CFA: Cambridge/Africa Collaborative Research Programme

I should have published this earlier but I’m currently still catching up with things on the ground here in London, sorry …

Cambridge/Africa Collaborative Research Programme

With support from the Leverhulme Trust and the Issac Newton Trust, we now have a programme of academic and intellectual exchange that will establish longer-term partnerships between Cambridge and particular African universities. A group of five Africa-based scholars, chosen out of a competition organized around a particular theme, will come to Cambridge for six months of research. A Cambridge lecturer pursuing research on the yearly theme will coordinate the programme. At the conclusion of the Visiting Fellows' tenure in Cambridge, the lecturer involved in the previous year's activities will go to the African university with which we have partnered to convene a conference. The five African hVisiting Fellows will also attend. During the following year an edited volume would be produced, published on the Centre of African Studies' book series and co-published by a press run by the partner African university.

Africa-based scholars are invited to apply for the 2012-2013 fellowship programme, which will be centred on the theme of 'Art and Museums in Africa'.

An application package can be downloaded here.

Art and Museums in Africa

African art has long been globally famous but has also been controversial both intellectually and politically. Most obviously, the scramble for African art engaged in by western museums and art collectors has been condemned as an appropriation, as has the borrowing of forms and motifs derived from African arts by European modernist artists. Within disciplines such as art history and anthropology, there has been much argument about appropriate methods and concepts for the study of African art traditions. In the epoch of decolonization efforts were made to establish new museums in African states, relevant to local aspirations and new national cultures. Over the same period efforts have been made to revive customary art practices, and to create new craft industries, sometimes in the context of post-conflict and AIDS-prevention community projects. Over the last 50 years modernist and contemporary arts have also emerged and have gained increasing international recognition, while typically lacking secure financial or institutional support within African states.

This theme aims to support a wide range of interests in historical and contemporary arts in Africa and in changing practices in local and national museums and art institutions.

Visiting Fellows for 2010-2011

The five Visiting Fellows for the academic year 2010-2011 are:

Dr Tunde AWOSANMI of University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Dr Eiman EL-NOUR of Al-Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan

Dr Oyeniyi OKUNOYE of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Dr Kenneth SIMALA of Masinde Muliro University, Kenya

Dr James TSAAIOR of Pan-African University, Lagos, Nigeria

These five scholars spent time in Cambridge, pursuing research on the theme 'Myth and Modernity in African Literature. In August 2011 the Centre in collaboration with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-African University, Lagos will convene a conference at the Pan-African University.

For information about the conference and the call for papers 'click' here

Research Horizons Conversations across continents.

Each year, academic dialogue is enriched at the Centre of African Studies by the arrival of a group of African scholars who spend up to six months researching and working together.

To read more click here