Public events
A space for creativity, discussion and new ideas
Upcoming Events
Lunch and Learn Seminars
FLIA and The Centre for Women, Peace and Security bring you weekly seminar series showcasing our work. The seminars are open to staff and Master students from across LSE and beyond. All seminars will be hybrid and you are welcome to attend in person or via Zoom.
Mondays 12:00-13:00
Repositioning Africa’s Agricultural Value Chains to Address the Continent’s Challenges
Reflecting on the impacts of climate change, a rising young demographic, and spreading civil conflict, agribusiness remains influential in shifting Africa’s agricultural value chains to address these challenges. By drawing insights from Professor David Luke’s book How Africa Eats (2025) book alongside JR Farms Group and Africorp’s agri-entrepreneurial operations, the possibilities for sustainable socio-economic transformation across the African continent are collaboratively unpacked.
MAR.1.04, The Marshall Building, London, WC2A 3LY
Wednesday 21 January 2026 5:30 PM
Past Events
The Africa Rising Symposium is a thought leadership platform dedicated to shaping the conversations that matter most to Africa’s future. It convenes bold thinkers, visionary leaders, and global collaborators to explore Africa’s evolving place in the world.
This edition, in partnership with the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at LSE, will take place under the theme: "Beyond Potential: Africa’s Age of Performance"
19 July 2025
"Wealth in people"
Join us for this special lecture by LSE alumnus and co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in economics James A Robinson.
During his talk, Professor Robinson will propose a new interpretation of African society, history and political and economic trajectories based on the notion of wealth in people and its institutionalizations.
25 March 2025
Africa Summit
This year's Summit will address the issue of "Securing Africa future: Promoting resiliance in a divided world."
The LSE Africa Summit 2025 will be held on 29 and 30 March 2025 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre.
"International Women's Day 2025 Conference"
Join us for a day of discussion and learning about women-led innovation and advocacy across Africa this International Women’s Day.
This event, under the theme "Empowering Women in Agriculture: Navigating Peace, Conflict, and Food Security" will platform the diverse voices of women who work or are involved in the agricultural sector and who are leading the way within their own communities and internationally to make the sector sustainable.
Conflict Resolution in Challenging Times: New Approaches to International Peace-Making
Join Professor Joanna Lewis in a discussion with four senior experts and practitioners in global conflict resolution. They will explore new thinking and the challenges in international norms, culturally sensitive approaches, women, peace and security agenda, and neuro and behavioural science. Can we find synergies to strengthen approaches? What role could and should new thinking play in contemporary peacebuilding processes?
5 December 2024
Wolfson Theatre
17:30-19:30
The Future of Conservation in Africa: Solutions and Opportunities
FLIA is proud to partner with Tusk Trust, a leading NGO dedicated to wildlife conservation in Africa, for our upcoming event, "The Future of Conservation in Africa: Solutions and Opportunities".
Join us for a discussion with the winners of the 2024 Tusk Conservation Awards, the Director of the Mali Elephant Project, and the Founder of Elephants for Africa, as they share their frontline experiences and insights into what the future of African conservation could look like.28 November 2024
The Auditorium (Malaysia Theatre)
18:00-21:00
The rise of Africa's suburban middle classes
FLIA is proud to partner with The LSE Department of Geography and Environment for the book launch of Claire Mercer’s new book.The Suburban Frontier: Middle Class Construction in Dar es Salaam. It examines how self-built housing on the urban periphery has become central to middle-class formation and urban transformation in contemporary Tanzania and beyond. The Suburban Frontier offers significant contributions to the study of urban social change in Africa and urbanization in the Global South.
26 November 2024
The Auditorium
18:30-20:00
Empire & Exploitation, Liberation Movements & The Role of Imperialism & Capitalism in Africa
This discussion will explore the evolving nature of empire and exploitation in Africa, from the colonial period and the independence movement up to the current era. By examining ongoing conflicts in the Congo and Sudan, which have become proxies in the West's struggle for resources and influence, the discussion will highlight the enduring role of imperialism and capitalism in Africa.
22 October 2024
Thai Lecture Theatre
18:00-20:00
Ubuntu Café
FLIA partners with AfroPark, New Comma, Open Space, and Reformation Community for our annual Black History Month Ubuntu Cafe. Under the theme of 'Amplifying Voices of the African Diaspora in the UK', the event will feature Diaspora Diaries, a fireside chat, the Inter-University Africa Debates (LSE vs Birmingham), and an art exhibition.
Join us for another immersive and interactive showcase of African thought and culture.
17 October 2024
LSE Campus
4pm - 9pm
Mainstreaming Nature Positive Economics for People and Planet
Join Beccy Speight, CEO of the UK’s largest conservation NGO, The RSPB, Elena Almeida and Simon Dikau from The Grantham Institute at LSE in the run-up to COP16 as they explore where we are, what’s working and what needs to change drawing on the panel's policy expertise and knowledge of global nature conservation of species and habitats.
14 October 2024
Old Theatre, LSE
6pm - 9pm
Film premiere: ‘THE MAN DIED’
Join us for the premiere for the movie for 'The Man Died', presented by Makin Soyinka the film is inspired by the "Prison Notes" of Wole Soyinka and the book of the same title.
25 July 2024
Sheik Zayed Theatre
The Africa Rising Symposium
FLIA, in partnership with EMY’s Generation Now, are excited to present The Africa Rising Symposium this July. The Symposium aims to showcase Africa's excellence, creative economy, resourcefulness, untapped opportunities and boundless possibilities within the continent and its diaspora!
20 July 2024
LSE campus
LSE Festival
Global legal frameworks to protect women in conflict have been agreed by all members of the UN Security Council. Yet evidence from around the world shows that violence against women, because they are women, remains very much a part of twenty first century warfare.
The panel looked explored the complex power dynamics around violence against women in conflict.The panel featured H.E. Fatou Bensouda is High Commissioner of the Gambia to the UK. She has previously also held the position of Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Rita Kahsay is Executive Director of the NGO Irob Anina and co-author of In Plain Sight. Claire Wilmot, a researcher and journalist who recently completed her PhD at the LSE.
We Are At the Edge, Not the End, of History: Policy Discussion of The Edge by Jonathan Maxwell
This event discussed with the author in a "fireside chat" the main issues covered in his book, especially recent global events and the agency we have in understanding and delivering big solutions to these issues, on time, no matter their scale.
We were joined by a panel of expert discussants who will share their reflections and insights into the problems posed by Maxwell. The panel also discussed how we can ensure diverse global perspectives are brought into this critical conversation for solutions to the most pressing problems in the international political economy today.
Ubuntu Café
To commemorate Africa Day, on 24 May 2024, the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa hosted the Ubuntu Café. The event consisted of a keynote speech, as well as a fashion show and the showcase of the 'Africa Debates' series.
24 May 2024, 4 pm
LSE GenDen
LSE AFRICA SUMMIT 2024
The LSE Africa Summit 2024, themed "African Minds Transforming Futures: Building Resilient Education Systems," seeks to unravel the intricate web of challenges and opportunities that define the educational landscape on the continent.
We shall delve into the intricacies that have moulded higher education and address the nuanced challenges various population groups face. The discussions shall traverse the realms of accessibility, inclusivity, and the crucial role of various players in reshaping global academic landscapes.
The upcoming summit shall catalyse change, urging participants to contribute their experiences and expertise towards crafting more resilient and responsive higher education ecosystems.
CKK
22-23 March 2024
Political Elites, Civil Society and the Future of Sudan
This panel will seek to explore the crisis through the prism of ‘disconnection’, exploring the various disconnects and discordances that have formed between Sudanese popular groups, state institutions and international institutions. Stopping the violence and addressing Sudan’s trauma will ultimately require domestic and international actors to align formal policy-making processes with popular realities on the ground. Speakers will explore this notion of disconnection and consider how the sudden displacement of the Sudanese elite from its capital city might re-orient Sudanese politics in future. The panel will finally discuss how such disconnections might be repaired..
LSE Theatre, Central Building
05 March 2024
City of hope – lessons from Cape Town for the future of South Africa and African cities
Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayor of Cape Town, will share his lessons from leading this city of five million people. He will explore what the Cape Town experience can tell us about how to get South Africa right and what lessons Cape Town can offer to the rapidly growing cities on the rest of the African continent.
Following his presentation Mayor Hill-Lewis will discuss these questions with Desné Masie, economist and journalist and visiting senior fellow at FLIA.
Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
23 January 2024
Industrialising Africa: Renewed Commitment to Inclusive and Sustainable Growth
Hosted by the International Growth Centre and the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
International Growth Centre will host a panel discussion to mark Africa Industrialisation Week 2022.
This panel discussion will explore key questions regarding the industrialisation strategies that different African countries have adopted, how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will influence them, and the ways in which the AfCFTA is expected to contribute to poverty reduction and green industrialisation.
To attend in person, please register here.
To join remotely, please register here.Sheikh Zayed Theatre, LSE and online
Wednesday 23 November 2022
6:00pm to 7:30pm
African Americans & Africa: Conversations across Centuries
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
In commemoration of Black History Month in the UK, join Professor Nemata Blyden (GWU) and Dr Robtel Neajai Pailey (LSE) for this seminar to celebrate the publication of Professor Blyden's new book, African Americans & Africa: A New History.
FW2.9.05, Fawcett House
Thursday 20 October 2022
12:30 to 2:00pm
Is Green Industrialisation a Possibility for Africa?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
Join the FLIA's Professor in Practice and Strategic Director, Professor David Luke and Professor Carlos Lopes for this public lecture.
Within the context of global climate change, increasing natural resource degradation and rising environmental pollution, both African governments and private sector actors are increasingly favouring green industrialisation plans. The event will discuss what green industrialisation looks like for Africa, and the role the African Continental Free Trade Area will play in these plans.
Wolfson Theatre
Monday 17 October 2022
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Old and New Challenges for Central Banking in West Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
To mark the Bank of Ghana’s 65th anniversary, this event explores financial and economic prospects for the region’s emerging economies, the impact of COVID-19 on development prospects, and more.
This event is part of the series, which informs and transforms global debates to inspire new perceptions of the continent. Giving a platform to Africa's pre-eminent thinkers and practitioners across academia, politics, business and activism, high-profile speakers present forward-thinking ideas to address contemporary global challenges.
Tuesday 21 June 2022
6:30pm to 8:00pm
Can Trade Shape Africa's Post-COVID Recovery?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and LSE Festival
The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa have been severe, with formal and informal sectors affected by lockdowns, decreasing exports, disruptions to global supply chains, mounting debt and increasing levels of poverty.
This event will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on global trade and Africa’s economies and development.
Friday 17 June 2022
1:00pm to 2:00pm
BRI vs B3W: Competing Visions for African Development
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
The Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative, launched by the G7 in 2021, aspires to promote infrastructure development in the global South, from Africa to Asia. It is strategically conceived to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), a large international infrastructure expansion strategy initiated in 2013.
This event will discuss the B3W’s motivation and vision, the comparative strategies in execution between B3W and BRI, and the opportunities and challenges Africa faces as a recipient of these initiatives.
Tuesday 08 March 2022
3:00pm to 4:30pm
Platform: Zoom
The African Diaspora and Continental Development: Prospects and Action Points
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
The diaspora’s contribution to Africa’s development goes back to the abolitionist movement against the slave trade, to the conceptualisation of Pan-Africanism, and the struggle for decolonisation. Since the 1980s, the population of the first- and second-generation African diaspora has increased significantly.
Expert speakers will discuss the potential role the African diaspora can play in the continent's development, economy and future in the 21st century.
Thursday 24 February 2022
4:00pm to 5:30pm
Finding a pathway to peace and dialogue in Ethiopia
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
The crisis in Tigray and northern Ethiopia has forced prime minister Abiy Ahmed to declare a nationwide state of emergency, as the spectre of a regime change looms over Addis Ababa. This puts the country at a critical juncture, as the prospect grows of an expanding civil war, raising fears the situation could tip into genocide.
This event will seek to unpack the current situation in Ethiopia and the competing narratives about its past and future. It will ask how close Ethiopia is to peace now, what needs to be done to achieve peace, who are the actors and what model can help achieve sustainable peace in a deeply divided society.
Thursday 3 March 2022
4:00pm to 5:30pm
Strategies for Urbanisation in Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and LSE IDEAS
This event is part of the series, 'Strategy: New Voices', organised by the Global Strategies Project in LSE IDEAS. Dr Marie-Noelle Nwokolo and Professor Christopher Coker will discuss how the future prosperity and security of sub-Saharan Africa depends on building a new urban environment for the world’s most rapidly expanding population.
Wednesday 26 January 2022
6:30pm to 8:00pm
Sudan Coup: Analysis from the Ground
Co-organised by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and the LSE Middle East Centre
On October 25th 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declared a state of emergency in Sudan, dissolving the government and detaining civilian leadership. Burhan is leader of the joint ruling council that was designed to hand over leadership to the civilians ahead of elections in 2023. Consequently, around 200 civilians have been injured in anti-coup protests and over 40 have been killed.
Speakers will discuss the historical and political context of the latest coup, the effects of the military crackdown on the ground and the international response.
9 December 2021
3:00pm to 4:00pm GMT
Platform: Zoom
Authoritarianism and social control in Museveni's Uganda
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
This event marks the launch of the new book Arbitrary States, which draws on the Museveni regime’s governance in Uganda to understand contemporary authoritarianism.
Unlike the despots of the past, known for arbitrary violence and direct rule, today’s authoritarians use the rule of law. Many of these regimes even cultivate democratic institutions: elections, separation of powers, and institutions designed to promote transparency and accountability. This has puzzled scholars – how can authoritarians survive in contexts of democracy?
16 November 2021
2pm-3:15pm GMT
Platform: YouTube and Zoom
Africa Talks: How Can Africa Adapt to Climate Change?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
This event invites leading global exerts to discuss how Africa can best adapt to climate change. It will explore priorities for different regions, assess the opportunities and challenges in current thinking and approaches, and ask how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected adaptation trajectories, including on issues around cooperation at regional and global levels.
3 November 2021
2pm-3:30pm GMT
Platform: Zoom
China-Africa Conference 2021 – Lead the 22nd Century: Africa’s Future and the role of China
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
China has become Africa’s largest investor, biggest trading partner, preeminent digital services provider and, increasingly, a soft power influencer. It is clear that China’s role in Africa’s future will be both complex and enduring.
The China-Africa Conference 2021 will address the deepening relationship between China and the African continent and mark the launch of the China-Africa Initiative at the FLIA.
Highlight speakers:
Jingdong Hua, Vice President and Treasurer, World Bank
Leslie Maasdorp, CFO, the New Development Bank
Dr Nkosana Moyo, Former Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the African Development Bank (AfDB)28 September 2021
9am-5pm
Platform: Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube
Decolonising development studies
Hosted by the LSE Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and the Department of International Development
Questions about how to decolonise university courses and research has a special pertinence when it comes to development studies, which responds to ideas and theories in development practice itself – often viewed as an inherently colonial project. How these issues should be addressed remains contentious, and pockets of reform within higher education appears marginal.
27 July 2021
Platform: YouTube and Zoom
Policy Reform in the Making: Stakeholder Engagement through Economic Diplomacy
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
As part of the LSE series Policy Reform in the Making, renowned economist and Egypt’s Minister for International Cooperation, Dr Rania Al-Mashat, will discuss a novel approach of economic diplomacy that centres a country-led multi-stakeholder engagement framework, notably incorporating government, civil society groups and the private sector.
Tuesday 29 June 2021
Platform: YouTube
COVID-19: Africa’s Vaccine Challenge
Hosted by the Department of Health Policy, Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, Global Health Initiative, and the African Health Observatory - Platform on Health Systems and Policies.
This event will explore the access and distribution policies employed to combat COVID-19 across Africa. It will ask what vaccine (and heath technology) equity means for global management of the pandemic, and what challenges remain for health systems as the vaccine rollout is operationalised.
Monday 21 June 2021
Platform: YouTube
The humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and the Department of International Development
The humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia, is grave, urgent and under-reported. It is striking that for a region that is historically food insecure and the epicentre of famine in the 1980s, the current situation is entirely man-made: the direct outcome of war. This event will seek to understand the ongoing emergency, inviting a conversation between humanitarian researchers and reporters covering events on the ground.
Thursday 17 June 2021
Platform: YouTube
Perspectives of Scholar Activists on Epistemic Justice for Children and Young People in Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
The voices of young people are often marginalised in policies, programmes and scholarly spaces across the continent. Commemorating the Day of the African Child, this event will explore how young people's voices can be centred to prevent epistemic injustice.
Wednesday 16 June 2021
Platform: YouTube
Food Security and Agriculture in Africa Post COVID-19
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa
This event builds on a conversation hosted last year which brought together high level speakers to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Africa's food security. More than a year later, what challenges and opportunities exist for the African continent?
Tuesday 1 June 2021
Platform: YouTube
Understanding the pandemic response in South Sudan
Hosted by The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
This event brings together expert speakers from the project to discuss how COVID-19 has been understood in South Sudan during the pandemic's first year, addressing sources of trust in the country's public health advice and how it has been undermined.
Wednesday 13 May 2021
Platform: YouTubeDigital in Africa: the role of new technologies in the continent's development
Hosted by LSE South African Alumni Association and the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
This event will take a critical look at digital innovation in Africa, and how new technologies have played a major role in recent social and economic advances on the continent.
Wednesday 13 May 2021
Platform: YouTube
The Future of Fieldwork in a Post-Pandemic World
Hosted by The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, University of Oxford and University of Johannesburg
In this seminar we will explore the impact COVID-19 has had on longstanding questions of inequalities, transnational cooperation, and ethical research collaboration, and whether COVID-19 has fundamentally transformed research practice in Africa
Thursday 29 April 2021
Platform: YouTube
LSE Africa Summit 2021: The Global Crisis as a Catalyst for Change
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
The 2021 Africa Summit asks how Africans can drive positive change in local communities following the COVID-19 global crisis. Over two days the event brings together prestigious speakers to address topics ranging from grassroots activism, womanhood, policymaking as a vehicle for change, African identity and the role of art in imagining new directions.
Saturday 27 March - Sunday 28 March 2021
The Future of Work in Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
This event will discuss how Africa can address the challenging employment needs of the continent on the cusp of dramatic and transformative growth. Examining innovative examples of where this has been done so far, this event will explore perspectives from both entrepreneurs and job-seekers alike.
Tuesday 16 March 2021
2:00pm to 3:00pm (GMT)
Platform: YouTube
LSE Festival - What is Colonial about Global Health?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and the Global Health Initiative
As part of LSE Festival: Shaping the Post-COVID World, event will ask whether COVID-19 can invigorate an alternative vision for the future of global health, addresing the legacy of colonialism within international health systems.
Wednesday 3 March 2021
Decolonising the global publishing industry
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and the Eden Centre
This event will address the potential for new publishing models that overturn the dominance of Global North research, addressing support non-Western languages, Global South journals and the values underpinning the types of work considered publishable.
Wednesday 27 January 2021
Platform: YouTube & Zoom
Reflecting on African migration trends in a challenged world
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, LSE Alumni Association Morocco and EGE Alumni
This event will reflect on African migration trends, asking what can be done to challenge insecurity and a lack socioeconomic opportunity. Centering on the Kingdom of Morocco's recent actions to respond to these challenges.
Thursday 17 December 2020
Economic Change, Finance, Trade, & Investment in Africa Post COVID-19
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Silk Invest
The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa in collaboration with Silk Invest will be bringing together leaders in the finance, trade, and development sectors, to discuss their strategies for contributing to the sustainable development of the continent in these sectors.
Thursday 10 December 2020
Platform: YouTube
African Culture – Appropriated, Appreciated, Exploited or Shared?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and the Royal African Society
Figures from across artistic and academic spheres discuss the contentious issue of cultural appropriation. Reflecting on examples and personal experiences, the event will ask how we can move away from uneven relations towards a space of equal collaboration.
Thursday 26 November 2020
Africa Talks: the future of African feminist activism
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
This event examines the long history of feminist activism in Africa and its enduring impact on society from an intergenerational perspective. At this critical historic juncture, speakers interrogate current achievements and fault lines as well as the crucial future of African feminist activism.
Thursday 12 November 2020
Platform: LSE Player
Young, Gifted and Black in Academia
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
This workshop saw Black doctoral students and academics discuss their experiences navigating academic institutions as minorities.
Tuesday 20 October 2020
Surviving and Thriving: A Black History Month Artistic Celebration
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
The FLCA hosted Welcome event for year 2020/21 on 15 October 2020 to welcome the new academic year in partnership with Black artists.
Six artists from across Africa and the African diaspora were commissioned to showcase their artwork interpreting the concepts of surviving (e.g. in quarantine, in hardship, as an ‘other’) and thriving in these spheres.
Thursday 15 October 2020
Platform: YouTube
Debt Relief and Africa During COVID-19: the global response
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 9 July 2020
Platform: YouTube
COVID-19 in Africa: leadership, inequality and resilience
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and LSE Institute of Global Affairs
Thursday 2 July 2020
Platform: Zoom
The Impact of COVID on Global Health: A comparative look at the African region
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Global Health Initiative
Monday 29 June 2020
Platform: YouTube
Food security and Africa after COVID-19
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 28 May 2020
Platform: YouTube
Looking back at COVID-19: how will Africa have changed one year from now?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 7 May 2020
Platform: YouTube
Africa Summit - Africa's Decade: Now or Never
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
28-29 March 2020
Africa Talks: The Global Legacy of African Women Writers
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, as a part of LSE Festival
Saturday 7 March 2020
12:45pm - 14:00pm
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, LSE
Speakers: OBE Margaret Busby, Sarah Ladipo Manyika,
Angela Wachuka & Professor Karin Barber as chair.
Africa Talks: Decolonising African Knowledge Systems
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 16 January 2020
6.30pm–8.00pm
Wolfson Theatre, LSESpeakers: Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Dr Wangui wa Goro, Dr Romina Istratii, & Dr Sara Salam as chair.
Audio of the event can be found here
For presentations by the speakers, see below:
Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo
Dr Romina Istratii
Young, Gifted and Black in Academia
Hosted by Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and the PhD academy
Thursday 21 November 2019
12:00pm–14:00pm
Phd Academy, LSESpeakers: Abenaa Owusu-Bempah, Simidele Dosekun & Ana De Menezes
The Iron Snake Railway
Hosted by Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Friday 18 October 2019
6.30pm–8.00pm
Wolfson Theatre, LSESpeakers: Sekai Mei Zengeza, Gibril Faal, Christian Wolmar, Shirley Ze Yu
A FLY Girl’s Guide to University
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, as part of Black History Month
Thursday 3 October 2019
6.30pm–8.00pm
Vera Anstey Room, LSESpeakers: Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, Waithera Sebatindira & Lola Olufemi
FLCA Welcome Reception
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Tuesday 1 October 2019
6.00pm–8.00pm
FLCA offices, LSE
Politics of Return conference and exhibition
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, as part of Politics of Return research project
Thursday 25 July 2019 to Wednesday 14 August 2019
Monday-Saturday 8am–10pm
TAKS Arts Centre, Gulu, Uganda
Politics, Humanitarianism and Children's Rights
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, as part of our conference in partnership with Save the Children UK, the University of Sheffield, the AHRC and RECAP.
Monday 8 April & Tuesday 9 April 2019
8:30am–6:00pm
Decolonising the Curricula: why necessary and why now
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Wendnesday 6 March 2019
6:30pm–8:00pm
Clement House, Hong Kong theatreSpeakers: Dr. Lynn Osbourne, Dr. Simukai Chigudu
Chair: Dr. Laura Mann
Getting to Zero: a Doctor and a Diplomat on the Ebola Frontline
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 28 February 2019
6:00pm–7:00 pm
Vera Anstey Room, Old BuildingSpeakers: Dr Sinead Walsh & Dr Oliver Johnson
The New Pan-Africanism: Globalism and the Nation State in Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Wednesday 13 February 2019
6:30pm–8:00 pm
Clement House (CLM.4.02)Speaker: Dr. Michael Amoah
Book Presentation: A Fistful of Shells
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Wednesday 6 February 2019
6:30pm–8:00pm
Clement House (CLM.4.02)Speaker: Dr. Toby Green
Citizenship in Africa: the law of belonging
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, LSE Human Rights, LSE Middle East Centre.
Thursday 15 November 2018
6:30pm–8:00 pm
Thai Theatre, New Academic Building LSESpeaker(s): Dr Bronwen Manby, Dr Chaloka Beyani
Chair: Professor Chetan Bhatt
Film Screening: Ngugi wa Thiong'o: The River Between African and European Languages.
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 25 October 2018
6:30pm–8:00 pm
Clement House (room CLM.5.02), LSESpeaker: Ndirangu Wachanga
South Sudan: what chance of peace beyond the peace deals?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Monday 8 October 2018
6:30pm–8:00 pm
NAB.2.06, New Academic Building LSESpeaker:Peter Martell
Women, Global Health and Social Justice: From silences to solutions
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Date: Wednesday 27 June 2018
Time: 6:00pm–8:00 pm
Venue: Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building LSESpeakers:Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Catherine Campbell, Ernestina Coast
Chair: Dr Rochelle Burgess
The Girl Who Smiled Beads
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and the Centre for African Studies, SOAS
Monday 11 June 2018
6:00pm–7:30pm
Room 116, Main Building SOAS University of LondonSpeaker: Clemantine Wamariya
Chair: Yovanka Paquete Perdigao
Overprincipled and underperforming: The Global Compact for Migration and the challenge to multilateralism
Hosted by the Institute of Global Affairs and Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 17 May 018
6:30pm–8pm
ALUMNI Theatre, New Academic Building, LSESpeaker: Gibirl Faal OBE, JP
Edge of Chaos: why democracy is failing to deliver economic growth – and how to fix it
Hosted by the Institute of Global Affairs and Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 03 May 2018
6:30pm–8:00pm
Sheikh Zayed TheatreSpeaker:Dambisa Moyo
Chair: Professor Erik Berglof
LSE Africa Summit 2018
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Friday 20 and Saturday 21 April 2018
All day
Transforming Nigeria’s urban agenda
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and LSE cities
Tuesday 17 April 2018
4pm–5:30pm
Hong Kong TheatreSpeaker: Babatunde Fashola
Chair: Ricky Burdett
A Preventable Epidemic: The Ebola Outbreak and Failures of Governance in West Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 22 March 2018
6:30pm–8:00pm
Hong Kong TheatreSpeakers: Ismai Rashid, Ibrahim Abdullah
Chair: Jonah Lipton
Dance of the Jakaranda: Peter Kimani in conversation
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Monday 12 March 2018
6.30pm–8pm
CLM4.02, Clement HouseSpeaker: Peter Kimani
Mass Starvation: the history and future of famine
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Thursday 25 January 2018
6.30pm–8pm
CLM4.02, Clement HouseSpeakers: Alex De Waal & Clare Short
Understanding South Sudan: Questions of Knowledge and Representation
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, LSE PhD Academy, AHRC/ESRC Politics of Return
Thursday 30 November 2017
6.00pm–8pm
Senior Common room,Old Building, LSE
Speakers: Aru Muortat, Martin Ochaya, Frederique Cifuentes
Growth in sub-Saharan Africa: Drawing on the past, looking to the future
Hosted by the International Growth Centre and the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Monday 6 November 2017
6.30pm–8pm
CLM 5.02, Clement House, Aldwych, LSE
Speaker: Abebe Aemro Selassie, Head of the IMF African Department
Partnerships in Conflict
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa in partnership with Oxfam
Tuesday 31 October 2017
6.30pm–8pm
Old Theatre, Old BuildingChair: Professor Thea Hilhorst
Speakers: Summer Brown, Gerard Howe, Jawed Nadar, Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Yoma Winder
Obstacles to Peacebuilding - The Economics of Post-War Foreign Intervention
Hosted by the Institute of Global Affairs, Latin America and Caribbean Centre and the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Wednesday 25 October 2017
6.30pm–8pm
TW2 9.04, Tower 2Chair: Dr Gareth Jones
Speaker: Dr Graciana del Castillo
Can Technology Fix Nigeria?
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, Royal Africa Society and Oya MediaWednesday 27 September 2017
6.15-8pm
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic BuildingChair: Funmi Iyanda
Speakers: Victor Asemota, Olamide Bada, Martin Eigbike and Ndubuisi Kejeh
After Rape: Violence, Justice and Social Harmony in Uganda
Hosted by Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, Department of International Development, Justice and Security Research Programme, Centre for Women, Peace and Security and International African Institute
Tuesday 9 May 2017
6-8pm
Senior Common Room, Old Building, LSESpeakers: Holly Porter, Adam Branch
Chair: Professor Tim AllenThis event marks the publication of Holly Porter’s new book After Rape: violence, justice and social harmony in Uganda.
Drawing upon abundant fieldwork and in-depth interviews with almost 200 women, Holly Porter examines issues surrounding wrongdoing and justice, and sexual violence and rape, among the Acholi people in northern Uganda.
This intricate exploration offers evidence of a more complicated and nuanced explanation of rape and its aftermath, suggesting a re-imagining of the meanings of post-atrocity justice, whilst acknowledging the role of sex, power and politics in all sexual experiences between coercion and consent.
Documentary Screening: Wallah Je te jure
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa
Monday 13 March 2017
6.30-8.30pm
CLM 6.02, Clement House, Aldwych, LSESpeakers: Marcello Merletto, Robtel Neajai Pailey, Giacomo Zandonini
Wallah je te jure tells the stories of men and women travelling along West African migration routes to Italy. Senegal’s rural villages, Niger’s bus stations and "ghettos" full of traffickers, and Italian squares and houses are the backdrops of these courageous trips, which often end in tragedy. Wallah Je te jure was produced in 2016 by the International Organization for Migration
A Q&A session will take place after the screening.
The Twitter hashtag for this event is #LSEWallah.
Women Leaders on the Global Stage: lessons for Africa
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Africa Talks
Video and Audio of this event
View a summary of this event in tweets via Storify
Tuesday 07 March 2017
6:30pm to 8:00pm
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic BuildingSpeakers: Fadumo Dayib, Dr Nemata Majeks-Walker, Dr Joice Mujuru
Chair: Tina FahmFrom Germany to Liberia, UK to Argentina, there has been a marked increase in the number of women leaders around the globe in recent years. OnInternational Women's Day 2017, this event will explore how women leaders are changing the world and the implications for women leaders in Africa. Our panellists will discuss the state of female political representation in their countries; the barriers they have tackled and broken down; as well the lessons to be drawn and implemented from global settings.
Fadumo Dayib is the first woman to run for President of Somalia, standing for the November 2016 election.
Nemata Majeks-Walker is the Founder and first President of the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone.
Joice Mujuru served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe 2004-14 and is a Presidential candidate for the 2018 elections.
Tina Fahm is CEO of a consulting firm which advises on corporate governance in sub-Saharan Africa. She is a governor of LSE, member of the governing Council and chair of the Audit Committee. Tina is also a commissioner of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) the independent body responsible for scrutiny of UK aid.
African Revolutions: From the streets to the written word
Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, Africa Talks and LSE Literary Festival
Saturday 25 February 2017
3:00PM to 4:30PM
Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Yasmine El Rashidi, Samar Samir Mezghanni, Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Chair: Bola Mosuro
This event explores the literary trajectory in North Africa since the Arab Spring from the initial outburst of optimism to grim dystopian narratives, from the more traditional literary form of poetry in the region to writers experimenting with other literary forms. It will also examine the impact of political realities in the fiction from sub-Saharan countries and how it compares to what has emerged in North Africa since the Arab Spring of 2011.
Yasmine El Rashidi (@yasminerashidi) is an Egyptian writer. She is the author of The Battle for Egypt, Dispatches from the Revolution (2011), and the novel, Chronicle of a Last Summer, A Novel of Egypt (2016). She was a 2015/16 Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library, and a visiting professor at Princeton University. She lives in Cairo.
Samar Samir Mezghanni (@SamarSamirMEZ) is a Tunisian writer with two records in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest writer in the world in 2000 and the most prolific writer in the world in 2002.
A 2007 recipient of Ghana’s ACRAG award, Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) is the author of the hybrid novel, Tail of the Blue Bird was recently appointed director of the soon to be inaugurated Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing at the African University College of Communications in Accra, the first of its kind in West Africa.
Bola Mosuro (@bbcBola) is news presenter on the BBC World Service. She has a keen interest in the arts and in gender issues.
This event forms part of the LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 2017, taking place from Monday 20 - Saturday 25 February 2017, with the theme 'Revolutions'.
Arab National Media and Political Change
A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and LSE Middle East Centre Event
Thursday 9 February 2017
6-7.30pm
Vera Anstey Room, Old Building, LSE
Speaker: Dr Fatima el Issawi
Chair: Dr Katerina Dalacoura
Discussant: Dr Claire Spencer
Dr el Issawi will discuss the findings of her new book "Arab National Media and Political Change". The book examines the evolution of national Arab media and its interplay with political change, in the context of the Arab uprisings.
Based on empirical research, the book dissects dynamics of change and challenges in newsrooms practices and journalists’ roles and identities, in a fluid and unpredictable environment of the uprisings and ensuing political and security upheavals.
Investigated from a journalistic perspective, this research addresses the role played by traditional national media in consolidating emerging democracies or in exacerbating their fragility within new political contexts.
Dr Fatima el-Issawi (@elIssawi) is a Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre.
Dr Katerina Dalacoura is Lecturer in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Dr Claire Spencer is a Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House.
South Sudan - The Political Marketplace
LSE Arts public exhibition
Monday 9 January - Friday 27 January 2017
Mon-Fri 10am-8pm
Atrium Gallery, Old Building
An exhibition of infographic comics visualising research on South Sudan undertaken by the Justice and Security Research Programme (JSRP).
The comics represent a collaboration between the JSRP and Kenyan cartoonist Victor Ndula, facilitated by JSRP partner The Cartoon Movement. The graphics explore political, social and economic developments since 2011 in the world’s newest country.
Twitter Hashtag for this exhibition: #LSEArts
Africa and the United Nations: Charting a Path to Security, Development and Human Rights
Monday 12 December 2016
18:30-20:00 Research Suite, LSE, AldwychSpeaker: Ibrahim Gambari
Chair: Dr Kate MeagherAmbassador Gambari, who was appointed Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur, discussed the relationship between Africa and the UN, tackling various aspects including the outlining of an agenda for peace, security and human rights.
Kony 2016: What happened to the Lord’s Resistance Army?
A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa Event
Wednesday 23 November 2016
18:30-20:00 CLM4.02, Clement House, LSE, AldwychSpeakers: Ledio Cakaj, Matthew Green
Chair: Professor Tim AllenIn 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. This event 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.
Scaling Social Innovation in Africa
A Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Royal African Society event
Thursday, 17 November
16:00-17:30
CLM 4.02, Clement House, LSE, AldwychSpeaker: Ndidi Nwuneli
Chair: Professor Harry BarkemaSocial 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.
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.ukor +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
Monday November 7 2016
18:30-20:00
TW1.G.01, Lecture Theatre in Tower 1, Clement’s Inn, LSESpeaker: Roger Nord
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 Nordis 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
Wednesday 26 October
19.30-21:00
CLM 6.02, Clement House, LSE, AldwychSpeakers: Tuesday Reitano, Peter Tinti, Dr Mollie Gerver
Chair: Professor Chandran KukathasAs 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 Kukathasis 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.
Crisis: South Africa’s political economy after the local elections
Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa and Royal African Society public lecture
Monday 19 September 2016
Tower 1 Lecture Theatre
7-8:30pmSpeakers: 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.
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
Thursday 29 September 2016
6.30-8pm Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement HouseSpeaker: Joe Cerrell
Chair: Sarah SandsThere 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.
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.ukor call 020 7852 3735.
Somalia's Foreign Policy Priorities
Africa Centre and Department of International Development public lecture
Friday 20 May 2016
1-2pm
Wolfson Theatre, New Academic BuildingSpeaker: Dr Abdusalam H. Omer
Chair: Dr Brian KlaasIn 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 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.
Find out more about this event