In the spring of 2024, TUFS welcomed three new students from Africa. Today we held a Welcome OpenLunch for three exchange students who arrived in Japan from African countries this April and were welcomed as exchange students. Our Visiting Associate Professor, Gloriose UMUZIRANENGE also joined us. They are Peggy and Mupelwa from University of Zambia (UNZA), Verdiane from University of Yaoundé I (UY1). UY1 and TUFS has concluded MOU last May. This is the first time TUFS has been able to accept exchange student from the UY1.Welcome Verdiane!! Peggy and Mupelwa will stay at TUFS for one semester until July 2024. Verdiane will stay at TUFS for two semesters until February 2025. Please check the " IAFP Accepting" page for their self introduction. Also we will announce the information on the Center's website as it becomes available.

Our staff member Dr Kana Miyamoto will give her presentation and participate in the international seminar and workshop 'Looking Towards the United Nations International Year of Rangeland and Pastoralists (UN IYRP) 2026'. For more information, please refer to the following URL or contact the following email address. Please note that the seminar and workshop have different venues and registration URLs. ◆Date: 11 and 12 May, 2024 ◆Venue: Onsite at Hosei University, Online only for the seminar ◆Language: English ◆Admission: Free ◆Pre-registration is required. Please visit following webpages for registration by 3 May 2024. International seminar: https://ir.u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp/climateafurica/en/2024/04/06/an-international-seminar-open-hyflex-session-towards-un-iyrp-2026-will-be-held-in-tokyo-on-11-may/ International workshop: https://ir.u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp/climateafurica/en/2024/04/06/an-international-workshop-semi-closed-and-face-to-face-sessions-towards-un-iyrp-2026-will-be-held-in-tokyo-on-11-and-12-may/ ◆Contact: localizationtoafrica@gmail.com *Details are subject to change, so please refer to the website from time to time.

We will invite Dr. Hassan Yosimbom, Research Manager, Seminar and Workshop Coordinator, the Langaa RPCIG Cameroon, as a speaker at the 86th ASC Seminar. He currently stays in Japan as a visiting Associate Professor of Graduate School for Intercultural Studies, Kobe University. Cameroon national football team, Indomitable Lions, is renowned for their 'magical football', a term that embodies their extraordinary performances. The presentation reviews historical instances of the Lions' participation in the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup competitions, analyzing how natural football abilities interweave with supernatural enhancement to influence game outcomes. This seminar is based on his recent publication with Prof. Kiyoshi Umeya, Kobe University: Navigating Uncertainty: The Interplay of 'Magical Football' and 'Football Magic' in Cameroonian Football. Anthropology Today 39(5): 23-27, 2023 ◆Speaker: Dr. Hassan Yosimbom (Visiting Associate Professor, Graduate School for Intercultural Studies, Kobe University / Research Manager, Seminar and Workshop Coordinator, the Langaa RPCIG,Cameroon) ◆Short bio: Dr. Yosimbom is a Visiting Associate Professor at Kobe University, Japan. He has held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Ghana (2019) and the University of Cape Town (2021-2022). He is research manager, seminar and workshop coordinator at the Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group (RPCIG), Cameroon. His most recent publication is Yearning for (Dis)connections: Fictions and Frictions of Coexistence in Postcolonial Cameroon (Langaa, 2023). His ongoing research draws on Africanaphilosophies to investigate how African literature, history, cultures and politics, epistemologies of the South and how they impact upon the processes of coloniality and decoloniality. ◆Title: Navigating Uncertainty: The Interplay of 'Magical Football' and 'Football Magic' in Cameroonian Football ◆Abstract: Cameroon's Indomitable Lions (a nickname for the Cameroon national football team) are renowned for their 'magical football', a term that embodies their extraordinary performances. This presentation delves into the intertwining concepts of 'magical football' and 'football magic', seeking to understand how these elements contribute to the Lions' success. The presentation reviews historical instances of the Lions' participation in the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup competitions, analyzing how natural football abilities interweave with supernatural enhancement to influence game outcomes. The findings suggest that talent alone does not guarantee victory, and the uncertainty of elements beyond our rational comprehension can significantly impact the outcome of a football game/match. ◆Date & Time: December 13th 2023 (Wed) 17:40～19:10(JST) / 8:40～10:10(GMT) ◆Venue: 【Onsite】 Room104 at Research and Lecture Bldg., Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Access:3-11-1, Asahi-cho,Fuchu-shi, Tokyo) 【Online】 (Zoom Meeting) ◆Language: English ◆Admission: Free ※Pre-registration is required.→https://bit.ly/40SOvP6 Please scan the QR code or visit African Studies Center's HP for registration by Dec. 12th（Tue) 2023. The application will be closed as soon as the capacity reaches 30 for onsite and 300 for online. We will send the Zoom Meeting information to the registered email address by Dec. 13th, 2023 in the morning. ◆Jointly organized by : African Studies Center - TUFS and Kanto branch of Japan Association for African Studies, Research Institute for Promoting Intercultural Studies (Promis), Kobe University 【Report】 We held the 86th seminar in a hybrid style and 22 participated on-site and 24 participated online. Dr Hassan Yoshimbom gave his presentation on 'Navigating Uncertainty: The Interplay of 'Magical Football' and 'Football Magic' in Cameroonian Football', being followed by lively discussion among Japanese and African scholars and also students in TUFS.

On Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Prof. Shahid gave a lecture at Hiroshima University.　 The title of the presentation was "Transnational Migration and Entrepreneurship Livelihoods, Entrepreneurship and Xenophobia in South Africa." There were 11 participants (face-to-face only). After explaining the history of immigrants from various backgrounds in South Africa, he gave a presentation based on his fieldwork in Durban. There were lively questions from international students and researchers from Africa and Asia who are interested in immigration issues.