African Studies: Welcome to Uganda

Abstract

I was asked to briefly share my views with you about “what a Centre for African Studies in Africa. But the problem is even larger. A top-10 Google search of the phrase “African Studies” produces a list of institutions that either have centres or degree programs in this area of intellectual concern. All 10 of them are outside the African continent, in countries as diverse as The Netherlands, Australia and even China! I shouldn’t say “even China” because Africa provides one of the fastest-growing areas of intellectual curiousity in China in line with their forcible economic (some might say “neo-colonial”) thrust into the continent.