Events
The Centre's activities are diverse and many. The majority of its members are lecturers of the University of London, contributing to the teaching of undergraduate and Masters degrees and the supervision of Doctoral research within the humanities, social sciences and sciences. One of the most important functions of the Centre is to act as a forum for regional and interdisciplinary co-operation within the University of London which is predominantly organised through membership of disciplinary departments. Other activities of the Centre include representation on international and national committees for African scholarship, research and understanding; establishing and supporting funded schemes for Visiting Scholars from Africa; linking academe, government, and business through meetings, workshops and conferences promoting Africanist research and understanding, and through meetings of the Africa Business Group; raising the profile of its members for interdisciplinary research and consultancy, and much more.
In pursuit of its aims, the Centre maintains a broad range of institutional liaisons with other Africanist centres in Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Commonwealth and the United States. It publishes its own briefing newsletter, African News, with a distribution of over 800 copies, three times a year. The Centre also keeps members informed of news, events and meetings on Africa throughout the year through the e-mail group mailing system run from the Centre office.
2013
January
17/01/13
- Gondar's Child: Songs, Honor and Identity Among Ethiopian Jews In Israel
Dr Marilyn Herman (author); Chair: Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya
Book Launch
21/01/13
- Africa Research Student Network (AfNet) Launch
Professor Graham Furniss (SOAS, University of London); Michael Jennings (SOAS, University of London); Jonathan Harle (Association of Commonwealth University)
24/01/13
- Researching Citizenship Education in Post-Colonial Africa
Ridwan Osman (PhD Candidate, Cambridge University)
AfNet Seminar Series
29/01/13
- Multilingualism and Writing Systems in Cameroon: From King Njoya’s Shumum to the General Alphabet of Cameroonian Languages
Dr Seraphin Kamdem (SOAS, University of London); Chaired by Professor Graham Furniss
30/01/13
- History on Film | Slavery & The African Diaspora From a Global Perspective
Various
Film Series and Panel Discussions
31/01/13
- Reflections on Nigeria's Forth Republic
Sylvester Odion Akhaine (Lagos State University and Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarisation)
31/01/13
- Film Screening - "Dear Mandela" + Discussion
Dr Wayne Dooling (chair)
February
02/02/13
- Young African Diaspora Entrepreneurs - Exploiting your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
Various speakers
Training Course (Certificate of Attendance)
07/02/13
- Poetics of the infra-ordinary
Elvira Dyangani Ose (Curator, International Art, Supported by Guaranty Trust Bank Plc - Tate Modern); Chaired by Prof. John Picton (SOAS)
13/02/13
- World Radio Day: New Perspectives on Radio
Tim Williams, Non-Executive Director and Deputy Director of the UK National Commission for UNESCO; Bettina Peters, Director of Development, Thomson Foundation; Dr Mary Myers, Radio in Africa Expert; Chaired by Dr Seraphin Kamdem, SOAS
20/02/13
- Memorialising African Slavery in Brazil on Film
Shihan de Silva (ICS); Hebe Mattos (University Federal Fluminense/Brazil); Carolina Moraes-Liu (Independent Producer)
Part of the History on Film | Slavery & The African Diaspora From a Global Perspective Workshops and Film Screenings
27/02/13
- Transmission of Cultural Heritage of Slavery in the Indian Ocean on Film
Marie Rodet (SOAS, University of London); Francesca Declich (University Urbino); Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine); Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Part of the Workshops/Film Screening on History on Film | Slavery & The African Diaspora From a Global Perspective
28/02/13
- Is This the Oldest Living Civilisation?
Felicity Heywood (Cultural journalist and researcher)
March
04/03/13
- Child-naming Song Poetry of South-East Yoruba
Dr Rotimi Fasan (Leventis fellow, CAS, Osun State University, Nigeria); Chaired by Dr Akin Oyetade (SOAS)
07/03/13
- Fabrication 2013
Dr Atta Kwami (Cambridge/Africa Collaborative Research Fellow and Visiting Scholar, Wolfson College, Cambridge) ; chaired by Dr Augustus Casely-Hayford (CAS Research Associate)
08/03/13
- Women Mean Business
Various
Highlighting opportunities and how pioneers are working to create and grow sustainable and profitable partnerships with women.
09/03/13
- Masterclass: Africa
Speakers to be announced
11/03/13
- Africa: Opportunities and Challenges
Roger Nord (Deputy Director of the IMF’s African Department)
12/03/13
- The Modern Griot
Sunara Begum (artist and film-maker); Tunde Jegede (composer and multi-instrumentalist); Angela Impey (SOAS, University of London)
Where Old traditions meet the New
14/03/13
April
04/04/13
- African Textiles Today
Christopher Spring (Author, Curator Northeast, East and South Africa, British Museum)
Book launch and panel discussion with author.
05/04/13
- Igbo Language and Performance
Various Speakers
16/04/13
- Africa's Next Generation: A bright Future?
Speakers to be announced
18/04/13
- Tanzania in transition: the contribution of a small development NGO
Julian Marcus, Chairman, Tanzania Development Trust
22/04/13
- Beautifying the Body in Ancient Africa and Today
Christelle Kedi (author); Joe Okwesa; Chaired by Paul Asquith
29/04/13
- CfP - Africa Research Day, University of London
Speakers to be announced
May
01/05/13
- Book Launch: The Shining Girls
Lauren Beukes (author)
03/05/13
- Inside African Anthropology
Andrew Bank and Leslie Bank (eds); Chaired by Dr Wayne Dooling (SOAS, University of London)
08/05/13
- One Billion Hungry: Can We Feed the World?
Sir Gordon Conway (Imperial College)
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
29/05/13
- Mali in Transition: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Various speakers
A forum to examine and discuss the political and humanitarian crisis in Mali and its impact on the country’s social and cultural diversity
