3 September 2026#13
UGent
afrika Platform
"

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

NEWS

Public meeting on the Congolines project - 12/9/2026

On 12 September 2026, the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) will host the third public meeting dedicated to the Congolines research project (with colleagues from UGent African Studies as project partners). The event will give researchers the opportunity to present the preliminary findings of their work on Congolese painting from the first half of the twentieth century, with a particular focus on mural paintings and watercolours created by artists from different regions of the Congo.
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Guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Serawit Debele (Bayreuth University) — "Empire Disenchanted: Women’s Mobility, Prostitution, and Social Change in Ethiopia" - 23/9/2026
 

Upon invitation of Prof. Olorunshola Adenekan , Prof. Sebastian Dom & Prof. Koen Bostoen, Prof. Dr. Serawit Debele (Bayreuth University) will give the UGent Master of African Studies 2026 opening lecture.

In this talk, Prof. Dr. Serawit Debele explores how Amharic literary texts frame empire through the rural woman turned prostitute as a central site of moral and political discourse. She focuses on two novels published within twenty years of the end of the Italian occupation of Ethiopia (1935–1941).
 
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Netwerkevent Afrikaanse talen en culturen - 23/9/2026
 

Graag nodigen we studenten, alumni en docenten uit voor een netwerkmoment van de opleiding Afrikaanse Talen en Culturen, op woensdag 23 september om 18u in het atrium van de faculteitsbibliotheek Letteren en Wijsbegeerte.

Aanleiding is de voorstelling van het recent verschenen boek "Afrika: Het abc van het cliché" van Barbara Rottiers en Annick De Rop. We gaan in gesprek met de auteurs om toe te lichten hoe het boek clichébeelden over Afrika onder de loep neemt.

Na de boekvoorstelling volgt een receptie — een uitgelezen moment om bij te praten, herinneringen op te halen of nieuwe contacten te leggen tussen studenten, alumni en docenten van de opleiding.
 
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Book launch: "African storytelling and images in teaching" - 25/9/2026

As a team of upcoming and established scholars from Kenya (University of Nairobi), Ethiopia (Jimma University) and Belgium (Ghent University and Howest), we propose this book with oral folktales accompanied by strong visuals. Through performative learning procedures the book invites young people to meaningfully engage with living traditions of oral storytelling.
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Seminar: "Collaboration in Global Health" - 25/9/2026
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Podcast by Initiative Afrique, University of Bern (ENLIGHT partner)
 

Our latest podcast with Dr. Hastings Musopole is now available!

In this episode, the Bioinformatics postdoctoral researcher at KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) shares his background. He further highlights his exchange fellowship at the Institute of Cell Biology of the University of Bern in the context of the CoRE Genomics for Health in Africa.
 
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Meet-the-Expert Lecture by Prof. David Maxwell - 1/10/2026
 

On behalf of African Studies and the History Department, we warmly welcome you to a Meet-the-Expert Lecture by Prof. David Maxwell (Cambridge University), kindly supported by UGent's Doctoral Schools:

"Church, State and Society in Post-colonial Zimbabwe: Sources, Methods and Concepts"
 
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CBL-ACP Business Forum Nigeria - 28-30/10/2026

We are pleased to inform you that registration is now open for the Nigeria–Belgium–Luxembourg Business Forum.

This forum will offer new opportunities to connect with key stakeholders, discover market insights, and build meaningful business partnerships.
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CALLS & COMPETITIONS

7th Young Researchers Overseas Day 2026 - abstract submission deadline: 6/9/2026

On Tuesday, 1 December 2026, the seventh Young Researchers Overseas Day is organized by the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences. This event is aimed at researchers younger than 40 who are working overseas in various research fields. These fields should fit into one of the scientific disciplines of the 3 sections of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences.

The Young Researchers’ Day is an opportunity to meet one another, discuss, exchange ideas and know more about the Academy and its activities.
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Job Opportunity: Senior Market, Sector & Policy Development Expert (80–100%) - application deadline: 15/9/2026
 

FARA and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), through FiBL’s Department of International Cooperation (ICO), are inviting applications for the position of Senior Market, Sector & Policy Development Expert (80–100%).

The position will support joint FARA–FiBL initiatives advancing organic agriculture, agroecology, market and sector development, and sustainable food systems across Africa.
 
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ECAS2027: Call for Panels open - deadline to submit your proposal: 27/9/2026

As Europe’s largest international conference with an African focus, ECAS2027 – the 11th European Conference of African Studies – will be held as a face-to-face event from 30 June to 3 July 2027 in Lisbon, Portugal. The theme of the conference is “African Prisms”. The theme aims to speak to the multiplicity of disciplines, perspectives, methods, histories, and images that shape the contemporary study of Africa.
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AFRICA PLATFORM INITIATIVES AND EVENTS

International conference GAPSYM19: "Voices, Rights, Justice in Africa" - 8/12/2026 - registration is open now!
 

This 19th multidisciplinary conference of the Africa Platform will be co-organised by Ghent University’s Human Rights Research Network and Conflict Research Group. Voices, Rights & Justice in Africa remain highly relevant today due to ongoing challenges related to human rights, environmental rights, rights to health & education, access to legal systems, etc. across the continent.

Studying these issues academically will inform policymaking, activism, and international engagement to promote accountability, equity, and sustainable development in African societies.
 
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Ghent University Nelson Mandela Lecture 2026 - 8/12/2026
 

Under the theme “From the 1976 Soweto Uprising to Constitutional Democracy - Reimagining the Future of Youth” Professor and South African Human Rights Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi will engage in an intergenerational dialogue with young people selected by the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

Together, they will reflect on the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s Constitution and the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, viewed through the lens of Nelson Mandela’s enduring legacy. The discussion will explore whether these milestones offer grounds for imagining a hopeful future for the country’s youth.
 
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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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