By: Mabel Shu & Benjamin Abugri
From 25 to 28 June 2025, FARA and IDOS, through the INTERFACES Project, had the privilege of attending the 10th European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) in the vibrant city of Prague, Czech Republic. Hosted for the first time in Central Europe, ECAS 2025 was a historic gathering that marked the 10th anniversary of this prestigious forum. Under the theme “African, Afropolitan, and Afropean Belongings and Identities”, the conference brought together a rich diversity of scholars, practitioners and policy makers from around the globe to present and discuss possible solutions to crucial issues. The conference offered a dynamic platform to explore the evolving complexities of African identities across geographic, cultural and political spaces.
The opening ceremony which saw the participation of over 400 participants, was graced by the presence of a representative of the Minister of foreign affairs, Czech Republic, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, the outgoing and incoming presidents of the African Studies in Europe (AEGIS) and many other representatives from universities, development partners and research institutes in Europe, Africa and from across the other continents. The Dean expressed utmost gratitude to the organising team and acknowledged the curiosity and eagerness of participants in deepening their knowledge and exploring growth opportunities. “Our curiosity and drive to understand the world have never been deterred by distance,” he stated. The representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored the value of participation from African-based scholars in contributing to collectively understanding African, Afropean and Afropolitan realities. “Issues cannot be tackled if we misunderstand their true complexities and substance”, he highlighted.
Summary of Conference Events and Presentations
The preliminary list of panels for the ECAS 2025 side events revealed a vibrant and diverse programme, comprising 116 thematic panels and more than 900 individual presentations. These presentations were delivered by a wide range of contributors, including scholars, researchers, and practitioners from over 40 countries across Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. The programme reflected a strong interdisciplinary orientation and an inclusive academic culture that bridges continents, perspectives, and generations.
A significant number of presentations explored issues related to identity, belonging, and mobility. These discussions engaged deeply with the complexities of African, Afropolitan, and Afropean identities as constructed through migration, diaspora experiences, digital engagement, and generational memory. The notion of belonging—whether physical, cultural, or emotional—is interrogated through various lenses, including student mobilities, gendered narratives, and intergenerational transitions.
Decolonization and epistemic justice emerged as central themes across many panels. Presenters delved into efforts to decolonize African studies by challenging Eurocentric curricula and advocating for the recognition and integration of indigenous knowledge systems. These conversations were coupled with critical reflections on research methodologies and positionality, especially in complex or conflict, prone field contexts.
Environmental justice and climate change were also dominant concerns. Presenters highlighted the intersection of ecological degradation, resource conflicts, indigenous environmental governance, and climate, induced migration. Discussions ranged from the politics of green energy and extractivism to local conservation practices and community, based adaptations to climate stress.
Health and care systems were widely addressed, with sessions focusing on traditional medicine, cancer care, reproductive health, mental wellbeing, and health technologies such as drones. These topics were examined both in terms of access and the social dynamics of caregiving, often linking healthcare to broader cultural and political frameworks.
Political cultures, governance, and conflict, related issues also featured prominently. Panels investigated African political systems, state fragility, populist movements, and responses to global geopolitical shifts. Other presentations explored militarization, peacebuilding, African sovereignty, and citizen engagement, offering nuanced insights into how power is contested and negotiated in diverse African settings.
Digitalization and technology, related themes are gaining increasing scholarly attention, as evident in presentations on digital economies, social media, artificial intelligence, and digital activism. These conversations reflected on how Africans are using technology not only to build livelihoods and identities but also to resist exclusion and articulate alternative futures.
Ms. Cecile Poitevin of Center for Development Research (ZEF)
Gender and feminist perspectives cut across multiple panels, bringing attention to the lived experiences of African women, constructions of masculinity, LGBTQ+ identities, and the gendered dimensions of migration, care, and cultural production. These themes were analyzed in relation to social norms, political agency, and structural inequality.
The arts, culture, and literature panels offered rich engagements with African and diasporic storytelling, creative expression, and the politics of memory. Presenters employed innovative formats such as autoethnography, performance, and visual art to examine cultural production and resistance. These sessions demonstrated how artistic practices serve as powerful tools for narrating identity, contesting colonial legacies, and reimagining belonging.
Urbanization and development were explored through discussions on informality, infrastructure, city, and the evolving dynamics of African urban life. Presentations reflected on how people navigate, contest, and shape their urban environments in the context of global development narratives and local aspirations.
Science to Policy Communication Session
Sometimes, as researchers, we find it challenging to share or communicate our research with policymakers. The use of complex and technical language (jargon), the absence of actionable recommendations and the long and dense formats of research findings sometimes hinder the uptake of research in decision, making. The ability to bridge the gap between research and policy and between researchers and policymakers is crucial in addressing some of the global challenges confronting the world. This session, organised by the Nordic Africa Institute, delved into the Whys and Hows of Science to Policy Communication, providing practical tips for researchers and communicators on how to impact policymakers. It threw more light on issues such as mapping your target groups, combining texts and visuals and choosing the right channels. This session was a great eye-opener as it laid emphasis on the need to ‘wear the shoes’ of the policy makers and understand that there is a dire need to design publications in formats that are suited to fast paced policy environments where decisions are made quickly.
FARA & IDOS Event on the theme “From agricultural knowledge to innovation and adoption: Empowering smallholder farmers”
Organized by the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and moderated by Benjamin Abugri and Theodore Asimeng, this session sought to discuss measures for strengthening innovation systems and adoption among African smallholder farmers. It focused on three main challenges:
- Mainstreaming indigenous knowledge through participatory processes
- Promoting gender, responsive innovations
- Fostering youth, specific solutions
Dr. Theodore Asimeng of German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
As one of the lead papers, Mabel Shu from the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and Coordinator of the KM4AgD CoP presented on ‘Bridging the gap between research, policy, and practice through Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in African agriculture’. Her presentation highlighted the growing value of IK in addressing climate, biodiversity, and land management challenges, while noting its continued marginalisation. Findings from a Knowledge Café revealed key pitfalls, such as the exclusion of Indigenous Communities from research and policymaking, and the undervaluing of their contributions. Good practices included inclusive policymaking, community participation, and scientific validation of IK. A case study on the Zai pit system illustrated IK’s practical value. Mabel recommended respectful engagement, legal protections, and stronger partnerships to ensure IK is recognised, protected, and integrated into development efforts.
Mabel Shu from the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and Coordinator of the KM4AgD CoP
Other most intriguing presentations were those specifically addressing gender power dynamics and gender-responsive innovations in agriculture. One of them was the session on Gender Power Dynamics and Farmers’ Decision, Making in Sustainable Farm Management in Northern Ghana, that offered great insight into some of the everyday inequalities shaping agricultural practices. The presentation revealed that in many rural Ghanaian communities, gender is not just a social identity but a determinant of access to agricultural resources and authority from childhood through adulthood.
It traced how gendered roles begin early where boys typically inherit agricultural knowledge from their fathers, gaining hands-on experience and eventual decision-making authority over land and resources while girls on the other hand, are often socialized into supporting roles, with limited access to land, fewer agricultural options and constrained mobility. As women grow older, their challenges compound. Access to capacity, building opportunities remains unequal due to sex, segregated training programs and time constraints from household duties. Even in adulthood, men are more likely to control financial resources, prioritize the family farm, and move freely between markets, further reinforcing their dominance in sustainable decision, making.
The session on Gender, Responsive Innovations in Agriculture: Bridging North and Sub-Saharan Africa for Smallholder Empowerment spotlighted the urgent need to realign agricultural innovation with the lived realities of women farmers. Drawing on case studies from Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia, the discussion exposed how entrenched barriers such as insecure land tenure, gender, biased extension systems, and a disconnect between formal knowledge systems and local practices continue to limit women’s agricultural potential. Yet, amidst these challenges, local innovations are emerging with global relevance.
In addition to these, other sessions addressed youth participation in agriculture, bridging the gap between research, policy and practice through indigenous knowledge and features of grassroots agricultural innovation in Africa. Panellists broke down complex issues into simpler ones with the aim of addressing the root causes rather than symptoms.
Local solutions, global lessons
Major takeaways from the session were the following:
- Prioritise women’s land rights and access to agricultural resources
- Tailor extension services to meet women’s unique needs and time constraints
- Promote participatory innovation development that values local knowledge
- Facilitate knowledge exchange between North and sub-Saharan Africa to bridge systems and strategies
- Recognize women’s agency as central to driving sustainable agricultural change
- Farmer gendered social position influences adoption of sustainable practices
- Consider how conflict and insecurity impact gender roles in agriculture
These conversations offered a hopeful reminder that building resilient, inclusive agricultural systems demands more than technical solutions; it requires addressing the deeply embedded social and structural barriers that shape who gets to participate, lead and benefit from agricultural resources.
Overall, the ECAS 2025 demonstrated a robust commitment to interdisciplinary, decolonial, and participatory scholarship. There was a strong emphasis on intergenerational dialogue, community engagement, and the centrality of lived experiences in shaping research. The diversity of voices, themes, and methodological approaches reaffirms the conference’s relevance as a global platform for critical reflection and forward-looking conversations on Africa and its diaspora.
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