African Studies

Africa is home to around 1.5 billion inhabitants in 54 countries, with a wide range of cultures and languages. As a continent, it is a key player in issues such as climate change and global economy, while its art and literature gain increasingly international appreciation. In the African Studies bachelor’s programme you will acquire in-depth knowledge about Africa, from an internal perspective and with a critical eye for the external, often euro-centric approaches of ‘Africa’.

Why African Studies at Leiden University?

• Leiden is the only place in Europe where you can follow an English-taught BA programme on African Studies.
• In this programme, you will learn Berber or Swahili. As part of the language acquisition courses, in your second year you will stay an entire semester in an African country of your choice.
• The programme’s themes, Sociolinguistics, Literature & Art, and History & Anthropology, allow you to study Africa in-depth.
• You will be able to tailor the programme according to your interests, focusing on your disciplinary choice, a particular theme, Africa as a continent, or a particular region or country.