30 Years of IAS- the Institut of African Studies

2020 is the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Institute of African Studies (IAS). To mark the occasion, the newly elected Head Mayor of Bayreuth, Thomas Ebersberger (left), and new District Administrator Florian Wiedemann (right), together with University President Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible (middle), recalled the founding years of the IAS in the Iwalewahaus. They were unanimous in emphasising the extraordinary relevance of African studies for Bayreuth as a centre of research. Prof. Leible went on to explaine: "Bayreuth stands for Africa research more than any other university in Germany today. African studies are a unique selling point for our university". Referring to its tangible internationality, its excellent research and teaching, as well as the many fruitful cooperations, the Lord Mayor and the District Administrator emphasised the international profile that African research enjoys under the umbrella of the IAS, from which the City and the District also benefit.

As the central coordination office of the Africa focus of the University of Bayreuth, the IAS bundles and coordinates Africa-related research and teaching, stimulates interdisciplinary research projects, supports Africa-related applications for external funding, and promotes cooperation with African universities and research institutions, with national and international Africa institutes, and other relevant organisations.

The IAS also forms the institutional umbrella for all specifically Africa-related facilities at the University of Bayreuth. These include the Iwalewahaus, the 'Africa Multiple’ Cluster of Excellence, and the 'Society, Technology and Ecology in Africa Research Centre' (FZA), which is currently in the planning stage. The IAS also coordinates the Bavarian Research Institute of African Studies (BRIAS) in cooperation with the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, Hochschule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences, and Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg.

Furthermore, in the 2020/2021 winter semester, the University of Bayreuth will launch EIMAS, the first European master's programme in African Studies, together with the University of Porto (Portugal) and the University of Bordeaux-Montaigne (France). "We conduct research on Africa only with Africa. A relationship that both sides cultivate carefully. A relationship from which intensive friendships have developed. And a relationship that has become a success story," is how Prof. Leible finally described the approach of the IAS and the University of Bayreuth in general.

Keywords: IAS, BRIAS, art, culture

Translation: Ralph Reindler