From February to March 2025, the Rwanda Field Station of the Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS)，Tsinghua University，successfully held academic roadshows on "African Resilience and Development Prospects" at the University of Rwanda. Five African studies scholars from Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and China were invited to deliver thematic lectures focusing on Africa's developmental resilience and future prospects. During the roadshow, other African studies scholars, including Assistant Prof. Xiao Hai from the National University of Singapore and Assistant Prof. Qi Tengfei from Shenzhen University, visited the field station and participated in various academic activities, such as joint research projects and academic discussions, with faculty and students of IIAS and the University of Rwanda.
On February 14, Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, delivered the opening lecture on "Oil in Africa’s Development Trajectory: Power, Politics and Accumulation (PPA) as Framework of Analysis." Drawing upon the PPA framework, Prof. Odukoya explored the reasons why Africa's oil resources have not translated into drivers of economic growth, comparing the situation with the successful oil resource management strategies of Saudi Arabia and Norway.
Prof. Odukoya delivering his lecture
On February 18, the faculty and students of IIAS visited the Huye Campus of the University of Rwanda, engaging in discussions with faculty and scholars from diverse research backgrounds and disciplines representing the College of Arts and Social Sciences and the College of Business and Economics. The discussions focused on the research teams, research interests, research topics, and potential for collaboration between the institutions, laying the groundwork for future joint research.
Discussions with faculty and scholars from the University of Rwanda
On the morning of February 19, IIAS invited Alphonse Muleefu, Acting Principal of the College of Arts and Social Sciences and Senior Lecturer at the University of Rwanda, to deliver an independent lecture on "Judicial Solutions in Rwanda After the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi" at the Gikondo campus of the University of Rwanda. This lecture also marked the first independent lecture of the spring semester of the 2024-2025 academic year for the Center for Sub-Saharan African Studies, attracting nearly 40 scholars and students from both domestic and international universities, both in person and online. Drawing upon his own experience in the judicial field, Principal Muleefu discussed the devastating impact of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi on the judicial system and highlighted a series of innovative judicial mechanisms implemented in Rwanda, most notably the Gacaca courts. Following the lecture, he engaged in a lively discussion with faculty and students, addressing the procedures and functions of the Gacaca courts, judicial issues during the transitional period, and other related topics.
Muleefu's lecture
On the afternoon of February 19, Prof. Alexander Makulilo from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Dar es Salaam presented a lecture on "EAC People Centeredness: Prospects and Challenges." The lecture centered on the "people-centered" principle within the East African Community (EAC), delving into the challenges currently faced by the EAC's governance system and examining the participation of East African citizens in regional governance from various angles.
Group photo from Prof. Makulilo's lecture
On February 26, Anthony Black, Emeritus Prof. in the Department of Economics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, delivered a lecture on "Development of the Automotive Industry in Sub-Saharan Africa." Through the analysis of several case studies, Prof. Black explored the challenges faced by Sub-Saharan African countries in developing their local automotive industries, such as inadequate infrastructure, limited market size, difficulties in technology transfer, and unstable policy support. He also highlighted the potential of regional cooperation and policy innovation in fostering industrial development.
Prof. Black's lecture in progress
On March 4, IIAS faculty and students visited Didas Kayihura Muganga, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda. They engaged in an in-depth discussion regarding the achievements of inter-university cooperation between IIAS and the University of Rwanda, the operational effectiveness of the Rwanda Field Station, academic roadshows, and future development plans.
IIAS faculty and students visit the Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda
On March 5, Associate Prof. Liu Shaonan from the School of History at Beijing Normal University presented a lecture on "Prosperity, Crisis, and Identity: The Textile Industry of Nigeria and Chinese Textile Manufacturers in the Post-Independence Era (1957-2007)." Prof. Liu reviewed the rise, prosperity, and decline of the Nigerian textile industry, focusing on the role of Chinese capital and the complex identity issues it raised within Nigerian society.
Group photo from Associate Prof. Liu Shaonan's lecture
Furthermore, IIAS faculty and students, along with the aforementioned scholars and their counterparts from the University of Rwanda, engaged in extensive exchanges and discussions on a range of topics on African healthcare, agricultural development, the oil economy, party politics, identity politics, the digital economy, and China-Africa cooperation. While the lectures and discussions focused on diverse African countries and regions, they all offered points of comparison and connection with Rwanda, sparking new insights and inspiration and highlighting the transnational and cross-regional academic dynamism of this roadshow.
This series of lectures and the academic roadshow on "African Resilience and Development Prospects" provided a valuable platform for academic exchange among African studies scholars, both domestic and international. It offered faculty and students of IIAS and the University of Rwanda diverse perspectives from various national and disciplinary backgrounds for understanding Africa. Finally, representatives from both institutions expressed their shared commitment to further developing the field station. They envisioned it as a foundation for academic collaboration in areas such as regional development in Africa, industrial transformation, and governance models, with the goal of deepening their understanding of African development challenges.
The Rwanda Field Station was established in 2024 by IIAS, Tsinghua University in cooperation with the University of Rwanda, to serve as a localized platform for academic activities and dialogue for both domestic and international scholars of African studies. It seeks to promote the integration of fieldwork with academic theory, strengthen connections and cooperation among Chinese, African, and international institutions engaged in African studies, and contribute new theoretical and practical insights to the study of countries in the Global South.
Group photo of IIAS faculty and students with invited scholars at the Rwanda Field Station
