004, Seychellois poet Antoine Abel died in Mahé at the age of 69. He is considered the father of Seychelles literature. 

On 13 October 2020, Nigerian poet, playwright and scholar J. P. Clark (John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo) died at the age  of 85. He is most noted for works in which he explored themes such as violence and protest, institutional corruption, European colonialism, the inhumanity of the human race as well as beauty in nature. J.P. Clark is featured in our Library Weekly.