Africa Hub University of Birmingham

27/03/2026

Many congratulations to Nathalie Raunet on the recent publication of her book!

Nathalie completed her PhD in DASA and was also a colleague here for a few years (before she moved across the University to the International Development Department), so we're really thrilled that her book is now out in the world!

You can read more about Nathalie's book and buy it here:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/political-belonging-in-the-ghanatogo-borderlands/6CA9AADDD6BDDBB8F2757631C73DF259

09/03/2026

Please join us on Wednesday for Dr Simukai Chigudu's Africa Talks seminar

Title: In my home country, they call me a ‘bornfree’

About the seminar
Simukai Chigudu was one of the first generation to be born after the end of colonial rule in Zimbabwe. Growing up, he heard stories about his grandfather’s murder by the Rhodesian regime, how his father had been imprisoned and tortured as a student before joining the bloody war of independence as a guerrilla, and how his mother had thrown off the strictures of the past to build a successful career helping other women do the same. Yet Simukai’s early life was also steeped in British tradition. With his classmates he sang English folk songs, read Shakespeare, and played cricket. Then, in 2002, he was one of thousands to leave the country as it descended into political violence and economic collapse. His new home: a boarding school in the north of England. What followed was a culture shock that unravelled his understanding of the world, his family and himself. Chasing Freedom is his profound and remarkably moving story – that of a boy shaped through his parents’ buried trauma by the great currents of late-twentieth century history. It is the story of a family haunted by the cause of liberation, and of a new generation, still searching for their promised freedom.

About the Author
Simukai Chigudu is an Associate Professor of African politics at the University of Oxford and a fellow of St. Antony’s College. He was previously a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He was born in Zimbabwe in 1986, six years after the end of the war of independence that ousted the colonial Rhodesian regime. In 2015, he was one of the founding members of ‘Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford’, a campaign to decolonize the university and remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College.

Date: 11/3/2026 at 1-2.30 pm in the UoB Arts Building, The Fage Room (250)

https://bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/86416664974?pwd=Di1CUCHNLB3enaI0AZbi5HL861vy8r.1
Passcode 875482
Meeting ID 864 1666 4974

16/02/2026

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our colleague and friend, Professor Paulo de Moraes Farias FBA (1935-2026).

Paulo was an eminent historian of West Africa whose intellectual interests spanned many centuries and different types of sources. He will be remembered for his scholarship on epigraphic sources for the Medieval period of West Africa, for developing new approaches to understanding the 17th century Timbuktu Chronicles, and for his engagement with oral traditions of the Mande, Songhay, Baatombu and Yoruba. In recognition of the significance of his scholarship, Paulo was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2017.

While Paulo led the way in his discipline, we shall also remember him as a kind and generous colleague who played a pivotal role in shaping African Studies at the University of Birmingham. A member of the Centre of West African Studies from the late 1960s to his retirement in 2003, Paulo was a wonderful teacher and a committed supervisor and mentor to research students from all over the world, many of whom have since become scholars in their own right. After his retirement, Paulo remained in close contact with the Department (now Department of African Studies & Anthropology): he was invited to give the 2015 Fage Lecture and attended research events up to the most recent times. He will be greatly missed.

11/02/2026

TODAY

09/02/2026

Join us on Wednesday February 11 at the University of Birmingham for the 2026 Fage Lecture by Professor Taibat Lawanson on "Globalisation and (?)Colonial Practice: Insights from Lagos"

Urban growth and development in Africa is unprecedented. However, the Africa Rising rhetoric raises questions of whose interests are truly being served. In this talk, I will focus on the conceptual underpinnings of globalisation and the interests at play in making Lagos a ‘world class city’. From urban form to governance and culture, I will unpack how seemingly progressive modernist ideas become a threat to everyday citizenship and urban identity. I will also highlight how certain decolonial practices in Lagos are a form of elite capture. The talk will conclude with reflections on what it means for an African city to retain her identity while participating on the global stage.

Wednesday 11 February 1pm

Arts Building Lecture room 4

On zoom:

https://bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/88287234459?pwd=MzLkaY7Qv8iHJk3Hq7bt4pL20Sa0nO.1&from=addon

28/01/2026

Join us on February 11 at the University of Birmingham for the 2026 Fage Lecture by Professor Taibat Lawanson on "Globalisation and (?)Colonial Practice: Insights from Lagos"

Urban growth and development in Africa is unprecedented. However, the Africa Rising rhetoric raises questions of whose interests are truly being served. In this talk, I will focus on the conceptual underpinnings of globalisation and the interests at play in making Lagos a ‘world class city’. From urban form to governance and culture, I will unpack how seemingly progressive modernist ideas become a threat to everyday citizenship and urban identity. I will also highlight how certain decolonial practices in Lagos are a form of elite capture. The talk will conclude with reflections on what it means for an African city to retain her identity while participating on the global stage.


Wednesday 11 February 1pm

Arts Building Lecture room 4

On zoom:

https://bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/88287234459?pwd=MzLkaY7Qv8iHJk3Hq7bt4pL20Sa0nO.1&from=addon

02/12/2025

CAL PGR Funding Briefing, Thursday 4th December, 11am

The College of Arts and Law Doctoral School is delighted to announce a range of studentships and funding opportunities for September 2026 entry. Please join the Director and Deputy Director of the Doctoral School, Prof. Aengus Ward and Dr Simon Smith, for an online session to learn more about the opportunities available and the application process.

All prospective applicants are welcome, as are all prospective supervisors from CAL.

Date: Thursday 4th December, 1100-1200 GMT
Location: Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting
https://bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/84181321857?pwd=Ty8combdzXiTXiYOD7YLhCIQgp5NvC.1

Meeting ID: 841 8132 1857
Passcode: 703107

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24/09/2025

Announcing our schedule of AnthroTalks for Autumn 2025. Join us!