Abstract Following unprecedented violence in 2007/8, Kenya introduced two classic transitional justice mechanisms: a truth commission and international criminal proceedings. Both are widely believed to have failed, but why? And what do their performances say about contemporary Kenya; the ways in which violent pasts persist; and the shortcomings of transitional justice? Using the lens of...
On Thursday 2nd May Dr Olly Owen will be visiting us from the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford to deliver his research paper 'Tax Reform in Nigeria– Oil, Transition and Legitimacy'. Abstract Nigeria is in the midst of a transition away from decades of oil-reliance and faces a future where the state...
How does one make sense of Africa – as a place and an idea – today? How should we study the dynamics in African societies and cultures as part of our constantly shifting world with its paradoxes of globalisation and locality, postcoloniality and neo-colonialism, a neo-liberal world order and alternative collective imaginaries? How are cultural...
Abstract On 19 April 2016, a day after Zimbabwe’s independence day commemorations, a young clergyman, Pastor Evan Mawarire, posted on his Facebook page an anguished monologue about the deepening economic, social and political crisis in Zimbabwe. The video quickly went viral and was soon being reported on by local and international news organisations. In the...
In this seminar Marjoke Oosterom will speak about the perceptions of ‘violent youth’ in Africa and recent youth involvement in urban protest in Zimbabwe in particular. She will then discuss the findings of a study in a rural district town in Zimbabwe, where partisan actors control many of the economic opportunities available to young people;...
Book Presentation: The Politics of Work in a Post-Conflict State: Youth, Labour and Violence in Sierra Leone High youth unemployment is seen as a major issue across Africa and globally, not solely as a source of concern for economic development, but as a threat to social stability and a challenge to fragile peace. In countries...
The Leeds University Centre for African studies is delighted that Dr Alan Msosa will join us as the first speaker in our semester 2 seminar series. Alan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Politics’ Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre at the University of York. He is also as affiliate with the University of...
The Leeds University Centre for African Studies is an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Leeds with academics hailing from a range of disciplines. This year, LUCAS is proud to announce the relaunch of our LUCAS PGR/PGT Student Network this December. The network will be led by our two student representatives, Sally Osei-Appiah (PGR)...
LUCAS is proud to co-host this fascinating round table discussion in partnership with the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds. Who tells the story of new Chinese and American expansions across Africa? What narratives about those foreign involvements dominate the global news agenda? Are these relationships framed as partnerships or...
Please join us for a free screening of Aiwan Obinyan’s new feature length documentary WAX PRINT: 1 Fabric, 4 Continents, 200 Years of History, followed by a Q&A with Director Aiwan Obinyan. Shown as Part of Resists: exploring resist-dyed textiles across cultures exhibition programme. WAX PRINT: 1 Fabric, 4 Continents, 200 Years of History From...
