27 November 2025#19
UGent
afrika Platform
"

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world

Nelson Mandela
 

NEWS

Read about Arthur's journey in Ghent

In this month's OBSG newsletter, we meet Arthur from Uganda, who shares how he is experiencing his study adventure at Ghent University.

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Bosuitbreiding en -herstel in DRCongo met UGent CO₂-compensatie

Voor elke UGent-vliegreis wordt een bijdrage van 50 EUR/ton CO₂ aangerekend. Een deel van deze bijdrage gaat naar bosuitbreiding en -herstel in Congo.

Intussen werd al 215 ha aangeplant in de regio Ingung Kapia en Ingung Matende, een zone die sterk gedegradeerd is door intensieve landbouw en frequente verbranding. Tussen de geplante bomen werden ook 3,5 ha koffieplantage en 109 ha agroforestry gerealiseerd. De lokale gemeenschap wordt sterk betrokken bij dit boslandbouw-programma.

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BantUGent research seminar with Alena Witzlack Makarevich (UBremen): Linguistic Repertoires of the Kusua of Semuliki Forest, Uganda - 28/11/2025
 

In this talk Alena presents a recently launched language documentation and description project on the endangered Kusua language (D.22) spoken by a group of some 150 forest foragers. The group has been resettled multiple times in the last 30 years and currently resides in two settlements in the Bundibugyo district of western Uganda. In addition to providing the overview of the sociolinguistic situation the talk will present some tools and techniques the team adopted to manage this large-scale documentation initiative.

 
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RAOS Theme Day - Water, a Critical Resource - 1/12/2025
 

Water is a critical resource for humankind and the future of our planet. Socio-economic development, in particular, is a “thirsty business”, either for mining, manufacturing or even information technology. Besides, water is essential for food production, the preservation of ecosystems and, ultimately, for the survival of human beings and animals.

Hence it is also a challenge for the international community involved in training, research and innovation. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to): water, source of life, drinking water and water quality, water use efficiency, water diplomacy, water transport, water energy, water pollution, ecosystem services,…

 
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CATTLEFRONTIERS Lecture Series “Livestock Histories: Regional and Global Perspectives" - October-December 2025
 

CATTLEFRONTIERS explores how European colonialism, global capitalism and multiple forms of local agency transformed cattle economies in Southern and Central Africa during the colonial and early postcolonial period (1870s–1970s).

This fascinating lecture series deals with topics such as colonialism and global connections, often directly related to Africa.

 
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Meet the expert seminar: "Sustainability of Plantation Forestry in South Africa" - 3/12/2025

On Wednesday, December 3 from 13u-14u30, we organize a Meet the expert-seminar on Sustainability of plantation forestry in South Africa, in the margin of the JointPhD (Ghent University – University of Pretoria) of Phumlani Nzuza.

Three experts in their field will provide a lecture, followed by a round of questions and the possibility for further discussion.

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Oratie Dr. Jolyn Phillips - Leerstoelhouder: Zuid-Afrika: Talen, Literaturen, Cultuur en Maatschappij - 5/12/2025
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Transferable skills seminar - "From Theory to Practice: Positionality & Active Reflexivity in Research" - 9/12/2025
 

In this seminar we will explore and critically reflect on the concept of positionality in research—that is, who we are, the contexts we work in, the relationships we build, and the methodological choices we make together shape the research process and its outcomes.

We are honored to welcome Prof. Sarojini Nadar, a renowned critical feminist scholar from the University of the Western Cape, whose work on social justice, reflexivity, and research methodology has inspired scholars across disciplines

 
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Lecture Series in Global and Regional History - 10/11/2025-11/12/2025
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Public Lecture: "Sub-imperial Power in Arabia: The Gulf Arab States and their Precarious Regional Role in Sudan and Beyond, by Isa Blum" - 11/12/2025
 

Prof. Dr. Isa Blumi is a renowned US scholar and specialist in Middle East Area Studies. His recent book on Yemen has raised awareness about one of the most severe humanitarian disasters of the 21st century.

 
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CliMigHealth Summer School 2026 - 3-6/2/2026

We are delighted to invite you to the CliMigHealth Africa hub Summer School 2026, hosted by the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, from 3–6 February 2026.

This CPD-accredited, in-person event marks the third rotation of the established CliMigHealth Short Course series, which brings together diverse experts to examine the urgent and interlinked challenges of climate change, migration, and health.

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CALLS & COMPETITIONS

Call for Abstracts - ANSER Conference 2026 "Leveraging evidence to safeguard sexual and reproductive health and rights on the policy agenda" - abstract submission deadline: 30/11/2025

In a time of growing global instability, from climate-related disasters to political polarisation and humanitarian crises, the urgency to protect and promote Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) has never been greater. The ANSER 2026 Conference brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, CSO representatives and private sector actors to foster collaborative action toward safeguarding SRHR as a policy priority.

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Call for papers: 11th International Conference on Bantu Languages (Bantu11) - deadline for abstract submission: 1/12/2025
 

The BantUGent team is happy to welcome you to the city of Ghent (Belgium) for the 11th International Conference on Bantu Languages (Bantu11). It will take place from August 18 to August 21, 2026, just before the 55th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL 2026) in Leiden (the Netherlands) from August 24th till August 26st, 2026. 

 
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Call for Papers: "Panel on Filth, Fertility, and Flux: Interrogating Body Waste in African Societies" - abstract deadline: 1/12/2025
 

We invite submissions for a panel for the 10th Annual Conference of Lagos Studies Association, and for a special issue exploring the complex diverse cultural, social, political, religious, and economic perceptions of human body waste across the African continent.

This theme seeks to understand how traditional beliefs, modern practices, and policy interfaces shape the meaning, management, and ultimate destiny of body waste in various African communities.

 
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Short Research Stays - call 2026 - deadline: 3/12/2025

This call targets researchers who are affiliated with a higher education or research institution based in one of the 37 eligible countries in the Global South and who wish to spend between 1 and 3 months as a visiting researcher at Ghent University.

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AEGIS Summer School 2026 - deadline for submitting proposals: 7/12/2025

The 2026 AEGIS Summer School, which will convene in Cagliari (Sardinia) in May 2026, is aligned with the theme of the 2027 European Conference on African Studies (ECAS), which will take place in Lisbon in 2027.

The purpose of the Summer School is to prepare early-career researchers so that they will be in a strong position to volunteer panels and papers at the conference. The theme of the Summer School and ECAS 2027 is "African Prisms".

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Call for contributions: "Work and Masculinities in (Post)Colonial Contexts: Debating the Endogeneity of Gender" - proposal deadline: 15/12/2025

This special issue of Cahiers du Genre is an invitation for critical examinations of masculinity through the lens of labor, drawing on insights from research on colonialism and postcolonial societies—or, put differently, from a theorization “from the South” (Comaroff & Comaroff, 2012).

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Call for Contributions: "Looking back, moving forward: Migration studies in times of societal transformation" - proposal submission deadline: 31/1/2026
 

In a context of rapid and often turbulent societal transformation, migration researchers are increasingly called upon to reflect on how their work engages with and responds to shifting global and local dynamics. This conference invites contributions that critically explore how migration intersects with key sites of inequality, contestation, and change.

 
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Doctoral Scholarships for Candidates from the Global South - call 2026 - application deadline: 17/2/2026

With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University grants PhD “sandwich” scholarships to promising PhD students from Global South countries who wish to carry out half of their PhD research at Ghent University ('North') and half at a university in the Global South ('South'). Ghent University only finances the part of the research that will be carried out in Ghent (24 months). The candidate must have full-time funding for the other 24 months of research to be carried out in the South.

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VLIR-UOS TEAM 2026 - Call for project proposals - submission deadline: 3/3/2026
 

TEAM projects are medium-term (5 years), impactful projects designed to explore, build, and deepen academic/scientific collaborations among diverse teams of academics and researchers focusing on sustainable development challenges.

 
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Announcement of the science awards of the Foundation fiat panis - application deadline: 30/4/2026
 

In 2026, the Foundation fiat panis will once again announce its two science awards dealing with problems of food security in the Global South.

The Hermann Eiselen Science Award is awarded for excellent dissertations and is endowed with 30,000 €.

The Hans Hartwig Ruthenberg-Graduate-Award is awarded for outstanding Master's theses and is endowed with 7,500 €.

 
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AFRICA PLATFORM INITIATIVES AND EVENTS

International Conference GAPSYM18 - 4/12/2025
 

The Ghent Africa Platform is pleased to announce its 18th Annual Symposium (GAPSYM18), themed "Resources in Africa".

Resources in Africa are central to global discussions on sustainability, development, and equity. GAPSYM18 will delve into how resources shape Africa’s socio-economic, environmental, and cultural landscapes and define Africa’s position in today’s globalisation.

 
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Ghent University Nelson Mandela Lecture - 4/12/2025
 

The Ghent University Mandela Lectures have become established public events in the city of Ghent. This year's lecture with take the form of a panel discussion, with Belgian public intellectual David Van Reybrouck, professor in international politics and economic development Adebayo Olukoshi, former Namibian ambassador to Belgium Mekondjo Kaapanda-Girnus, and Lieselot Declercq, entrepreneur and director of d-teach.

They will discuss contemporary challenges related to geopolitics, trade relations, culture and entrepreneurship in Africa's relationship to Europe.

The discussion will be facilitated by journalist John Vandaele

 
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Want to learn more about the six Regional Platforms? Take a look at www.ugent.be/regionalplatforms
to find all the information you need.



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