CAS graduates attend The Third European Students' Conference on African Studies
Three recent graduates from the African Studies MA program presented their MA theses at the conference hosted by the University of Basel
The Third European Students' Conference on African Studies took place at the University of Basel, Center for African Studies in Switzerland from August 29 - 30.
The conference was attended by almost 40 different presenters who were all MA students and recent graduates studying African Studies, including disciplines related to African Studies such as History, Political Science, and International Relations. The students represented around 20 different European universities, as well as 3 African Universities, namely: University of Ghana, University of Western Cape, and University of Stellenbosch.
The University of Copenhagen, Centre of African Studies was represented by three recent graduates from the African Studies MA program, who presented their MA theses at the conference:
- Lisa Mumbi Macharia presented her MA thesis titled ‘”Eastlando Sitawahi Hama’: Expressing Identity and Belonging through Spoken Word Poetry in Urban Hoods in Nairobi”,
- Buster Emil Kirchner presented his MA thesis titled “’Bola na Lesa’: An Examination of Pentecostal Pastors in the Zambian Soccerscape”,
- Emily Niklas presented her MA thesis titled “Navigating Aspirations and Realities: An Analysis of West African Migration to Europe”.
The conference featured various panels: Politics and Conflict, Health, Art and Literature, Development, Citizenship and Belonging, Decoloniality and Liberation, and Youth Participation. Our students Lisa Mumbi Macharia and Buster Emil Kirchner presented in the Art and Literature panel, while Emily Niklas presented in the Citizenship and Belonging panel.
Current CAS student Chucheng He joined the conference volunteer team doing photography and Lisa Mumbi Macharia hosted a creative session where she read some of her poems.
Outside of the presentations, participants of the conference were able to go on city tours, most interestingly to the "When we see us" art exhibition at the Kunstmuseum, a curation of art by African artists who are rewriting art history and self-image after centuries of white dominated art canon. The exhibition brings black joy to the fore, which is visible in art depicting everyday life, as well as black sensuality and spirituality. The exhibition is a product of the Zeit Museum of Contemporary African Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa.
Congratulations to our CAS graduates on this great achievement!