 And welcome everyone also from me, you know, like indeed, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. The beauty of the online environment is that that people can join us from all over the world. My name is Lutz Martin, I'm welcoming you this morning as part of the Africa section of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics here at SOAS. So I'm going to give a little presentation. I have a sort of mock lecture prepared to give you a sense of what, you know, what our teaching is like, what our contents are like. And I also have a little bit of background on the program. I was just wondering, because we ran open day events also last time. And I think even earlier this time. So some of you may have already been at the SOAS opening so there's a little bit of overlap just on the program structure, but the bulk of what I'm saying I think is probably new so so I hope there's something for everyone. I'm going to share my screen in a moment. And I'm at that stage I'm not sure whether I can see people's chat or people's hands. And if you have questions if there's anything you want to clarify if you speak up. And Rachel also kindly has agreed to shout out if there's anything anybody wants to raise let me share my screen. There we go. This is I hope I hope you're in the right room this is about African studies and I'm talking particularly about the African studies and you can, you know, in the question time also talk about different different options but I have a bit of an overview here. And the title of the presentation is approaching Africa which is grand and narrow down quite a bit in a few slides but but you can see hopefully why I'm going with that. So welcome to the SOAS virtual open day and indeed the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, which where the Africa section is housed. I have a bit of background on SOAS, the highlights of the institution and that that's the part where I said you may have seen that before you may be aware of it to other other channels. We have 100 years of scholarships focusing on African Asia so we just had, and well just in 2016, we had our centenary so so we are well established. We teach over 30 languages so that's a very heavy language bias and originally but it was very language focused we now grown quite a bit we are strong in arts and humanities and social sciences, but the languages are still with us. In the National Research Library 105 in the country, specifically related to African Asia. It's a very international place we have students and staff from over 130 countries, expertise in some of the world's key regions that that you know we continue saying that that it really matters the areas we are interested and we work with work with and it's probably the highest concentration of scholars work on African topics pretty much. I dare say in the world, I'm not sure if that's quite to it's a hard to do these comparison, but there's lots of people work in Africa, not just in the Africa sex rhyme base and the languages and cultures but across all of our department so in history and music and political sciences in the in the School of Arts, there will be people with specific African expertise and that body together constitutes quite a quite a substantial amount of people. I can say a little bit more about this SLCL the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, this is where the MA African Studies is housed so we focus on Africa also dynamically South Asia, Southeast Asia and we also strong in linguistics. We teach six African language normally not every year so our language is on the book I'm Haric Hausa Somali, Israeli, Yoruba and Zulu. Coming year, we are probably teaching I'm Haric, we are probably doing so Somali we're probably doing Swahili and Zulu and we are not quite sure at the moment about Hausa and Yoruba. That's what just for next in the long term, we want to maintain this fairly broad coverage it is needless to say I think it's the broadest covers of African languages in the country and it's pretty broad in international terms as well. So by then we focus on African literature, cultures, linguistics and translation and we collaborate and have links with lots of partners in Africa, and, and also with the African diaspora and have come back to that action. And good. This is the MA African Studies you can do it full time apart and this is just a summary, if you have questions also please email me. If you want further information, we have two new which core modules remapping area studies and approaches to African studies which we're very pleased about. We all write a dissertation of 10,000 was that then six optional Africa focus modules, and one has to come from the arts and humanities the other from the social sciences, because we are quite keen on the interdisciplinary nature of the program because it has such a strong regional focus that allows you a lot of breadth in terms of thematic approaches. There is one language model is recommended we don't require that but but we do think that I personally believe that that it really is helpful to speak the language of a particular society area region you study, because it gives you so much better access to discourses on the ground so so language study for us we think it's important. We have a bunch of examples of modules so you can see it's a wide range we have politics modules and these are just illustrations they don't necessarily run year on year if you want to specifically know what's running next year. Have a look at our website that should be up to date. But these are, these are modules which have been running over the last couple of years which are, which are popular so we have politics we have feminism we have music. Modern contemporary arts in Africa language identity society in Africa that that's my model I'm involved in that African literature, economy philosophy, African Asian diaspora and law modules as well. And so there's quite a bit to choose from. And that is that summarizes the program I'm happy to get back to this because I want to move on really to the more content heavy part of today. And this is this is approaching Africa and the lot of the images are the background images are from from East Africa really that's the part of the world I work on so I work on Swahili and other related languages. And this is a view from the water side of Zanzibar Zanzibar Haber or the Haber front the old for Daniels called the old customs customs area. And in a sense I thought it's nice metaphor for approaching because it has an element of you know, arriving somewhere by ship and then getting to know so there's there's a physical sense but of course here I'm talking about approaching more in the, in the intellectual sense. And I have here, you know, talking points if you like, these are these are things which maybe you have thought about which brought you here which makes you think about studying Africa engaging with Africa as a continent and you know, in a physical sense but also an academic and I'm going to zoom in on some and I'm, you know, you might not be surprised at this stage. And I'm going to use language as my guiding points I have two case studies on language in a moment, but this is the wider scene if you like so these are. I think talking points is the right with propositions to which we know which may work as entry points maybe to engage with Africa academically so one is diversity and unity. There's a lot of diversity across the continent and it's really hard to say anything really meaningful about Africa. On the other hand there is a sense of unity that you can say, you can talk about an African experience and delete an African diaspora experience. So it's this interaction between being very diverse and very localized on the one that but also having a sense of unity on the other. And, and in a sense it is shared, there's a shared unity across the global south which we bring out quite a bit in, in the remapping area studies, and indeed there's global unity as well. And the other, you know, if you like dichotomy is, is sometimes Africa is called the home of humanity is because in terms of in terms of evolution studies, lots of people agree that that the first, you know, our, our long, long, long time ancestors as humans come from East Africa come from the older by Gorge. So that's Tanzania Kenya. I'm fond of that because that's the area I work in but there's other. There's South African there's there's Ethiopian evidence as well. And but the but but certainly there's a very long, long history of human settlement and human culture in Africa. But on the other hand it's also content of youth because the youth population is so strong in many, many African countries. If you look at the demographics it's a very young continent, compared to many other parts of the world so again, you have this, you know, these things play with us as you're almost. And of course colonial experience is really important to have colonial legacies, but also a strong strong discourse and decolonization that is very strong at source we are very keen in that and have have been for a long time. And that's something which will come very much also in the course content we talk about that. It's a question of which authors do you read who has access to knowledge which, which models of explanation are interesting. And we, in a sense we know I, I think we step back a little bit because it's an academic approach so we want to understand that as, as, as, as systems of knowledge state, and also then study the politics behind it of course there's a very, very lift experience associated with that as well. Then, and link to that is maybe complexity and perspective to you, these questions are complex so they require complex thought they require complex models to understand and engage with and perspective place also are you are you approaching African studies as an academic discipline from someone from the continent or someone from the other part of the world with links to the continent, are you approaching because you have personal relations biographical relations are you approaching academically. I personally don't really have biographical relations I started engagement Africa fairly did I came party to politics it was, you can guess my age. And the apartheid movement when South Africa was still under the apartheid tool and we got engaged with that. And in fact on the right hand side the middle picture that's that's South Africa and the multilingual nature in South Africa. And then I started learning Swahili and so my approach to Africa was much more intellectual one language based one. And that, you know that that is of course that is all entirely legitimate, but it matters in terms of your own understanding so it's important reflect on that. And I think the country is a big topic in Africa in many ways in terms of, in terms of politics of course in terms of development discourses rule Africa versus urban Africa in terms of literature that's a big trope. Center and margin there's a long discussion to what extent Africa is the center on and Europe is margin rounded or whether Europe is the center of course if you look at into Chinese history. There's a clear sense of China's the history people like to think of themselves as the center, but that's a really interesting discussion to be be had. The final thing I mentioned that was the global global global aspect of the global connections across the whole the whole world obviously, and then particular diasporic connections across communities across the world, linking back to different parts of Africa. Right inside the bottom one, this is our, our language our pride that it's a mobile phone output from Tanzania, but you can see the link the link between identity nation hope it's the national flag and language as well. I think I'm taking longer than I should so I'm moving on a little bit I have two case studies. One is the African language business so I said I'm going to move through language but that's more. That's focusing on the continent and, and then another is a small research project we did, we are still doing on covered 19 amongst African communities in London so we work with London, African African language communities. And we, we, we investigated the use of language and the use of information more widely in understanding covered 19 and to the actions with that. And also, I'm just checking that I can see the chat it is the house and Europe, will it come back, you know, Nigerian heritage yes I'm quite aware is the two Nigerian languages which it's just by accident really that they're not running. Yes. And certainly, I mean we're pretty much looking, looking, bringing them back. Not the coming year but the, but the following year. We have certainly strength of our house up program, and we have work on Europe as well but yeah I can say more about that. A bit later on. Good, then let me go back to the case that the African language renaissance then. What I'm after here is this is sorry this is from Zambia I've worked for a long time in Zambia, and this is again mobile phone about celebrating the linguistic diversity in the country in English ironic so there's no ethnic language involved. But it is an acknowledgement of the linguistic complexity. And what I like that because, because African languages have become more positively seen more popular more visible in public discourse then maybe they were 30 40 years ago so that that's a really interesting development. So the background is that African languages sustained and support the cultural social economic achievements of the continent for a very long time. And then the study of language can help us to understand the history of the people and society speaking them. And in the course of the history African language has been associated with, for example, periods of expansion, established policies and political systems, and indeed with patterns of multilingualism so I think in this context I don't need to do that but I want to put a public perception that African languages are somehow inferior or not not able to create, you know, thought or systems. This is all really wrong. So I think we should start with that as the baseline. And this is the map maps are problematic and fascinating their own right lots of stuff to be said what map, but this is, I, you know, I put in map here, the color coding gives you what is called different language families. And then going back to the question of complexity. And so there's lots of languages and lots of linguistic diversity involved which is which is interesting. And in a subject to lots of studies at the moment also particular in terms of multilingualism, and what it means with for the question of language identity. And I won't dwell on it but there's lots of questions you can ask also, even about the representation. And of course that the language is in German but that's just because that's where I got from. And a little bit back on the history. This is this is we are strong and Swahili. We may know that so we have lots of holding Swahili literature will be working and have been working with the university in particular Dar eslam for quite some while to work on these manuscripts. You can see this is Swahili but it's written in Arabic script so there's a link also with the Arab world. Now Swahili is written in Roman script so from the colonial legacy. If you read Arabic you can see there's little signs on top and bottom of the line so these are vocalized text, really fascinating stuff not easy to read to understand because it's quite quite old has lots of cultural references. This is a very famous book is called the souls that wake me up into Shafi, which is about cultural decline, but I'm just showing that because it sits in source library so that one of the source library so there's this the long connection and but also from us to the study of that which is important. And then the colonial background kicks in so here we have marginalization devaluation and under development of African languages colonial governance on balance didn't look kindly at African languages. Rise of negative attitudes the introduction of colonial languages of course English and French, mainly but also Spanish Portuguese, a little bit of Italian even. And then we can, we can ask ourselves about we just had Arabic, we can ask ourselves what the status status of Arabic is in that contact. And, and Afrikaans of course is another interesting question. But so we have this introduction, we have then political and colonial agendas language ideologies which often put European languages on top as the better civilization, thereby justifying the rule of the social the political the economic rule of the area. The language event invention and what is called linguistic essentialism reducing people to one language and fixing them in a particular social cultural position. And then pedagogy and politics education plays a huge role but language do you teach and how do you use the money, manage the transition from the home language to the school language, and what are parents and students own attitudes to language. In English as well, but there's lots of, if you can, you can see a colonial background. And one example I have here is that it's going back to the anti apartheid in South Africa that's the way to uprising you're familiar with I think maybe in 1976 when school children demonstrated against the use of use of African schools for English interest and not not for Zulu or is it also or is in the Baylor, like there's big South African African languages, of course, but it was mainly the push for English against Africans, and it was a turning point in many ways. And for the end of apartheid even then it took another, you know, put almost like 20 years, but, but it was a real eye opener for the world at large and I think many people in South Africa that there was something really wrong with the political system. And now let me move to the Renaissance, the rebirth if you like. And so during the colonial period we said that African languages experience marginalization suppression negative attitudes. And after independence many African countries adopted the one language policy, often promoting English and French if you look around the continent and drawn your experience. Early after independence often English and French and other colonial languages ex colonial language I should say played played quite a big role. But more recently in the 21st century, we've seen the onset of what I call an African language Renaissance and of course, there's a whole other discourse about African Renaissance, which you know, which is in a sense it's a, it's a postcolonial term but also when I was a little boy when Becky revived it then and talked about, you know, the African era, the time for African as Africa has come to really fulfill its potential. And so the African language Renaissance is part of that whole school of thought. So there's a recognition of African language and public policy much much higher status development of multilingual policies and education public discourse African languages entering schools. And the birth of new varieties this is really fascinating shang in Kenya, you know, it's a mixture of Swahili and English they say, and pigeon in Nigeria, trans language in the use of many different languages in the same context. All these are sort of new developments which assert African languages more forcefully in in the public domain. So if we look at language policies in the 21st century, I have a number of examples here. South Africa, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, all we can, you know, I can say more in detail but this is just really to give you an idea that across the continent there has been a change in thinking. We have minority and endangered language activism smaller communities in terms of the size of speakers are more, more active about promoting the languages we have education and literacy programs. Then on the technology side we have speech and language technology natural language processing translation. And then the African Academy for languages the African Union arm for languages has been very active in that area as well so there's lots of stuff happening on this sort of policy level. So the example of Swahili I took the slide from another presentation that's bilingual in Swahili and English and we've seen already the lure I get to example there. The middle picture is from from from Nairobi. It's part of Chapa around the corner to Swahili then shang this new use youth language and English, all saying there's a cash machine around the corner. It's a, it's a Barclays ad. The top right one that's just bilingual signage and and the bottom right it's a it's an annual conference of the Swahili society of Kenya and you can just see the academic weight behind that as well. That's in 2019 just before before coveted, and it just gives a sense of the versatility of Swahili in East Africa and many different domains. And this is just a little map of showing Swahili teaching Swahili across the world, I think it is probably the white most widely taught African language so we have of course lots of surely programs in the US. We have in Japan and China, Swahili programs lots European universities and outside of university teach Swahili and also on the continent so of course in East Africa but also in South Africa in Ghana we have now Swahili being taught at university level so there's a real sense that Swahili probably is the most international African language. And good, a brief on youth languages is really interesting as well African urban youth languages are in language, and they are typically spoken by young people although that varies quite a bit what we mean by that. And they are often carried by innovation they are, they are, they are consciously changing word forms and structure, and the undermined subvert standard varieties and so can be seen as question social power relations through languages essentially young people I talked about the demographic demographic is demographic strength of young people. This is one expression of the, of the, of the claim to political power. As I said at the last bullet point, it might be related to these demographics, and also to the sense of relative disenfranchisement of these groups and again, if you think of African context you're familiar with. Think about how much access to power young people have in terms of education employment, political power, in particular, economic, political power structures. So in that context maybe then these two youth languages also play a player role. This is Kenya sheng on the right hand side the book by check it was a colleague of ours was not moved back to Kenya. He worked on sheng quite a bit but we're still very much in close contact and radio station the voice of the voice the office is sheng station the voice the voice of the youth. African youth language in South Africa seppitori sort sit down that's also probably quite famous when it's a well established older one. Luya in Uganda new she and put the war, many other across the continent and which have been described and, you know, more visible now in the last 10 years or so. Good. African English is that's another interesting thing we have colonial legacy between the global English based on education. But what is really interesting is the access to English on the one hand, it's, there's an elite formation element so English is accessible mainly to education and social elites, but it's also seen as modern sometimes neutral. And then we have what I call it the appropriation of English, we have varieties in South African English Nigerian English, and they become much more, much more positively associated with with the speakers than they used to be in the past so you know, a heavy weight on African literature and from from Ghana who writes in 65 the price of what language must be prepared to pay is to submit to any kind of use and then he says, the African writer should aim at fashion English in is what I mean, English has to be owned by the African right and become an African language, even though it remains a bold language so that's a really strong claim. And that is mirrored in 2010 tree by, by Jim Amanda and Bozio Adichiel you've you've read. I'm sure this is at so she's a source honorary graduate I think that's what it's called. And she said in 2020 my English speaking is not not not British not American Australian. And she said I've taken ownership of English there's a whole discourse of ownership and appropriation around English happening at the moment. And this is just an example of in English we have age the North African is it is it English, the pigeon BBC pigeon there's now a website news channel on on the BBC in pigeon and then write and suggest a colleague of ours, writing on on Kenyan English. Good. So, to, to bring that up this is what I mean with the language we have like the presence on the web we have literacy. I have never Alexander here because he was a great proponent of African languages, who passed away in language activist, who was very very keen on getting African languages out and in a sense he passed away in 2012 but I think he would be happy to see the development even over the last 10 years, in terms of public appeal. Good. And then my second case study isn't I, you know, yeah, I think it's just about half past I do that quickly. This is now a project we've done here on covered 19 with, I mean the project is wider we looked at, I think, around 15 languages or so. And I'm focusing here on the three African languages in there which was, we looked at the Nigerian community. And so that's Nigerian right we looked at the Saudi community and the Somali community. And, but, but so this is it's a UK I funded that is notes, it's a UK's United Kingdom research something I don't know what sense so but it's public but it's government money effectively. So we got a project to focus on 17 languages. Because speakers of community languages are disproportionately affected by covered 19. And there's many reasons for that but one reason might be information. And then be focused particularly on London because London is extremely complex in terms of the linguistic diversity. So we have here some primary results from the focus groups on Somali Swain Indian community. So the Somali community, but came out when working with the community says that what is really important is that family links. And there's a difference between how, how long people have been here and how much contact they have back to the family, in terms of their understanding and reaction to covered 19. And the other thing is, is affectedness of the UK at the beginning of the pandemic. There was an overall feeling that covered 19 hit the UK much more strongly than Somalia. And there were people to go back to Somalia, in order to avoid covered 19 at this link between how affected is the UK and by extension maybe Europe, and how affected is African African countries. So it's a really important theme running through all these conversations, and people trying to make sense of it what that means for themselves for the community, and and which information to to believe on to believe in. So, and another thing which came from the Somali community, the GP that general practitioner their local doctor was seen as a reliable source of information. And that was not the case across all the community spoke to it was interesting that the Somali community, and of course it's based on only a few interviews. I think, I mean, so we had like research as each community I think this is probably about 20. So it's not not representative it's qualitative research, but this was quite a strong feeling we got from from the work we did. So Mali language information which was provided by many counts that wasn't maybe as efficient as we would have thought many people didn't receive that information. And there's an issue of written versus spoken language many people would have preferred spoken language and that's also the social media comes in so that's next bullet point. Lots of information comes to to to what's up in particular. And there of course you have voice voice messages as well. And but it also may come to other social media channels where we have recordings in videos. So it's away from the from the written language. So this was really important as well taking that up. Moving to the Swahili community. That's really interesting if you if you follow the Swahili policy, the president of Swahili from 2015 to 2021 and was president Maghufuli and he was known as a covered denier. He said covered doesn't exist it's all a hoax certain doesn't accept Tanzania. There was no covered policy at all neither vaccination or distancing in Tanzania. Until Maghufuli himself passed away, chances are of covered in 2021 and the new president Samir Hassan that has changed up quite a bit so she has joined under her leadership Tanzania has joined covax the international vaccination program, but but so when we conducted our research at the Swahili was that empowered there was a real difficulty for the Tanzania particular Tanzania coming to here in London about this very strong anti covered rhetoric coming from Tanzania and their families back home and they and they, you know, the UK and wider European global news about covered as a real serious risk and the local discourses here, and people were really caught between on the one hand, you know, taking some from the Tanzania not taking very serious in London on the other and warning family and friends back home and Tanzania about look take it more seriously than what appears to be happening from your discourse so there's a real international exchange and again social media was absolutely important. And also be found that there was quite a bit of stigmatization avoidance language people didn't want to talk about covered 19. So there were there were ways to talk around that we're going to have a chunk of more the disease of breathing difficulties. And so, so also also death death reasons for this but sometimes maybe not quite reported in the way they would have been medically precisely because of the stigma associated with it. And that's of course again we've seen that lots of other communities, including in both the north and the south and social networks play a role. Vaccine that was interested at lots of work on vaccines. Lots of people say I'll wait a bit longer so there was also that that element. The herbal remedies it was, it was a brew at the steam you know people put the pot and then used inhaled the steam made from lemons and other other herbs. So this was quite important that that played the longer there was lots of discussion to what extent, to what extent it's dangerous because people, people feel like this is really cure to what extent it's actually beneficial, or to what extent it's not really beneficial but it's quite harmless. There was lots of discussion about this but this really made the round and social media as well. And then finally moving on to the Algerian community. There was, was quite a bit of distrust of official Algerian sources and Arabic more widely there was a real sense, at least in the Algerian community members we work with who said that the language of this is English. So I don't trust Algerian or Arabic information that was really interesting, because it also meant that NHS information UK information in Arabic was seen as less reliable than almost the same information in English so there's a real language attitude issue a language ideology issue which which came up here. And then the normal networks that was done in Algerian Arabic and that changes it slightly, but then again people said you know this is, this is not, you know this, you know, this is not it's not even modern standard Arabic so it's not written. So I don't really rely on that for for accurate information about the disease. Whereas English was was seen as more positive and trusting the information in English trusting trusting the NHS. And then the final thing really trust was really, really important. And interested, I said earlier the Tanzanian comments normally somebody said GP wasn't it was a was a person of trust authority if you're like the Algerian community didn't have that they say we're not sure about our GPS. I, you know, I prefer, I prefer online information, or indeed I find it really difficult to trust the trust was a big issue there as well. To conclude the results of recommendation, different language communities have their own dynamics, and in the sense health communication has to be has to take that and take out. And also what we found that health communication is a two way street it's about both providing information, but also understanding community discourses but comes from the communities. And then for for information, the discrimination information, we found that choice of language is important register also mode is a written spoken signed and the choice of channel in terms of officially in informal social media is important the, the community leaders and authorities, people of authority, played a big role as well so it was fascinating it's still going on if you want to get engaged with that we have, you know, we with the team is still there we continue working. We're still doing dissemination types and in fact we have to meeting just yesterday, a sort of UK wide little conference and we have another conference coming up. Actually at the end of April I can send information about that that you know it's a public conference. If you're interested in that sort of stuff you're very very welcome to come along to that. And with that I'm done I end with an aerial view of Nairobi, and moving back into East Africa. And I think I'm going to stop sharing my screen now. And I'm happy to, to have some, and some questions, or indeed comments and oh there's be that I'm very pleased either that you can join us. I said that earlier that we are very lucky joining from other meetings and this has a busy schedule today. Ida is a colleague, Ida Hajiwanis is a colleague of mine in the Africa section, who is in charge of our Swahili program and actually she's also the convener of the MA African studies so she knows the program better better than I do but I, you know, we know we checked I mean the information I've given was correct. I'm fine with that, but she can speak to that as well. Very good thanks everyone. On the chat please do share the conference details thank you, Ida I was just talking about the COVID, our COVID project conference with Nanna is organizing in the end of April yes I do that just now I see I see what I can find it now now. Otherwise Rachel do we have a chance to send people information afterwards. I'm going to meet myself there. Yes, yeah we can follow up with them. And so that everyone knows as well we will be sending some sort of further information over the coming weeks. We do have another session and have a live chat session. It's on the 13th of April, and it's an opportunity if anyone has any queries more about the sort of application or the entry requirements sort of that side of things. So yeah if anyone has any further questions now about the course or what that's talking about and you know please do. But any sort of student recruitment questions we can we can come back to those at that date. So I can't easily find find the conference details I'm afraid but yeah, Rachel pass them on to you once we have them as you if you can. Oh of course feel free to email me I can put my email address in the chat. And so that's awesome if you have other other questions on any of that stuff. But, and any other question anybody wants to say speak put something in the chat. Because as we have a little bit of I'm actually I'm really curious about what you make of this language language stuff. I asked you at will the slides be circulate I yeah I'm happy to put a PDF together. Yep we've also recorded this session as well so we will also be sharing that as well, showing that as well. There's a lot of information about the upcoming session as well and sort of a link to it as well so yes to it and all of that will be available in the coming weeks and we'll share that by email with you. And then there's this and it's a chat from link from can be as his social sciences graduate apply to the course either do you want to speak to that. Yes, yeah no definitely yes I mean you isn't like I think if you have interest in Africa. If if if your grades sort of like are what you're looking for then please do apply, especially I mean, this is when you're going to be focusing on your niche on the area of interest that you have. So social sciences and Africa I think they, they match really well together so link from sham please do apply yes. No I quite I quite to get effect you know I said earlier what one one of the beauty I think one of the beauties of doing a regional studies degree is that you are more at liberty on the discipline side so so this interdisciplinary is really important for us so. So, so I yeah I mean, I mean social sciences got you are certainly welcome but but I think on the one that you can strengthen your social sciences but it also gives the chance then to dip a little bit in the arts and humanities and broaden your disciplinary base while having this really strong regional in Africa, which allows to do that but as a fun as an as an applicant yes absolutely welcome. Yes, and I think, okay because we have the dissertation, which is a time that allows you to focus on, on things that really interest you you could probably bring in something from your bachelor's degree and and and focus it into Africa yes. Definitely. Can, can you just ask for in this, you know, in your in your, you know, particular interest in particular African context like you know places you've been visited or you're interested in our languages you've learned or speaker interest in. Yes, does this stuff about the language Renaissance does that does that resonate do you feel like, like the youth stuff they strong youth demographic that in a lot of public discourses is, you know, run by you but there's also an element of access to political power. And, and that that's coming up also with social media. The other thing which is really interesting is of course the Arab spring which we had a few years ago, which was also really it was a very grass root type thing a very social media type thing. And runs through Arabic does. Is that something which resonates with your experiences. Just just type type in the chat, you know, I don't want to particular put people on the spot but it would just be just be interesting. In the meantime, also, yes, if you have questions, of course, all welcome other also put it to assistant ongoing research Center for African Studies, yes, to Guinness and experience research for potential potential PhD student. Thank you for mentioning that I happen to be in my other, not my other life but another role I have. I'm the head of our doctoral school so I'm, you know, overseeing if you like our PhD community so I'm very, very pleased to hear that of course that's the other other, you know, the trajectory of the masters we haven't talked about that but that's, you know, it's an interesting question. So the American studies equips you obviously for all kinds of professional careers linked in any and ever so many different ways to Africa if you want to work on the continent. That's a good way if you, you know, if you want to work here but with African folks, and lots of our graduates at end up also, you know, maybe not working specifically with Africa but it's just the skills they acquired during the MA. It's, you know, it's the analysis it's the it's the really interdisciplinary. It's the engagement with a particular dynamic continent even if you then don't work in that context that in itself is useful for employers, but there's also the academic route which then prepares you for PhD study. And so that's certainly true. And we encourage that so a number of our master's students to continue them to the PhD level and and for African studies so as it's a good place for PhD research. And then also thank you for mentioning the Center for African Studies yes that's really important so that's that in a sense that's then you know it's based in the school where we all come together because as I said earlier a lot of Africa experts sit in different departments, but the Center for Africa Studies brings that together and indeed also Africa, people interested in Africa across the wider London, London area. And that's really, really active it's almost you can't keep track of it if you only had time to go to all the events the African Center for African Studies is doing. It would be really wonderful but there's something in a term time, at least once a week if not more than that you know there's talk seminars people coming together, some very specialized and local some sort of high profile type stuff. We also work with the Royal Africa Society which is an independent charity but they are very closely linked to so as well. And they they do very high profile things. And then, and then yes, I think certainly there's assistant ongoing research certainly get involved in research as projects. I think if that's something you're interested in there's always a opportunity to get involved in running events or you know to work to present your own thinking maybe if you have something which you think that might be interesting to share and to act with researchers. And then certainly I'm you know even from us at the PhD students we have quite a, and we're actually work on that as we speak but we have system in place and we're making even better for PhD students to get involved as research assistants and ongoing research project in in so to make that to make the administrative side of that easy at the moment it's a bit of a lots of paper form filling process which is discouraging. And so that should be much, much better next September and then you know we can, it's mainly for PhD students but I think we can also then look at master students as well it's not meant to be exclusive. And also you're about yes, you know, we're one of the 20 22 23. So that's so sorry that's the coming year. I think the answer that would be no, but you know what, where are we with the language. What what we're doing now is you know what we're looking at partnering with African universities and making these really meaningful sort of like partnerships. And so we're now talking to talking with the University of Ibadan, which is where Wallace and King things fall apart what's his name. You know I think my mind is in too many meetings and you know I went and so from 2023 we will be having we're planning to have classes with Ibadan with sort of like in terms of Europe and also with house that we have a new colleague joining us in September, but we will have house from the following year as well. So 2023 will be very exciting for West African languages. Right now we have Somali, Swahili, Zulu, Amharic, so it's more Eastern and Southern Africa, but from 2023 it would also be West Africa as well. I think I mean historically we've been very very strong in West Africa but I think we're going to a bit of a process of rejuvenation if you like, lots of people have retired left and retired and left. So we're building that up again but but I think for next year we probably won't be able to offer but you know for the following is for September 23 entry. That should be better. I'm Stuart I'm really sorry about that. You know, I mean one way of going around that I'm sure is go part time. So if you want don't want to delay you want to start with the MA in 2022 but you really want to West African language which I'm 100% sympathetic to and I think it's absolutely important. And that would be you do you front with the non language part and then start the language part in the second year that might be one way around. It's just unfortunate that for different reasons we ended up not having even one of them. This the coming year. Yes this year. I was going to say, we are still sort of like accepting applications Elizabeth. So if you're if you want to apply for September, please do apply although the applications have closed. But if you do send an application it is sent to both of us. And we're okay reviewing them so please apply like if you want to do it. By this weekend, please do. And with the amount of Belly. No, no, we are we are working with with kind with kind of. But, but I mean, I mean kind of used to be a, you know, what is it a little college under our model and then they became independent. So I don't know quite again just by personal connections and you know we ended up having closer links there. But again with a new colleague coming Carmen she is called with Carmen coming and she has her own links in northern a geo she spent lots of lots of time in house alone so she she I'm sure she has. I mean, we have contact with that I'm out of Bello it just, it just for some reason or the other the formal agreement is with cannot rather than with Saria. But I buy my personal hopes is that the future for house that sauce is really quite bright we, we fought about we were so strong historically. And we, you know, we did like fundraising activities we did the collaboration but it's it's difficult it's partly, you know, party modern languages not just African languages is a bit of a difficult area at the moment across the UK. I mean, lots of university modern language departments are sort of trying to see how they, you know, how they continue with what they're doing. And so I think our transitions party hit by that as well but I think I think, you know, I think we probably hit the problematic and we addressed whatever that was and go out of stronger hopefully. I think there is a lot of commitment to Africa and African studies within the institution. Our new director you may have seen, it's still new or ish. And he is he is from South Africa so he was the, the vice chancellor of the University of the Witzwater's Rant and Johannesburg before joining source and he, he has a very strong decolonizing giving back to the continent Africa focused agenda. And I think we can piggyback on that and the links which we established at the source overall, then get the get the languages in there as well. And it's so it's be it's by your university kind of be okay that's our main main partner at the moment. Yeah. Okay. Well, I think we can probably wrap it up there if that's okay with everyone. And thank you again for academics for joining us today and for delivering that really interesting session, and also to our participants for joining us. I hope to be welcoming you to sell us very soon. And please continue to keep checking your emails from so as like I said there's a few things coming up. So we can make sure to let you know about them, but wishing you all enjoyable rest of the day and take care.