In this seminar we hosted Antonia Witt of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Their lecture is titled The African Union and Post-Coup Intervention in Madagascar.

The African Union and Post-Coup Intervention in Madagascar 

In this seminar we hosted David Anderson of Warwick University as he presented on "The Dead Speak: Identity, Autochthony and the Occult in  Kenya’s Western Highlands".

The Dead Speak: Identity, Autochthony and the Occult in  Kenya’s Western Highlands 

In this seminar we hosted Professor Francis Nyamnjoh as he presented his lecture titled Being and Becoming African as a Permanent Work in  Progress: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe’s Proverbs.

Being and Becoming African as a Permanent Work in  Progress: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe’s Proverbs 

In this seminar we hosted Jennifer Riggan as she gave a lecture entitled:  The Intimate State: Teachers as Fault Line Between Repression and Revolution

The Intimate State: Teachers as Fault Line Between Repression and Revolution 

In this podcast we hear from Selina Molteno, Publisher, Oxford &amp; Robin Cohen, Senior Research Fellow, Kellogg College, University of Oxford, as they discuss their lecture titled An Expatriate Family in the Nigerian Civil War.

An Expatriate Family in the Nigerian Civil War (Book Presentation and Discussion) 

In this seminar, Rogers Orock (University of Witwatersrand) and Peter Geschiere (University of Amsterdam) jointly provide a lecture titled: Anusocratie? Freemasonry, Sexual Transgression and Illicit Enrichment in Postcolonial Africa.

Anusocratie? Freemasonry, Sexual Transgression and Illicit Enrichment in Postcolonial Africa 

For this podcast, we co-hosted Tim Allen of LSE with Oxford's Anthropology Department.

Colonial encounters in Acholiland and Oxford: The Anthropology of F.K.Girling and Okot p'Bitek  

For this seminar we hosted George Bob-Milliar (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology). Professor Bob-Milliar's lecture is titled Presidential Campaigns stops in Ghana.

Presidential Campaigns stops in Ghana 

For this seminar we hosted Fred Ikanda from Maseno University. Professor Ikanda's spoke about his research and fieldwork experiences with the Dagahaley Refugee Camp.

Somali Kinship and Bureaucratic Governance at Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Kenya 

For this seminar today we hosted Kwasi Konadu (Colgate University). Professor Konadu, Colgate University, spoke about his book, Our Own Way in This Part of the World: Biography of an African Community, Culture, and Nation.

Our Own Way in This Part of the World: Biography of an African Community, Culture, and Nation 

The University of Oxford is one of the world's leading centres for the study of Africa. In every Faculty and Division across the University there are active research programmes focused on the continent. The African Studies Centre, within the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, acts as a focal point for graduate level work and faculty research on Africa. Alongside the vibrant doctoral programmes, the MSc in African Studies, inaugurated in 2006, is already recognised as Europe's most prestigious and successful training programme in its field.

As an African I often had to pinch myself to realize the speakers are talking about Africa - an Africa that I cannot see through their sophisticated eyes but only from my own experienced eyes: Poverty, corruption, war, rape, murder, hunger thirst, suffering. Are academics asleep or simply endemic positivists? It affirms that unless you know and experience Africa you can never talk of it in any authoritive way. OXFORD has regressed to being an OX-FORD. All you sophitocrats, enjoy your seminars, barbeques, luncheons and theorizing, while Africa bleeds from every orifice. Granted, I cannot say this about every writer and speaker, but most left me feeling that from a new distance of safety, the sense of real danger rapidly regresses to the back of the mind, like the wounded soldier shipped back home with sudden glee relates war stories. But back on the front friends continue to die.

Are we talking about Africa?

African Studies Centre

Unmasking Africana in British Art 

ASC seminar by Teresa Almeida Cravo Abstract: This talk presents a critique of aid discourses of success and failure as the basis for intervention in Africa, using Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau as case studies. By questioning why such discourses emerge, how they evolve and what their implications are, I seek to contribute to constructivist theories of international relations and development, whilst also offering an analysis of how this instrument of global governance has played out in the two countries.Short bio: Teresa Almeida Cravo is currently a Visiting Fellow at the African Studies Centre of the University of Oxford, working on a book manuscript on the politics of discourse in the context of western donors' relations with specific African countries. She is an Assistant Professor in International Relations at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and a Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies.

ASC seminar by Teresa Almeida Cravo Abstract: This talk presents a critique of aid discourses of success and failure as the basis for intervention in Africa, using Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau as case studies. By questioning why such discourses emerge, how they evolve and what their implications are, I seek to contribute to constructivist theories of international relations and development, whilst also offering an analysis of how this instrument of global governance has played out in the two countries. Short bio: Teresa Almeida Cravo is currently a Visiting Fellow at the African Studies Centre of the University of Oxford, working on a book manuscript on the politics of discourse in the context of western donors' relations with specific African countries. She is an Assistant Professor in International Relations at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and a Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies.

What's in a Label? Western Donors' Construction of Success and Failure in Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau 

Louise Aalen, Bergen University, gives a talk for the African Studies Seminar Series on 2nd February 2012.

The Politics of Ethnicity in Ethiopia: Actors, Power and Mobilisation under Ethnic Federalism 

Rachel Bray (Independent Scholar, Oxford) gives a talk for the African Studies seminar series on 7th March, 2013.

Growing up in the New South Africa 

Stephen Ellis (Free University, Amsterdam) gives a talk for the African Studies Centre seminar series on the African National Congress (ANC).

The ANC in Exile 

Part of the Post-transitional directions in the Somalias, Horn of Africa Seminar Series workshop.

Crisis and displacement; different solutions for different kinds of displaced 

ASC seminar by Florence Bernault (Sciences Po)

Transactions: Revisiting how domination worked in colonial Africa 

Huw Bennett (Aberystwyth University), gives a talk for the African Studies Centre seminar series on the British Army and Kenyan Mau Mau.

The British Army and Mau Mau, 1952-56 

Jonny Steinberg, (African Studies/St Antony's) gives a talk for the African Studies Centre Seminar Series.

Power, Ambition and Ideas in the political career of Apartheid Prime Minister H F Verwoerd 

ASC seminar by Olumide Popoola and Bibi Bakare-Yusuf. For the last seminar of Michaelmas Term, we were joined by author Olumide Popoola and publisher Bibi Bakare-Yusuf for an interview with Olly Owen on Popoola's new book, 'When We Speak of Nothing' and the bigger vision of Cassava Republic Press, a Nigerian publishing house which aims to generate the 'African archival future.' Book abstract:Best mates Karl and Abu are both 17 and live near Kings Cross. It’s 2011 and racial tensions are set to explode across London. Abu is infatuated with gorgeous classmate Nalini but dares not speak to her. Meanwhile, Karl is the target of the local ‘wannabe’ thugs just for being different. When Karl finds out his father lives in Nigeria, he decides that Port Harcourt is the best place to escape the sound and fury of London, and connect with a Dad he’s never known. Rejected on arrival, Karl befriends Nakale, an activist who wants to expose the ecocide in the Niger Delta to the world. Increasingly distant from happenings in London, Karl falls headlong for Nakale’s feisty cousin, Janoma.Meanwhile, the murder of Mark Duggan triggers a full-scale riot in London. Abu finds himself caught up in its midst, leading to a tragedy that forces Karl to race back home. When We Speak of Nothing launches a powerful new talent. The stream of consciousness prose, peppered with contemporary slang, captures what it means to be young, black and queer in London. If grime music were a novel, it would be this.

ASC seminar by Olumide Popoola and Bibi Bakare-Yusuf. For the last seminar of Michaelmas Term, we were joined by author Olumide Popoola and publisher Bibi Bakare-Yusuf for an interview with Olly Owen on Popoola's new book, 'When We Speak of Nothing' and the bigger vision of Cassava Republic Press, a Nigerian publishing house which aims to generate the 'African archival future.' Book abstract: Best mates Karl and Abu are both 17 and live near Kings Cross. It’s 2011 and racial tensions are set to explode across London. Abu is infatuated with gorgeous classmate Nalini but dares not speak to her. Meanwhile, Karl is the target of the local ‘wannabe’ thugs just for being different. When Karl finds out his father lives in Nigeria, he decides that Port Harcourt is the best place to escape the sound and fury of London, and connect with a Dad he’s never known. Rejected on arrival, Karl befriends Nakale, an activist who wants to expose the ecocide in the Niger Delta to the world. Increasingly distant from happenings in London, Karl falls headlong for Nakale’s feisty cousin, Janoma.Meanwhile, the murder of Mark Duggan triggers a full-scale riot in London. Abu finds himself caught up in its midst, leading to a tragedy that forces Karl to race back home. When We Speak of Nothing launches a powerful new talent. The stream of consciousness prose, peppered with contemporary slang, captures what it means to be young, black and queer in London. If grime music were a novel, it would be this.

When We Speak of Nothing (book launch and discussion) 

ASC seminar by Dan Hodgkinson, Luke Melchiorre and Marcia Schenck. Dan Hodgkinson, Luke Melchiorre and Marcia Schenck launch the Africa special issue: Student activism in an era of decolonization.'The articles collected in this special issue, and first presented at a workshop entitled 'Student Activism Reconsidered' at the University of Oxford in July 2016, seek to develop understandings of African student activism during this critical period by revisiting postcolonial Africa's first student protests and experiences of university life. Many of the debates that these students initiated on campus would come, in subsequent decades, to be rearticulated on the national political stage through former students who went into prominent public positions or who set up or entered governing or opposition parties. As such, appreciating the ideas, behaviours and dreams that these people adopted during their university experiences can provide important insights into how they responded, as professionals and political leaders, to the challenges of economic crisis, structural adjustment and increasingly repressive authoritarian rule in the 1980s and 1990s.'Please note that, because of recording difficulties, the final portion of the seminar (by Marcia Schenck) is not included in this podcast. The full journal issue is available here (and Hodgkinson and Melchiorre's introduction is open access): https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/issue/450ED9F309972E6B034AEB155590EA9A.

ASC seminar by Dan Hodgkinson, Luke Melchiorre and Marcia Schenck. Dan Hodgkinson, Luke Melchiorre and Marcia Schenck launch the Africa special issue: Student activism in an era of decolonization. 'The articles collected in this special issue, and first presented at a workshop entitled 'Student Activism Reconsidered' at the University of Oxford in July 2016, seek to develop understandings of African student activism during this critical period by revisiting postcolonial Africa's first student protests and experiences of university life. Many of the debates that these students initiated on campus would come, in subsequent decades, to be rearticulated on the national political stage through former students who went into prominent public positions or who set up or entered governing or opposition parties. As such, appreciating the ideas, behaviours and dreams that these people adopted during their university experiences can provide important insights into how they responded, as professionals and political leaders, to the challenges of economic crisis, structural adjustment and increasingly repressive authoritarian rule in the 1980s and 1990s.' Please note that, because of recording difficulties, the final portion of the seminar (by Marcia Schenck) is not included in this podcast. The full journal issue is available here (and Hodgkinson and Melchiorre's introduction is open access): <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/issue/450ED9F309972E6B034AEB155590EA9A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/issue/450ED9F309972E6B034AEB155590EA9A</a>.

Student activism in an era of decolonization 

Dag Hammarskjöld

Dr Susan Williams (Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London)gives a talk for the African Studies Centre Seminar Series on 19 January.

Who Killed Dag Hammarskjöld? The UN, the Cold War, and White Supremacy in Africa 

Marco Di Nunzio (Université Libre de Bruxelles) gives a talk for the African Studies Centre seminar series on 7th February 2013.

'Now we are all workers.' The remaking of marginality on the streets of Addis Ababa's inner city 

Professor David Anderson gives a talk for the African Studies Seminar series on 23rd February 2012.

Kenya's Somalia Invasion: Security, Development and Humanitarian Assistance in Eastern Africa 

Paul Ugor (Birmingham) gives a talk for the African Studies Centre Seminar Series on 10th May 2012.

Surviving on the Margins: Youth and the Underground Oil Economy in the Niger Delta 

Dr Noor Nieftagodien (University of Witwatersrand) gives a talk for the African Studies Centre on 8th March 2012.

Squatter movements in the Vaal Triangle 

Phillan Zamchiya (International Development/St Antonys), gives a talk for the African Studies Seminar Series.

Zimbabwe's Fast Track Land Reform: Politics, Production and Accumulation 

Dr Florence Brisset-Foucault, Research Associate, Cambridge, gives a talk for the African Studies Centre seminar series.

Buganda Nationalism in the 21st Century 

In this talk, Dr Pedi Obani explores the impact of flooding in Benin City and the different ways in which people combat this hardship. Dr Obani also analyzes how these strategies could be improved for the betterment of the community as a whole. Most fast growing cities across Africa are experiencing the negative impacts of the convergence of urbanisation and climate change. Climate change itself exposes individuals, communities, common goods and infrastructure to flooding, heat, and other extreme weather events in a way that compromises the delivery of basic services and human wellbeing. Very often, the negative impacts are exacerbated by intervening factors such as poverty and the failure of relevant institutions to support effective adaptation and mitigation. This research explores individual adaptation strategies to flooding and assesses their impacts and sustainability in the context of a low income urban setting in Benin City, Nigeria. It further examines the interplay between urban planning laws and processes, and local adaptation strategies. In practice, when faced with extreme weather events such as flooding, the affected individuals (including households) and communities adapt using the resources available in their environment and networks. Nonetheless, tensions between actor rationality and the optimal collective outcomes are likely to affect the quality of adaptation with community-wide consequences because individuals often appear to prefer strategies that maximize the personal rather than the collective benefits. This research identifies four heuristic types of relationships that are observable from individual adaptation strategies for flooding in low income urban settings, namely: isolation, competition, alliance, and cooperation. Furthermore, the paper makes recommendations for improving the coherence between personal adaptation strategies on the one hand, and the maximisation of the collective utility on the other hand as a means of achieving transformation towards sustainability.

Individual Adaptation Strategies to Flooding in a Low-Income Urban Setting in Nigeria 

Carli Coetzee discusses her book and surrounding themes in this talk. Ideas of femininity and issues about Ruth First regarding her time in prison are central to this interesting discussion.

Ruth First's Red Suitcase: In and Out of the Strongroom of Memory  Book launch of Written Under the Skin: Blood and Intergenerational Memory in South Africa 

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