ZIAF Partner Centres in Africa

ZIAF cooperates closely with two associated research centres in Africa: The Research Centre “Point Sud – Local Knowledge” in Mali and the Cultural & Museum Centre Karonga (CMCK) in Malawi. Both centres profit from long term teaching and research infrastructures reaching out to a broad audience. Together with researchers from both centres ZIAF has organised numerous events, such as summer and field schools. Both centres are vital for the implementation of new interdisciplinary teaching and research activities.

Research Centre “Point Sud – Local Knowledge” in Mali

Point Sud is an international, autonomous research institute dedicated to new forms of cooperation between “the South” and “the North” and “Southern” countries themselves. Based on an initiative of Malians of both local and overseas origin, the centre was established in cooperation with the University of Bayreuth, the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, and other academic institutions such as the École Des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris, and the Center for International and Area Studies of Yale University, USA.

On the one hand, „Point Sud” analyses interactions between local knowledge and practices, and national or global projects of modernisation and governance on the other. Point Sud supports research on cultural roots of local knowledge and related answers to local, national, and global. Therefore, one of the major projects of the institute is the systematic recording of oral traditions and other oral sources. The centre supports research projects which bring together researchers from all over the world and organises international seminars and colloquiums. Point Sud further grants financial support to young researchers and their projects. The centre is managed by Prof. Dr. Mamadou Diawara, professor of anthropology at Goethe University. Since 2004 Goethe University has financed the infrastructure of the centre Workshops and meetings are organised at the Research Centre Point Sud in the frame of the DFG-Programms Point Sud.

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Cultural & Museum Centre Karonga (CMCK) in Malawi

The Cultural & Museum Centre Karonga with its field research station Malema Camp is a unique research and educational facility dedicated to Africa’s natural and cultural heritage in Northern Malawi. Prof. Friedemann Schrenk of Goethe University Frankfurt and the Senckenberg Research Institute Frankfurt is one of the principle founders of the centre. With its exhibition “From Dinosaurs to Democracy” and a broad spectrum of learning opportunities the centre creates a space for education regarding both tertiary research as well as general public interest. The centre is extremely popular among Malawian schools and local as well as international visitors. Several international postgraduate schools of the Volkswagen Foundation have been hosted by the CMCK.

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