Prof. Elisio Macamo
The Anthropology of Human Security in Africa (Anthusia) summer school has commenced at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, under the theme “Human Security and Anthropological Analysis”. The 2020 edition which happens to be the second edition of the Anthusia Summer School will combine workshops with the Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) with lectures of external speakers and focus on analysis and writing.
Prof. Filip De Boeck, Professor at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Africa, a research unit of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Leuven who chaired the opening, outlined the aim for organizing the programme. This he noted, was to increase the integration of African Studies and contributions that could be made to Africans by reflecting on the ways of conceptualizing Africa. He expressed appreciation to the University and the research partners for the collaboration.
Prof. Filip De Boeck
Prof. Lotte Meinert of the University of Aarhus and coordinator of the Anthusia Project indicated that the Anthusia Summer School, which is a project funded by the European Union, is a joint doctorate programme aimed at training young scholars to attain PhD in African Studies and other related subjects. She disclosed that Anthusia is a multi-disciplinary research project in the Anthropology of Human Security in Africa conducted by a consortium of four Universities in Aarhus (Denmark), Edinburgh (United Kingdom), Leuven (Belgium) and Oslo (Norway).
Delivering the keynote lecture on the topic, “African Studies, Silence and the Aporia of Decolonisation”, Prof. Elisio Macamo, Director of the Centre for African Studies at the University of Basel in Switzerland, bemoaned the challenges Africa faces in knowledge production about Africa. The lecture therefore focused on how Africans could make meaningful statements about Africa. He posited that African Studies makes sense when it contributes towards improving ways of producing knowledge; hence what researchers put across must reflect the true nature of Africa adding that researchers need to explain the concepts that they work with. He urged African researchers to endeavour to meet required criteria to produce quality work relevant for the African people.
The ceremony ended with a questions/answer session from participants from different fields of academia.
Ghana Dance Essemble
Present at the lecture were the Director, Institute of African Studies (IAS) Prof. Dzodzi Tsikata, Former Director, (IAS) Prof. Emeritas Takyiwaa Manuh, Prof. Ann Cassiman, Professor in Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, (Organiser of the Summer School), Prof. Steven Van Wolputte, Professor, Anthropological Research in Africa, University of Leuven (Organiser of Summer School), Members of Faculty, Staff, students as well as Early Stage Researchers.
