Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa

Deborah James wins the inaugural Fage & Oliver prize

Congratulations to Professor Deborah James of the LSE's Department of Anthropology who has been named as one of the winners of the inaugural Fage & Oliver prize.

The prize has been established in honour of the two founders of African Studies in the UK, John Donnelly Fage and Roland Oliver and was awarded for a book published in 2014 or 2015.

Professor James received the award for her book Money from Nothing: indebtedness and aspiration in South Africa.

Follow this link to read a review of this book.

New book by Dr Brian Klaas of the Deparment of Government

Congratulations to Dr Brian Klaas whose book The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is aiding and abetting the Decline of Democracy was published in October 2016 by Hurst.

Catherine Boone wins 2016 Luebbert Book Award for Property and Political Order in Africa

Congratulations to Professor Catherine Boone of the Departments of Government and International Development who has received  the American Political Science Association’s prestigious Gregory Luebbert Book Award for the best book in Comparative Politics published in the last two years.

The book has been widely acclaimed, also winning APSA’s African Politics Conference Group Best Book Award 2014, receiving an Honourable Mention for the African Studies Association’s 2015 Herskovits Best Book Award, and gaining praise from experts in the field.

Follow this link to read an interview in which Professor Boone discusses Property and Political Order in Africa.

 

Dozens attend the annual FLCA Welcome Reception

There was a record turnout for the annual Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa Welcome Reception which took place on Wednesday 12 October 2016. Academics, researchers and postgraduate students working on Africa had the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.

PfAL students visit the UK Houses of Parliament

Lord Paul Boateng hosted a group of Programme for African Leadership (PfAL) students on Monday 10 October 2016 at the Houses of Parliament. After a tour, the students engaged in a lively conversation with the former Cabinet Minister and British Ambassdor to South Africa, discussing a number of issues including the importance of having a young generation of emerging African leaders.

LSE Director Julia Black, Firoz Lalji and Tim Allen celebrate landmark gift in London

A special dinner was held in London to mark the establishment of the Firoz Lalji Centre of Africa and the gift by LSE alumnus Firoz Lalji. The LSE Director Professor Julia Black and the Director of the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa Professor Tim Allen were among the attendees celebrating the generous £13 million gift from the long-term LSE supporter.

The Programme of African Leadership welcomes its sixth student cohort

Five years on from the launch of the Programme for African Leadership (PfAL) at LSE, we are pleased to unveil the 2016/17 group which is comprised of 60 members from 17 African countries. The students  will be studying various masters programmes across LSE and will participate in leadership activities over the course of the academic year.

Managing Director of Gates Foundation Global Policy and Advocacy speaks at LSE

In a recent LSE lecture hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and the Department of International Development, Joe Cerrell, Managing Director of Global Policy and Advocacy at the Gates Foundation (pictured) discussed the dilemma surrounding aid, and whether the UK should redirect it away from developing countries in order to address its own domestic issues.

Tackling mainly aspects related to healthcare, Joe Cerrell supported the idea of an inherent normative value of aid, stressing that the eradication of diseases in certain parts of the world is a global concern, not just a local one.

Listen to the audio of this lecture

LSE alumnus pledges £10m for new centre dedicated to Africa 

Thanks to a generous pledge of £10m from alumnus Firoz Lalji, through the Lalji Family Foundation, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has endowed a new academic centre dedicated to teaching, research and engagement with Africa and Africa scholars.

The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa further strengthens LSE’s commitment to placing Africa at the heart of debates about global issues. The centre is named in recognition of the Lalji Family Foundation that includes wife Najma’s and daughters Farah’s and Natasha’s transformative gifts of £13million to LSE.

Firoz Lalji is a successful businessman, philanthropist and LSE economics graduate, and has worked closely with LSE for a number of years to promote Africa engagement and scholarship.

Read the press release

Read Tim Allen's blog

Find out more about Firoz Lalji

Royal Geographic Society awards grant to LSE students

Four students from the MSc Urbanisation and Development programme Anders Magnusson, Daniela Schofield, Femke Gubbels and George Barnett have been awarded funding from the Royal Geographic Society with the Institute of British Geographers for a Graduate Field Work Grant.

The students will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from mid-June to early August 2016 to conduct research for their dissertations, which collectively come under the title ‘Emerging Geographies of Everyday Life in a Changing Urban Context’.

The project aims to produce an understanding of how people shape and navigate the urban space of Dar es Salaam and produce grounded context-specific empirical data on human geographical realities in a city of the Global South.

You can follow their journey in Dar-es-Salaam through the Everyday Dar blog and on Twitter @EverydayDar.

Professor Allen unveils LSE Africa Centre

Professor Tim Allen announced the creation of a new Africa Centre on 22 April 2016 at the annual student-led LSE Africa Summit.

With Professor Allen as the Inaugural Director, the LSE Africa Centre will strengthen LSE’s long-term and ongoing commitment to placing Africa at the heart of understandings and debates about global issues.

The Centre is part of the LSE's Institute for Global Affairs.

Zambia Vice President speaks at LSE

Her Excellency Inonge Wina was the headline speaker at the student-led 2016 LSE Africa Summit on 23 April 2016.

In her keynote address, the Zambia Vice President called on all Africans in the diaspora to invest back in their home countries and take a role in transforming the continent.

Unsafe Abortions in Zambia

Around 30 per cent of maternal deaths in Zambia each year are due to unsafe abortions.

Dr Ernestina Coast explains in this video why Zambian women continue to take unnecessary risks to end unwanted pregnancies, despite abortion being legal in their country since 1972.

Conference held to honour Professor Mkandawire

On 11 and 12 April 2016, an International Colloquium was held to honour the life and work of Professor Thandika Mkandawire. Organised by CODESRIA, the Archie Mafeje Chair at the University of South Africa, and the University of Malawi, the theme of the Colloquium was Thinking African. Epistemological Issues. The Colloquium was followed by a Conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Kampala Declaration on Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility.

The fourth LSE-UCT July School takes place from 27th June to 8th July 2016 in Cape Town South Africa.

Professor Chris Alden and Dr Ernestina Coast will be among the LSE academics delivering courses that range from International Relations to Geography over the fortnight. Visit the LSE-UCT July School website to find out how to apply.

China's media in Africa: expansion, perception and reception

A Department of Media and Communications Public Seminar

Date: Monday 28 November 2016
Time: 6.30pm-8pm
Venue: CLM 6.02, Clement House, LSE, 99 Aldwych, London WC2B 4JF
Speaker: Herman Wasserman
Respondent: Bingchun Meng
Chair: Nick Couldry

The seminar will be followed by drinks reception
 
As part of its ‘soft power’ strategy, China has invested significantly in expanding its presence in the African media sphere. This increased presence has contributed to a more diverse image of Africa in global media, while prompting renewed debates about normative values for African journalism and press freedom on the continent. The viability and success of these attempts to broaden China’s soft power on the continent remains an open question. This lecture will give an overview of Chinese initiatives in the African media landscape and present findings from interviews with South African journalists and audiences in which their reception of Chinese media content was explored.

Herman Wasserman (@hwasser) is Professor of Media Studies and Director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town.

Bingchun Meng is an Associate Professor in the Department for Media and Communications at LSE.

Nick Couldry is Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory in the Department of Media and communications at LSE.

 

Places are limited so please register on Eventbrite to attend

Kony 2016: What happened to the Lord’s Resistance Army?

A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa Event

Date: Wednesday 23 November 2016
Time: 18:30-20:00
Venue: CLM4.02, Clement House, LSE, Aldwych
Speakers: Ledio Cakaj, Matthew Green
Chair: Professor Tim Allen

In the first months of 2016, fighters from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abducted more than 300 Central Africans, posing a threat to civilians. The increase in LRA violence as Uganda considers withdrawing troops from eastern Central African Republic (CAR) poses a threat to security in the region.  Author Ledio Cakaj’s book, When the Walking Defeats You: One Man’s Journey as Joseph Kony’s Bodyguard, offers a rare insider account of one of the world’s most well- known terrorist groups. Starting from this, Cakaj, Koen Vlassenroot and Barney Afako will incorporate key aspects of the book into a broader discussion about the LRA, how it has changed since 2012, and the present challenges that it poses.

Ledio Cakaj (@LedioCakaj) is a researcher, writer, and author of 'When the Walking Defeats You; One Man's Journey as Joseph Kony's Bodyguard'.

Matthew Green(@Matthew_Green) is a journalist and author. His first book, entitled The Wizard of the Nile: The Hunt for Africa’s Most Wanted, documents his search through the war zone of Uganda for Joseph Kony.

Professor Tim Allen is Head of the Department of International Development at the LSE, and Research Director of the Justice and Security Research Programme.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEKony2016

This event is free and open to all, but pre-registration required via Eventbrite. Contact the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa at africacentre@lse.ac.uk  or 02071075103 if you have any queries.

Scaling Social Innovation in Africa

A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Royal African Society event

Date: Thursday, 17 November
Time: 16:00-17:30
Venue: CLM 4.02, Clement House, LSE, Aldwych
Speaker(s): Ndidi Nwuneli
Chair: Professor Harry Barkema

Social entrepreneur Ndidi Nwuneli will share some insights from her new book, Scaling Social Innovation in Africa. Encouraged by the emergence and early impact of social innovators on the African Continent, but frustrated by the slow pace of large scale change, this book is focused on filling the knowledge gap among aspiring and emerging social innovators. It lays out the required building blocks for achieving scale at impact. It also explores the steps for attracting and retaining talent and financing and forming strategic partnerships with the private, public, and non-profit sectors to foster scaling.

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli (@ndidinwuneli) is a serial social entrepreneur based in Nigeria. She is the founder of LEAP Africa, co-founder of AACE Foods, director at Sahel Capital and the African Philanthropy Forum.

Professor Harry Barkema joined the Department of Management at the LSE in 2007.  He is the founding Director of the Innovation Co-Creation Lab (ICCL), and is also on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Management (AoM).

 

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEInnovation

This event is free and open to all, but pre-registration required via Eventbrite. Contact the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa at africacentre@lse.ac.uk or +4402071075103 if you have any queries.

Growth in Africa: End of Africa Rising?
Opportunities and Challenges in today’s Africa 

An IGA and the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa event

Date: Monday November 7 2016
Time: 18:30-20:00hrs
Venue: TW1.G.01, Lecture Theatre in Tower 1, Ground Floor, Clement’s Inn, LSE
Speaker: Roger Nord, Deputy Director of the African Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
 
Starting in the mid-1990s, an increasing number of countries in Africa have been experiencing robust and sustained economic growth. But with the collapse of commodity prices, these gains have been called into question. Is this a rough patch or the end of Africa Rising? What role are new partners such as China and India playing? How to reap the full benefits of natural resource wealth? How to address large infrastructure gaps? And looking further ahead: how to ensure that the demographic dividend is a blessing not a curse?

Roger Nord is the Deputy Director of the IMF’s African Department and oversees country operations in East Africa and francophone West Africa. He is responsible for the IMF’s relations with China regarding Africa.

 

This event is free and open to all with no ticket or pre-registration required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For any queries email g.e.miric@lse.ac.uk

Smuggler or Saviour?  The role of human smugglers in contemporary mixed migration

A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Institute of Global Affairs event

Date: Wednesday 26 October
Time: 19.30-21:00
Venue: CLM 6.02, Clement House, LSE, Aldwych
Speaker(s): Tuesday Reitano, Peter Tinti, Dr Mollie Gerver
Chair: Professor Chandran Kukathas

As millions of people seek passage to Europe in order to escape conflict, repression, poverty and natural catastrophe, their movements are enabled and encouraged by ruthless professional criminal networks that earn billions of pounds from this insidious new trade. But smugglers are also revered as saviours by many of those they move, delivering them to a safer place and a better life.

Disconcertingly, in the contemporary migration context, it has often been those labelled as criminals who help the most desperate when the international system turns them away.

This discussion endeavours to help analysts better understand how people-smuggling networks function, the ways in which they have evolved, and their long term impact on both migration, global security and organised crime.

Tuesday Reitano (@tuesdayjaded) is Deputy Director at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (@GI_TOC).

Peter Tinti (@petertinti) is a Research Fellow at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime.

Dr Mollie Gerver (@MollieGerver) is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds.

Professor Chandran Kukathas is Chair in Political Theory and Head of the Department of Government at LSE.

Tinti and Reitano have recently co-authored a book: Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour that thoroughly examines the role of smugglers in Europe's migration crisis.  Copies of the book will be on sale at the event.


Based at LSE, the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (@AfricaAtLSE) promotes independent academic research and teaching; open and issue-oriented debate; and evidence-based policy making. The Centre accomplishes this by connecting different social science disciplines and by working in partnership with Africa bringing African voices to the global debate.

The Institute of Global Affairs (@LSEIGA) aims to maximise the impact of LSE’s leading expertise across the social sciences by shaping inclusive and locally-rooted responses to the most important and pressing global challenges.
 
Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEMigration

This event is free and open to all, but pre-registration is required via Eventbrite. Contact the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa at africacentre@lse.ac.uk if you have any queries.

EVENT CANCELLED - Fed up and not afraid: Zimbabwe’s new citizen activism

A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Royal Africa Society Event

Date: Tuesday 18th October
Time: 7.00-8.30pm
Venue: CLM2.02, Clement House
Speaker(s): Pastor Evan Mawarire, Standrick Zvorwadza, Patson Dzamara
Chair: Professor Stephen Chan

Zimbabwe’s citizens have taken to the streets and to social media to organise and speak out against social injustice in what has been described as the country’s largest protest movement in almost a decade.  Speaking about #ThisFlag, the national stay-away and the response of the current government, we are joined by three prominent activists - Pastor Evan Mawarire, Standrick Zvorwadza and Patson Dzamara. Chaired by Professor Stephen Chan.
 
Pastor Evan Mawarire is a religious leader, motivational speaker and author. He gained national and then global notoriety after his video This Flag went viral, spurring the start of the #ThisFlag hashtag online. Along with protests and stayaways, the online movement has mobilised Zimbabweans to demand an accountable government. The Pastor was later arrested in early July 2016 after successfully calling for a national 'Stay Away' dubbed 'Shut down Zimbabwe'. His arrest sparked an international uproar by human rights groups. He was later acquitted by the Magistrate citing violations Constitutional rights. He has since fled to South Africa and then to the United States.
 
Standrick Zvorwadza is a political and civil rights activist. A teacher by profession, he acts as the board chairman of the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe. With an estimated 80% unemployment rate, the highest in Southern Africa, the economy relies on a large number of vendors. Standrick has been arrested several times defending the rights of vendors in Zimbabwe against the confiscation of their goods by authorities.  Standrick gained international publicity when he led the protest against Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko's continued stay at a five star hotel for almost 2 years at public purse in June 2016. He was arrested by the police and charged with malicious damage to property. The Vice President has since left the hotel after the protest. He has been prominent in the use of social media under the #thisflower and #tajamuka hashtags. Tajakuma means 'outraged', 'angry' with an implicit component of 'action' - something like: "Let's act".
 
Patson Dzamara is an academic, leadership consultant and motivational speaker. He travels extensively speaking on leadership in presentations based on the 7 books he has published to date. His brother Itai Dzamara, who started the Occupy Africa Unity square Movement, calling for the end of President Mugabe’s rule was abducted in March 2015 and has not been seen since.  Patson has been campaigning to demand the return of his brother, for the government to address economic hardships, and calling for the end to Mugabe rule. An active social media user, he has popularised the #occupyafrica hashtag, and has also been arrested for his activities.

The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (@AfricaAtLSE) aims to strengthen LSE’s long-term commitment to placing Africa at the heart of understandings and debates about global issues. Through the Centre for Africa, LSE will forge new links with African scholars and institutions, and increase the visibility of Africa in the LSE’s teaching, research and policy engagement.

The Royal African Society (@royafrisoc) is a membership organisation that fosters a better understanding of Africa in theUK and throughout the world. Our goal is to promote Africa globally in the spheres of business, politics, academia, arts and culture. We disseminate knowledge and insight to make a positive difference to Africa’s development and celebrate the diversity and depth of African cultures.

This event is free and open to all but pre-registration required. Register to attend on EventBrite.

Crisis: South Africa’s political economy after the local elections

Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Royal African Society public lecture

Date: Monday 19 September 2016
Venue: Tower 1 Lecture Theatre, Clements Inn, LSE
Time: 7-8:30pm
Speakers: Dr Desné Masie, Nick Branson


Where next for the ruling party after the watershed local elections? We unpack the implications of the results, the growing fractures in the ANC, allegations of state capture and its effect on the economy.
 
 
Dr Desné Masie (@DesneMasie) is an economist and visiting scholar at the Wits School of Governance, who works on international economics, financialisation, poverty and inequality, and African geopolitical economy. She is the co-host of the African Arguments podcast, an economics contributor to The Times, and an associate of the Democracy Works Foundation.
 
Nick Branson (@NHBranson) is Senior Researcher at Africa Research Institute (ARI) and an expert in African politics, governance, and the rule of law. He is working towards a PhD in the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS.
 
The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (@AfricaAtLSE) aims to strengthen LSE’s long-term commitment to placing Africa at the heart of understandings and debates about global issues. Through the Centre for Africa, LSE will forge new links with African scholars and institutions, and increase the visibility of Africa in the LSE’s teaching, research and policy engagement.

The Royal African Society (@royafrisoc) is a membership organisation that fosters a better understanding of Africa in theUK and throughout the world. Our goal is to promote Africa globally in the spheres of business, politics, academia, arts and culture. We disseminate knowledge and insight to make a positive difference to Africa’s development and celebrate the diversity and depth of African cultures.

Twitter hashtag for this event: #LSESouthAfrica

This event is free and open to all but pre-registration required. Register to attend on EventBrite.

Charity Begins at Home: should we redirect aid away from developing countries to the UK?

Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Department for International Development public lecture

Date: Thursday 29 September 2016
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Joe Cerrell
Chair: Sarah Sands

There have been a number of calls for Britain’s aid budget to be redirected to domestic priorities. Joe Cerrell will discuss some of the assumptions about aid spending, its effectiveness and its impact.

Joe Cerrell (@CerrJ) is Managing Director, Global Policy and Advocacy for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sarah Sands(@sandsstandard) is a journalist and Editor of the London Evening Standard.

The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (@AfricaAtLSE) aims to strengthen LSE’s long-term commitment to placing Africa at the heart of understandings and debates about global issues. Through the Centre for Africa, LSE will forge new links with African scholars and institutions, and increase the visibility of Africa in the LSE’s teaching, research and policy engagement.

The Department of International Development (@LSE_ID) promotes interdisciplinary post-graduate teaching and research on processes of social, political and economic development and change.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEJoeCerrell

This event is free and open to all but pre-registration required. Registration will open on 8 September through EventBrite. For any queries email africacentre@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7852 3735.

Moroccan National Media: between change and status quo

Date: Thursday 23 June 2016
Time:  17:00-18:00
Venue: Room 9.04, Tower 2, Clement's Inn, LSE
Speaker: Fatima el-Issawi, LSE
Discussant: Dr Tarik Sabry, University of Westminster
Chair: Jonathan Hill, King's College London

Fatima el-Issawi will launch her report which investigates the status of the Moroccan national media in the wake of the 2011 Moroccan Spring protests.

Fatima el-Issawi is an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre, currently leading on a collaboration project with the American University of Dubai entitled 'Arab National Media and Politics: Democracy Revisited', looking at changes in media practices in traditional media industries in Morocco and Algeria.

Event Hashtag: #LSEMorocco

This event is free and open to all, however registration is necessary. Visit event page for details of how to register.

Somalia's Foreign Policy Priorities

Africa Centre and Department of International Development public lecture  

Date: Friday 20 May 2016
Time: 1-2pm
Venue: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker:  Dr Abdusalam H. Omer

In this lecture the Foreign Minister will present Somalia's newly adopted foreign policy. He will also discuss the Somali Government's vision and the current challenges and future opportunities for a new era of peace, progress and prosperity in Somalia, the region and the world.

Dr Abdusalam H. Omer (@MinisterMOFA) is the Minister of the Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion of the Federal Republic of Somalia. He has over 30 years international experience in finance, development and institutional leadership. Dr Abdusalam has also served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia.

This event is free and open to all with no ticket or pre-registration required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

 

LSE Africa Summit 2016

Africa within a Global Context

Date: Friday 22 and Saturday 23 April 2016

Time: 08:00-17:30

Venue: LSE Campus - venue to be confirmed to ticket holders

Speakers: Various - full programme to be announced shortly

The 2016 LSE Africa Summit (@LSEAfricaSummit) will explore how nations in Africa can capitalise on opportunities and address challenges shaped by their position in a Global Context.

The Summit is organised under the auspices of LSE's Department of International Development.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEAfricaSummit

This event is free and open to all but pre-registration is required.  Prospective participants can apply to attend the summit online at LSE Africa Summit. For any queries email africasummit@lse.ac.uk.

Find out more about this event

From Oscar Pistorius to Reality TV: the implications of using the courtroom as a television studio

LSE Law and Birkbeck School of Law Project public lecture

Date: Wednesday 13 April 2016
Time:  6.30-8pm
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers:  Ruth Herz, Dikgang Moseneke
Chair: Lord Dyson

The event will feature two speakers with extensive experience of the issues that arise from televised trials. The Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa Dikgang Moseneke will discuss the experience of, and issues arising from, the televising of the trial of Oscar Pistorious. Ruth Herz will reflect on her experience as a judge who took part in a popular German courtroom based reality TV show.

This event is free and open to all with no ticket or pre-registration required.

Find out more about this event