People of CAS Archives - Center for African Studies

Student Spotlight – December 13, 2025

Phumelele Ndlela is a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) for IsiZulu in the Program in African Languages (PAL) at the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida.

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of April 30th

The Center for African Studies congratulates Nduka Mbadugha on his latest achievements as he graduates from the UF’s College of Communications and Journalism with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a minor in History and fall internship with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of April 9th

Rebekkah Hudson is a third-year UF undergraduate double majoring in History and Linguistics with minors in African Studies and English, whose research—rooted in Gikuyu perspectives—reexamines the role of African agency in colonial-era forestry scouting in Kenya, with aspirations to pursue a Ph.D. in African History.

Meet Kevin Kelsey: Teach Africa Summer Institute

Kevin Kelsey, an ESOL teacher at Gainesville High School and the current chair of the ESOL department. He participated in the K-12 Teach Africa Summer Institute, and his article is featured in the latest Teach Africa publication.

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of February 5th

Baba Adou was born and raised in Mauritania. He earned a BA (Maîtrise) in English from the University of Nouakchott and an MA in Global and International Studies from the University of Kansas, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He is a 4th-year Ph.D. student in the UF Department of Political Science. His research […]

Furious Joy: Afrofuturism Week 2025

Gainesville is set to transform into a vibrant center of Black creativity and imagination as the University of Florida Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship, known as CAME, hosts the second annual Afrofuturism Week from Jan. 16-30.

CAS Interdisciplinary Graduate Workshop: The Environment in Africa

The Center for African Studies recently hosted its first interdisciplinary graduate workshop “The Environment in Africa,” that invited graduate researchers, faculty, and attendees to explore critical environmental issues across the continent. The event featured student presentations on diverse topics, including climate change, conservation, public health, and gender dynamics in fisheries. Joshua Benjamin explored macroinvertebrate shifts […]

30th Annual International Student Achievement Awards

The 30th Annual International Student Achievement Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of our international student community. The event started with an opening and welcome by Dr. Marta L. Wayne, the Dean of the International Center and Associate Provost, and a keynote by Elias G. Eldayrie, Vice President & Chief Information Officer for the University of […]

TEACH AFRICA 2024: TAKING AFRICA TO THE CLASSROOM

Each Summer, the Center for African Studies offers a virtual summer institute for K-12 teachers. The articles in this 2024 publication were produced by K-12 teachers who participated in the Center’s summer institutes of 2022 and 2023.

CAS Student Spotlight

Fallon Jiménez was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, where she did an MS and BS in Animal Production Sciences at the National University of Colombia.

African & African American Studies Summer Camp

The School Board of Alachua County, in conjunction with the University of Florida Center for African Studies and the African American Studies Program, hosted its first African and African American Studies Summer Camp.

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of May 3rd

Raphael Osarense Iyamu, a computational linguist from Benin City, Nigeria, has recently earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Florida. With a foundational education in Linguistics from the University of Benin, where he completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, Raphael has developed a robust skill set that includes linguistic fieldwork, language data […]

UF’s Carter Conference examines Africa’s future

Nicole Harris leads a discussion on innovative ways of infusing Africa and the diaspora in K-12 curriculum

CAS hosted its annual Gwendolen M. Carter Conference, uniting leading experts, scholars, students, and community members to address pressing issues facing Africa’s people and environments.

CAS Fall Outreach

In the month of October, Dr. Agness Leslie, fulfilling her role as the CAS Outreach Director, collaborated with UF students and professors to coordinate community engagement presentations at Eastside High School. Noteworthy among these presentations was the enlightening discourse delivered by Nicole Senuku Khumo, a graduate student specializing in Sustainable Development Practice, expounding on Botswana’s […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of October 10th

Belay Alem is an international student who was born and raised in the Northern part of Ethiopia. He is a Ph. D candidate in the Department of Anthropology. Before starting Ph.D. study at UF, he received his LL. B in Law and LL.M in Business and Corporate Law from Bahir Dar University School of Law. […]

CAS Shining Student Spotlight: Khumo Nicole Senuku

Khumo Nicole Senuku is a graduating student from UF’s Master of Sustainable Development Practice program. Born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana, Khumo has always been deeply committed to community development, social transformation, and civic participation. With eight years of experience in Corporate Communications, Khumo aspires to become an experienced Development Practitioner with a focus on […]

CAS Shining Student Spotlight: Chioma Iyamu

Chioma Iyamu is from Nigeria and pursued her undergraduate degree in Accounting at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. She recently completed a master’s degree in Sustainable Development Practice, with a minor in Soil Science and certification in Environmental Education and Communication. Chioma’s interest in the MDP program stems from its interdisciplinary approach, allowing […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of April 19th

Macodou Fall is a PhD Candidate and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida. He holds a BA and a Master’s degree in English from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Ohio University. Macodou’s research includes, among others, Islam in Africa, Sufism, Islamic […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of April 11th

Walter Tapondjou was born in Douala, Cameroon, in Central Africa. He describes himself as a proud Bamiléké from Dschang, a small city in the highland of the west region where his parents originated. He is a herpetologist with several years of experience in Africa. Walter has completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of March 8th

Kayan Clarke was born and raised in Jamaica. She is a fourth year PhD Public Health student in the Environmental and Global Health Department. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!) and received her MPH from the University of the West Indies, Mona (Go Pelicans!). Her research is centered […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of March 1st

Grace Tovkach is a fourth-year undergraduate student, majoring in International Studies and Dual Languages (French and Russian). Although born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, her work and studies have taken her to Kyrgyzstan, France, Armenia, and a lot of places in between. Grace is affiliated with the Center for African Studies and most recently took […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of February 22nd

Lory is a 5th-year Ph.D. candidate in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. She obtained a B.S. and M.S. from Virginia Tech in Biological Systems Engineering. She traveled to Uganda several times as the lead of an Engineers Without Borders project and gained a deeper understanding of water issues prevalent outside of the United States. After several […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of February 1st

Matthew is originally from Florida, though he spent significant time outside the state (and the country). He is a graduate student in the geography department, and he is closely connected to CAS (through events, research, and academic groups like ASQ). He greatly appreciates the resources, faculty, and opportunities provided by the center! He greatly appreciates […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of January 17th

Mosúnmọ́lá O. Adéòjó was born and raised in Nigeria before traveling in 2017 for a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship (FLTA) Program at Yale University. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the English department at the University of Florida. Her research examines resistance to cultural imperialism and colonialism in religious and political spaces in […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of November 23rd

Khumo Senuku’s research examines systems thinking in addressing structural poverty among the formerly incarcerated– creating equitable and inclusive prosperity for all. She is conducting her study locally in Gainesville, working with a community development non-profit, Community Spring focusing on their project, Just Income. The objective was to investigate challenges and barriers – as well as […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of November 9th

Amanda Ojeda was born and raised in Miami, Florida, with a heritage from Cuba and Venezuela. She is a microbiologist with five years of lab experience, including working in the food safety industry (Merieux NutriSciences) and academia as the Microbiology and Cell Science Teaching Lab Manager. During her MPH, she sought research experience, specifically working […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of November 2nd

Cristovão Nwachukwu is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in English at the University of Florida. He obtained his B.A. in Portuguese and English language and literature in 2017 from the Federal University of Bahia, in Brazil. His doctoral research explores the representations of Black African immigrants in contemporary African novels that take place in the U.S. […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of October 26th

Amie Edwards is a second-year Ph.D. Candidate in the College of Design Construction and Planning, School of Architecture. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the Art Institute of Jacksonville, FL, in 2016 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Florida in 2020. Her Ph.D. research is on African […]

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of October 19th

Faith Aiya is a second-year master’s student in the food and resource economics department. She hails from Edo, Nigeria, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 2017. Faith’s current research is aimed at helping Florida citrus growers manage the economic costs and risks associated with Citrus greening, an incurable disease that is currently […]

CAS Community Spotlight: Pazeni Sauti Africa Choir and Eric Murianki (Director)

CAS Community Spotlight Pazeni Sauti Africa Choir and Eric Murianki (Director) Eric Murianki is Director of Pazeni Sauti and a graduate research assistant at the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship (CAME). Previously, he studied at Kenyatta University, Kenya. He is now completing his PhD in Music Education through the UF School of Music. Pazeni Sauti […]

Faculty Feature: Dr. Brian Child

Associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Center for African Studies Dr. Brian Child is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Center for African Studies. His work focuses on wildlife economics and governance related to community-based conservation, park management, and private conservation. He has extensive experience as a researcher and practitioner […]

Faculty Feature: Benjamin Soares

Professor in the Department of Religion Benjamin Soares is a scholar of Islam and Muslim societies in Africa whose research focuses on religious life from the early 20th century to the present. In recent work, he has looked at connections between changing modalities of religious expression, different modes of belonging, and emergent social imaginaries in […]

Faculty Feature: Fatimah Tuggar

Fatimah Tuggar | Associate professor in Art & Art History Interdisciplinary artist Tuggar was born in Nigeria and raised there and in the United Kingdom. She has studied, lived, and worked in the US since the late ’80s. Her work uses technology as both medium and subject to serve as metaphors for power dynamics. She […]

Research Tutorial at Home Student Feature: Lauren Gilbertsen

Research Tutorial At Home with Dr. Rose Lugano Documentation of for a Kitaita (Kidaw’ida)-English Dictionary: Final Review in Preparation for publication The objective of the research was to conduct a thorough review of collected data for the English-Kitaita/Kitaita-English dictionary in preparation for publication. This entailed identifying missing data and entering as it was availed, editing […]

Undergraduate Research Tutorial at Home with Dr. Janzen

Glimpses of Haiti in West Africa, 1900-1920 Philip Janzen Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Florida In 2016, I was in Ibadan, Nigeria, reading through the Herbert Macaulay collection at the University of Ibadan. Macaulay (1864-1946), was an early Nigerian nationalist. He corresponded widely, and seems to have preserved every scrap of paper that […]

CAS Outreach: Crump Elementary School – Virtual Africa Day Celebration (Summer 2021)

The Crump Elementary School in Memphis TN hosted a virtual Africa Day on May 25, 2021. Ms. Tanisha William- the organizer and teacher at Crumps elementary School is an alumnus of the Summer Teacher’s Institute on Africa African. Graduate Students were present for this awesome event. We had 11 African Graduate Students present. This was […]

Student Feature: Katelyn Flaherty, Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellow

Katelyn Flaherty is a 4th year MD-PhD student in the Department of Environmental and Global Health. Her research focuses on pre-hospital care in low-and-middle income countries, specifically Ghana. Globally, leading causes of death among children one month to 5 years old include respiratory infections, diarrheal disease, and malaria, all of which are highly treatable early […]

Dr. Child Selected for Honorary Position as African Councilor for IUCN

Dr. Brian Child was asked to stand to be one of four African Councilors for IUCN by the African Community Leaders Forum and others. Following the recent global elections at the World Conservation Congress in Marseilles, Dr. Child was elected for this honorary position. The Council sets forth strategic direction and policy for the Union. Given […]

New Faculty Feature: Rujeko Dumbutshena

Rujeko Dumbutshena Assistant Professor, School of Theatre & Dance Please join the Center for African Studies in welcoming Rujeko Dumbutshena as Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre and Dance. Rujeko is a Zimbabwean-born dancer, pedagogue, and performer who specializes in neo-traditional and contemporary African dance. She comes to UF from University of Washington, Seattle […]

Welcome to Kiyesha Brooks

CAS Administrative Support Assistant I Please join the Center for African Studies in welcoming our new Administrative Support Assistant I, Kiyesha Brooks, to the Main Office Team. Kiyesha will be completing all Tier 1 Fiscal Transactions as it relates to travel, monthly reconciliation, department purchases, vendor payments, and more. Please contact her for help with […]

Marit Østebø Named 2021-2024 Term Professor

Congratulations to Dr. Marit Østebø, recently named a 2021-2024 Term Professor at University of Florida. These three-year professorships were created by UF to recognize faculty who have established a distinguished record of research and scholarship that is expected to lead to continuing distinction in their field.

Introducing Dr. Rose Lugano as Programs in African Languages Coordinator

The Program in African Languages (PAL) is one of the Center for African Studies’ central components in its mission to work with the rest of the University in promoting Africa-related studies on the campus and beyond. In addition to undergraduate education, the CAS promotes and supports graduate studies as essential part for the development of a continuing […]

MDP Student Ange Asanzi Presents Work on Inequality in Alachua County

Watch the presentation here and read a summary of her work below! Summary In this presentation, Ange presents the results of her MDP field practicum research through which she explored the relationships between the historical legacies of racial violence, slavery and segregation and the prevalence of poverty among African American communities in Alachua County. Using […]

CAS Welcomes Dr. David Rifkind to UF

David Rifkind will join the UF faculty July 1 as Director of the School of Architecture after 14 years at Florida International University. Trained as an architect and as an architectural historian, David studies urbanism and architecture in Ethiopia from the late nineteenth century to the present. His current book project, Modern Ethiopia: Architecture, Urbanism, and […]

CAS Outreach with Belay Alem

Ancestral Lands in FL and the Home Sweet Home Project Belay Alem (Graduate Student, CAS & Anthropology) recently was accepted as a volunteer research associate in the Three Rivers Legal Service. He will be working on the Home Sweet Home Project, which assists African Americans in probate cases to maintain their property/ land or structure inherited […]

Virtual Speakers for Black History Month at Newberry Elementary School

Newberry FL February 22- 26, 2021 The Assistant Principal of Newbery Elementary School invited the CAS graduate students to speak at their Black History Month (Week). They presented to students from Kindergarten to the 4th grade. The students were delighted to hear them speak. They interacted with the speakers and enjoyed their BHM week sessions. […]

Outreach at Crumps Elementary School

With Oyindamola Oyebade Global Learning Series- Nigeria 02/25/2021 Oyindamola gave a presentation in Ms. Tanisha Williams’ class in Crumps Elementary School in Memphis, TN on February 27, 2021. She gave an overview of Nigeria and its cultural diversity and the beauty of the Yoruba culture. She also gave them an overview of Yoruba greetings, foods, […]

Felicity Tackey-Otoo Presents at Three Local Schools

“The Cloth Talk: Meaning of Some Selected Wax Prints” Terwilliger Elementary School, Gainesville 2/3/2021 Irby Elementary School, Alachua 2/5/2021 Lake Forest Elementary School, Gainesville 2/11/2021 Felicity presented at these three elementary schools in February. She presented the history of wax print and the selected meanings. She also explained the meanings of the proverbs behind the […]

Nicole Harris named 2021 Alachua County Teacher of the Year

Ms. Nicole Harris was awarded the Teacher of the Year for Alachua County. She was awarded the Teacher of the Year at Gainesville High School last year. She is an alumna of the Teacher’s Summer Institute hosted by the Center for African Studies. She is the curator, organizer, and program manager of the first African Diaspora History Fair at […]

Recap: SASA with Ayobami Edun

On Feb 10th, 2021, Ayobami Edun, a PhD Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UF presented at the SASA (Students in African Studies Association) meeting. His lecture was titled, “The 2020 Co-Vent Project: A UF Contribution to the COVID Global Crisis.” The project was supported by the Center for African Studies and the University […]

CAS Community Outreach

Graduate Student Maurine Andia Akifuma Presents at Idylwild Elementary School “The Role of Domesticated Animals in African Communities and the Lion King Movie,” by Maurine Andia Akifuma at ldylwild Elementary School, Gainesville 2/12/2021. Andia discussed with the students about the role and importance of domesticated animals among the people of African communities specifically the Swahili – not limited […]

Dr. Mandisa Haarhoff at ASA 2020 Teacher’s Training Session

COVID 19 in Africa: The Danger of a Stereotype Lens Dr. Mandisa Haarhoff This presentation reflected on how stereotypes continue to be a framework for making sense of African countries. Even as the continent is doing exceedingly better in handling the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. media’s reporting on the low infection and death rates rehearses […]

Doro Wot (ዶሮ ውጥ) with Kyle Fahey

Doro Wot (ዶሮ ውጥ) Graduate Student Kyle Fahey is a talented chef. He knows how to make Ethiopian dishes, like this Doro Wat, with the help and experience of the many Ethiopian female cooks he learned from. A trip to Jacksonville is in order to get the right ingredients! Take a look at the recipe […]

Ms. Harris (GHS) Awarded Teacher of the Year

Ms. Nicole Harris was awarded the Teacher of the Year at Gainesville High School. She is an alumna of the Teacher’s Summer Institute hosted by the Center for African Studies. She is the curator, organizer, and program manager of the first African Diaspora History Fair at Gainesville High School held in February 2020. Nicole A. Harris […]

Candace Aho: Administrative Support Assistant I

Candace grew up in Gainesville loving the University of Florida. She attended Westwood Middle School & Gainesville High School and graduated from Florida State University with a BS Hospitality Administration. Candace participated in the Summer Study Abroad in Switzerland. She notes that Switzerland was wonderful & some of the other countries that she enjoyed included: […]

Returning from the Field: Graduate Student Megan Cogburn on Research and Motherhood

Research Post Written by Megan Cogburn (PhD Candidate, Anthropology) For the past 8 months I have been in Tanzania completing a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research project. My ethnographic research focuses on maternal health governance and the pregnancy and childbirth care experiences of women in rural communities in the central Dodoma region of Tanzania. I am […]

Africa Museum Night: Beyond the Mask

Africa Museum Night: Beyond the Mask On Thursday February 13, the Harn Museum of Art hosted Africa Museum Night: Beyond the Mask. The event provided attendees with the opportunity to make jewelry, try on kente cloth, visit various booths relating to African Studies, and view exhibitions inspired by artists from across Africa. The event also […]

Spotlight Feature: James Inedu-George, CAS Architect-in-Residence

The Center for African Studies welcomes James Inedu-George, who joins the Center as Architect-in-Residence over the next few weeks. Inedu-George currently works as Architect and Head of Design Services for HTL Africa, Lagos. He is a Mega City Architect, and believes in the positivity of the mega city especially because of the unconventional uses that […]

Student Feature: Martina Onyenwe

Martina Onyenwe is a 3rd year Public Health and International Studies dual degree student. She has a minor in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance as well as a certificate in Geospatial Information Analysis. Martina’s interest in the Center developed because of her passions and heritage, but blossomed as a result of the incredible faculty that she […]

Student Feature: Savannah Hall

Savannah Hall is a third year anthropology student, currently focusing her studies on zooarchaeology. She has studied Kiswahili at the University of Florida since her first semester, and continues to cultivate an interest in EastAfrican archaeological research. As a student ambassador for the Center for African Studies, she is excited to spread awareness about the […]

Graduating Student Feature: Dr. Mandisa Haarhoff

Mandisa Haarhoff graduated this semester with a Ph.D. in English Literature. She became involved in the Center for African Studies through her committee member, Professor Emeritus Dr. Hunt Davis. Dr. Agnes Leslie also connected Mandisa to the Center through the College for Kids Program at Santa Fe and the Teachers’ Institute. She used her artistic skills […]

Research Feature: Riley Ravary

Our own Programs and Communications Officer, Riley Ravary, will bid a eight-month farewell to the Center as she heads to Uganda for dissertation research on a Fulbright-Hays DDRA grant. Riley’s research focuses on environmental governance on the Ugandan side of Mount Elgon National Park, a transboundary protected area between Kenya and Uganda. The two countries govern […]

Student Feature: Melody Mullally, CAS Undergraduate Ambassador

Melody Mullally is a senior Undergraduate student in Anthropology, History, and Botany. In spring of 2017, she participated in the University of Florida’s study abroad program in Ethiopia, researching Stone Age archaeology with Dr. Steven Brandt. While visiting Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, she worked in the National Museum at Addis Ababa University. There, she studied […]

Staff Spotlight: Raeann Meyerhoff

Please join the Center in welcoming Raeann Meyerhoff, our new Administrative Support Assistant. Raeann is a recent University of Florida graduate and has a B.A. in International Studies with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Raeann started out on an African Studies track as a freshman, and took Anthropology of Modern Africa with Dr. […]

Student Feature: Carli Snyder, CAS Undergraduate Ambassador

In her work this semester at the Center for African studies, Carli Snyder hopes gain more knowledge and insight on how she can forward the Center as much as possible in my last semester. She wants to make the most of the hours she spend working, whether that means learning from faculty members or interacting with the […]

Student Feature: Morgan Ungrady, CAS Undergraduate Ambassador

Morgan Ungrady is a 4th year Political Science major. She has a specialty in International Relations as well as a minor in French. Morgan has been involved with the Center for African Studies through research and working groups and is looking forward to developing her position within the Center. Morgan’s interest in the Center stemmed from the […]

Student Feature: Melody Mullally, CAS Undergraduate Ambassador

Melody Mullally is a senior Undergraduate student in Anthropology, History, and Botany. In Spring of 2017, she participated in the University of Florida’s study abroad program in Ethiopia, researching Stone Age archaeology with Dr. Steven Brandt. While visiting Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, she worked in the National Museum at Addis Ababa University. There, she studied Stone […]

Student Feature: Mouhamadou Hoyeck, CAS Undergraduate Ambassador

Mouhamadou Hoyeck is a 4th year political science major and African Studies minor. Throughout his two years spent at the University of Florida as an undergraduate student, Mouhamadou has participated extensively in multiple extracurricular activities. He is currently one of the public relations directors of the African Student Union at UF. He says that joining this organization […]

Student Feature: Elisabeth Rios-Brooks, CAS Undergraduate Ambassador

Elisabeth Rios-Brooks is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Florida. She is currently double majoring in Anthropology and International Studies with a focus on Africa. Her involvement throughout her time at UF has consisted of a myriad of leadership positions related to African studies. Her most noteworthy, being Showcase Director for the African Student […]

Student Feature: Ayobami Simeon Edun

Ayobami Simeon Edun is a first-year master’s student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. He graduated from Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria in the top 3% of his class having succeeded in a wide range of courses. He also engaged in diverse projects ranging in focus from networking, […]

Student Feature: Dan Eizenga

Dan Eizenga is a PhD Student in Political Science focused on the Sahel. During his first two years as a PhD Student, Dan benefitted from Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships to study Arabic, which also enabled him to spend the summer of 2012 at the Arabic Language Institute in Fez. He then became a Research […]

Student Feature: Kehinde Ojo

Kehinde Ojo is a second-year master’s student in the Department of Food and Resource Economics, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Tallahassee, Florida in the year 2016. […]

Student Feature: Laurin Baumgardt

Laurin Baumgardt is a first year PhD student in Anthropology. His prospective PhD research centers on questions of urban innovation, humanitarian design, and urban planning strategies. The research will be based on fieldwork in urban South Africa, in which issues of inequality, race, and social change are widely and publicly discussed. Laurin’s research interests and focus […]

Student Feature: Emmanuel Akande

Emmanuel Akande is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Department of Food and Resource Economics (FRE). He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 2008 where he graduated at the top rank of his class. He obtained a Master of Arts (M.A) in Economics in 2012 from Florida State University […]

Student Feature: Sarah Meyers

Sarah Meyers is a Center for African Studies graduate student in Anthropology. She is a first year student and holds a FLAS Fellowship with the Center. Her research examines the use of Artemisia annua for the prevention and treatment of malaria and corruption and a lack of transparency within the World Health Organization (WHO). Her research examines the unofficial […]

Student Feature: Fezile Mtsetfwa

Fezile Mtsetfwa is a PhD student at the School of Natural Resources and Environment enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Ecology Program. She also works for the Center for African Studies as the Managing Editor of the African Studies Quarterly (ASQ) journal. Over the summer Fezile traveled to Swaziland to conduct field research that was partially sponsored by […]

Outreach Feature: Felicity and Ebenezer Tackey-Otoo

Eastside High School Felicity Tackey-Otoo was at the Eastside High School on Thursday November 2, 2017 to give a presentation on traditional and modern dressing in Ghana during their History of Africa course. She used various traditional and modern Ghanaian clothing as examples for students. She talked about the kinds and types of clothes like […]

Student Feature: Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim is a PhD candidate in political science and a research associate with the Sahel Research Group. His dissertation, “Political Contestation and Islamic Discourses in the Sahel: Global ideologies, local contexts, and individual motivations,” addresses the specific questions of why have Islamic political contestations in the Sahel taken different forms: jihadist insurgencies, violent […]

Outreach Feature: Megan Cogburn and Jordan MacKenzie

Megan Cogburn (PhD student, Anthropology) and Jordan MacKenzie (CAS Adjunct Lecturer, Swahili) recently led a Tanzania/Swahili club at Littlewood Elementary School in Gainesville as a part of their multi-age classroom program. Megan and Jordan showed students between the ages of five and seven objects of cultural significance in East Africa, namely: kangas, kitenge, Maasai shukas and jewelry, as well as […]

Student Feature: Sheila Maingi

Sheila Maingi, a 2nd year student in the Masters of Development Practice (MDP) program, conducted research in Gauteng Province, South Africa this past summer. She partnered with Gender Links for Equality and Justice, a Southern Africa based organization, in their ‘Sunrise Campaign’. The program seeks to empower women who are survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) with […]

Partnership Feature: Dr. Sanchez and African Soil Research

Dr. Pedro Sanchez recently joined University of Florida as a Research Professor of Tropical Soils with the Soil and Water Sciences Department and Institute for Sustainable Food Systems. His work with tropical soils and food security in Africa builds off of multiple partnerships both within and outside of the University of Florida. First and foremost is […]

Staff Spotlight: Shahreen Zaman

Shahreen Zaman is the newest addition to the Center for African Studies staff. She is the Academic Assistant for the Center for African Studies, contributing to program and database management, among other critical duties. You can find her at the main office desk. Shahreen is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, earning a B.A. […]

Alumni Feature: Christopher Richards

Christopher Richards is an alumnus of UF, studying Art History and African Studies. He graduated in the summer of 2014. While at UF, Dr. Richards was very involved with the Center for African Studies, regularly attending Center events, and was a FLAS Fellow for multiple semesters. After graduating, he completed a Mellon Postdoctoral fellowship at the […]

CAS Partnership Feature: Dr. Ostebo and SCAD

Dr. Marit Ostebo has been cultivating partnerships through her upcoming research projects and within her position as the faculty coordinator for the Social Change and Development in Africa (SCAD) Working Group. Most recently she has established connections with other researchers working on the concept of partnership through the SCAD Working Group symposium, “Revisiting Partnership in Africa” […]

Faculty Spotlight: Luise White

Dr. Luise White spent the past year researching and writing as a Fellow of the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Her newest book will focus on white soldiers in the Rhodesian Army, continuing some of the issues that grew out of her last book about the Rhodesian state. In her new book, she has used the papers […]

CAS Partnership Feature: Dr. Lugano and Technical University of Mombasa

Dr. Rose Lugano spent her summer in Kenya, partnering with the Technical University of Mombasa on a project funded by the Carnegie Africa Diaspora Fellowship. This fellowship funds African faculty members in the US and Canada to partner with universities in their home countries throughout Africa on a variety of projects. Dr. Lugano worked with […]

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Oliver Walther

Dr. Olivier Walther joins the Center for African Studies this year as a Visiting Associate Professor. He is an Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark, the Africa Editor for the Journal of Borderlands Studies and has a long history of collaboration in research with organizations such as the World Food Programme and the OECD. His research […]

Spotlight on New Programs and Communications Officer

Hello! I’m Riley Ravary, the new Programs and Communications Officer taking over for Jenny Boylan. This is my fourth year at UF researching East African protected areas through the Anthropology doctoral program. My undergraduate education was completed at Michigan State University, where I first started participating in African Studies coursework through their Center’s program. Here at UF […]

Staff Spotlight: Marissa Coning

Marissa Coning is a Program Assistant at the Center for African Studies, contributing to program and database management, among other critical duties. The youngest of seven siblings, Marissa’s family initially moved frequently around the country as part of her father’s career in the military. Upon her father retiring from the military, her family settled down in […]

Staff Spotlight: Tricia Kuhn

Tricia Kuhn works as the Administrative Support Assistant at the Center for African Studies, where she coordinates travel and reimbursements for faculty, students, and guests, provides HR assistance, handles effort reporting and is responsible for reconciling charges for the Center’s various projects and grants. Originally from Corry, Pennsylvania, Tricia began her college career as a pre-med […]

Staff Spotlight: Ike Akinyemi

Ikeade (Ike) Akinyemi is the Coordinator of Administrative Services at the Center for African Studies (CAS). Born in Nigeria, she is the middle child of five siblings in total. Ike received all of her education in Nigeria before briefly residing in Germany and the United Kingdom. She received her first degree in Education (1988) […]

Student Feature: John Hames

John Hames defended his dissertation in April 2017 and will graduate with his PhD in Anthropology this coming August. His doctoral research analyzes the practice of language activism among a tight-knit network of Senegalese and Mauritanians devoted to the promotion of the Pulaar language, which is spoken by significant minorities in both countries. He conducted […]

Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Hunt Davis

Dr. Richard Hunt Davis, Jr. is Emeritus Professor of History and African Studies at the University of Florida. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the African Studies Quarterly (ASQ), which is hosted at UF. Dr. Davis was born in Highland Park, Michigan in 1939. Though born in Michigan, growing up Davis’ family moved around quite a […]

Student Feature: Chizoba Ezenwa

Chizoba Ezenwa is a fourth-year International Studies- Africa major at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She will receive her B.A. with a minor in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance in May 2017. She currently works as a program assistant for the Sahel Research Group (SRG) within the Center for African Studies where her main […]

Student Feature: Emmanuel Akande

I am Emmanuel Akande, Ph.D student in Food and Resource Economics (FRE). I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 2008 where I graduated at the top rank of my class. I was admitted to Florida State University (FSU) where I obtained my Master of Arts (M.A) in Economics in 2012. […]

Student Feature: Chesney McOmber

Chesney McOmber is a PhD candidate in Political Science. Her dissertation is titled, “The Feminization of Rural Space: Exploring Gender, Power, and Demographic Change in Africa.” Demographic change is an important driver of social and political change throughout the world. Mass migration due to political, economic, or environmental instability continues to displace power within both macro […]

Student Feature: Jennifer C. Boylan

Dr. Jennifer C. Boylan graduated with a PhD in Political Science from UF in December 2016. A democratization scholar, Boylan’s research analyses development and identity politics in Ghana through an institutional theoretical framework. She conducted field research in Ghana in June-July 2012, December 2012, and January-December 2013, including a 3-month long survey project which collected 1,932 […]

Student Feature: Mustapha Mohammed

Mustapha Mohammed is a 2nd year PhD student in the Department of Anthropology. Mohammed’s research interest focuses on ancient iron-smelting sites in Nasia. Nasia is one of the major traditional towns in the Mamprugu traditional area in the Northern Region of Ghana. The Mamprugu state was the first of the three-dominion kingdoms established in Northern Ghana […]

Student Feature: Ben Burgen

Ben Burgen is a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology. His research focuses on the motivations for and impacts of migration from the rural Senegal River Valley to urban and transnational destinations. He is particularly interested in the variety of ways that migrants and non-migrants work together to promote the development of their hometowns in Senegal (both […]

UF CAS @ Oak Hall School International Festival

On Saturday January 28th, 2017, the African Student Union at UF represented the Center for African Studies at the International Festival at Oak Hall School in Gainesville. Felicity Tackey-Otoo – Ghana, Martin Nwodo- Nigeria (both Ph.D Construction Management Students) and Sheila Maingi- Kenya (MDP Program) participated in the festival. After setting up a 10×10 […]

Student Feature: Jesse Borden

Jesse Borden is an MSc student in the Interdisciplinary Ecology program through the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He is a FLAS Fellow with the Center for African Studies and his research interests center around tropical ecosystems, conservation and community ecology. His thesis will focus on different types of ecological disturbances and their various consequences. […]

Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Rene Lemarchand

Dr. René Lemarchand is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and African Studies at the University of Florida. Dr. Lemarchand was born in France in 1932 and first came to the US as a Fulbright scholar at Southwestern College (now known as Rhodes College) in 1951. In 1954 he enrolled in UCLA’s Political Science PhD program, […]

Student Feature: Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore is a third year PhD student in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation under the advisement of Dr. Madan Oli. Jennifer has spent the last two years working in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda. Last summer, Jennifer spent her time deploying camera traps both at ground level and for the first […]

Student Feature: Mandisa Roeleene Haarhoff

Mandisa Roeleene Haarhoff is a PhD candidate in the Department of English at the University of Florida. She comes to UF from South Africa on a Fulbright Scholarship. Her dissertation considers the ways in which writers use the trope of death to represent black experience in the aftermath of apartheid. Through a reading of late-apartheid and post-apartheid […]

Student Feature: Ben Lowe

Ben Lowe M.S. Student, Interdisciplinary Ecology Program 2016-17 FLAS Fellow, Center for African Studies There is considerable knowledge today about the unprecedented impacts we are having on the earth, its ecosystems, and the critical goods and services they provide. Less understood are the effects these growing pressures have on human societies. In order to […]

Student Feature: Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim’s (PhD candidate, Political Science) dissertation research focuses on political contestation and Islamic discourse in the Sahel region. It addresses the questions of why and how have political contestations on behalf of Islam proliferated in the Muslim world? And why have these contestations taken different forms: jihadist insurgencies, violent riots, and peaceful protests? The […]

Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Goran Hyden

Dr. Goran Hyden is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and African Studies at the University of Florida. Significantly attracted by UF’s Center for African Studies, Dr. Hyden first came to UF in 1986. Over several decades his research began focused on rural cooperatives and public administration to the political economy of the peasantry to democratization […]

Student Feature: Lina Benabdallah

Lina Benabdallah is an ABD PhD candidate at the department of Political Science and Center for African Studies at UF. She is an avid follower of China-Africa relations broadly defined and focused her dissertation on the aspect of capacity building and vocational training programs. Benabdallah’s research (based on fieldwork experience in China and Ethiopia) investigates the role of human resource development programs in Chinese foreign […]

Student Feature: Werede Hagos

Werede Hagos is a MA student in African Archaeology and Amharic language instructor at the University of Florida. His studies involve the prehistory of East Africa, with a special focus on the Central Highlands of Eritrea, Northern Ethiopia, and Somalia. He holds his first degree from the University of Asmara, Eritrea, and he is one […]

Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Anita Spring

Dr. Anita Spring is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, African Studies, Latin American Studies, and Women’s Studies at the University of Florida. Dr. Spring first came to UF in 1973 and her research expertise spans a wide variety of subjects including Cultural, Applied, and Medical Anthropology, International Agricultural Development, Food Security, Entrepreneurship and Micro-enterprises, Women/Gender in […]

Student Feature: Emily Pukuma

Emily Pukuma is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Science. She is currently writing her dissertation concerning British colonial legacies and democracy. It is a multi-method study of why democratic institutions survive in some contexts and temporal periods but break down in others. Her research design includes an original conceptual typology of former British […]

Student Feature: Oumar Ba

Oumar Ba is a PhD candidate in the department of political science, studying International Relations. His research interests lie at the intersection between the politics of international justice, states’ interests, and the global governance of atrocity crimes. His dissertation titled “Outsourcing Justice: Africa and the Politics of the International Criminal Court (ICC)” argues that although African […]

Student Feature: Scott Hussey

Scott Hussey is an ABD doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at UF. His dissertation project investigates a network of captivity and ransom of European Christians during the Early Modern period (1500-1800) in the Mediterranean. For his doctoral research, he excavated a sealed and well-preserved subterranean dungeon associated with Christian servitude in North Africa: the Mazmorras of Tétouan, Morocco. […]

Student Feature: Mamadou Bodian

Mamadou Bodian (PhD Candidate, Political Science): My dissertation topic is: “The Politics of Electoral Reform in Francophone West Africa: the Birth and Change of Electoral Rules in Mali, Niger, and Senegal”. A summary of his work, in his words: This dissertation examines the origins of and changes in electoral systems in Francophone West Africa: Senegal, Mali, […]

Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Barbara McDade Gordon

Barbara McDade Gordon, is a faculty member in the Geography Department; and affiliate of the Center for African Studies, and African American Studies Program. Upon her retirement from UF in May 2016 she received the distinction of Emeritus(a) by a unanimous departmental vote. She began her academic career in 1990 at UF which she described […]

Student Feature: Cady Gonzalez

Cady Gonzalez is a second year MA student in cultural anthropology and an Amharic Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellow. This past summer, she attended Afaan Oromoo language training and conducted ethnographic research in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Working in part with her chair, Dr. Marit Ostebo, she explored a new public health (development) project in […]

Faculty Spotlight: Nancy Rose Hunt

In Fall 2016, Nancy Rose Hunt joined the University of Florida as Professor of History & African Studies. We are pleased to report that she recently received the 2016 Martin A. Klein Prize recognizing the most distinguished book in African history (from the American Historical Association). A Nervous State: Violence, Remedies, and Reverie in Colonial Congo (Duke University Press) involved […]

Student Feature: Benjamin Smith

Benjamin Smith’s (MA Candidate, Anthropology) research focuses on the archaeology of Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Many scholars believe that modern human behaviors evolved gradually, as adaptations to ecologically diverse and highly variable Pleistocene African landscapes. They posit that these behaviors left Africa as a “package” integral to the […]

Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Aida A. Bamia

Our first Emeritus Professor featured in the news bulletin, Dr. Aida A. Bamia is Emeritus Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at University of Florida. Dr. Bamia first joined UF in 1985, one of the pioneering professors contributing to the development of the Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (MELC) Interdisciplinary program at UF. A citizen […]

Student Feature: Amanda B. Edgell

From January to August 2016, Amanda B. Edgell (PhD Candidate, Political Science) conducted fieldwork in Uganda and Kenya. Edgell’s dissertation assesses the effectiveness of gender quotas at achieving long-term, sustainable representation for women in national legislatures. Capitalizing on a unique electoral system for allocating designated women-only seats in Uganda and Kenya, the research combines qualitative and quantitative […]

Student Feature: Justin Hoyle

Justin Hoyle is a third year PhD student in Political Science. Over the summer he spent a month in Cairo, Egypt conducting fieldwork for his dissertation project entitled “Determinants of Military Retrenchment: Army Behavior during Political Transitions.” This project addresses the question of why during transitional periods some political armies accept a reduced political role, […]

Student Feature: Netty Carey

Netty Carey is a second year MA student in Anthropology. This past summer, she conducted field research in Ghana, dedicating six weeks of her trip to ethnographic research in Ada, a coastal town roughly three hours’ drive outside of Accra, the capital. Netty’s research community are fishermen, fish mongers, and petty traders residing on the Volta […]