Uppsala Africa Days 2026 draws 150 participants

Uppsala Africa Days 2026 was a joint event between Uppsala University's Forum for African Studies, the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The conference on May 21-22, 2026 brought together 150 researchers, students and practitioners around a common theme: "Towards Transformative Collaborations". This year's conference edition was characterized by a broad academic program where interdisciplinary perspectives were at the center, and where both established researchers and doctoral students in the Uppsala School of Africa Studies contributed new insights.

Divine Fuh från University of Cape Town gave a keynote that touched on the decolonization of knowledge and the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations.

The academic presentations reflected a breadth of current issues within African studies. Panels highlighted both challenges and innovative solutions in different regional contexts. At the same time, several presentations focused on sustainable development, where climate change, urbanization and resource management were discussed in relation to local and global policy processes.

A clear element was the emphasis on knowledge production in and about Africa. Several researchers problematized power relations within academia and called for more equal research collaborations. The discussions moved beyond traditional North-South perspectives and instead pointed towards partnerships characterized by reciprocity and local anchoring.

Kajsa Hallberg Adu, Research Coordinator at Forum, says:

- "This year's theme really permeated the program and created a common thread between the presentations. Issues from widely different areas such as attitudes towards migrants, diagnostics and social change were linked through analyses of how African actors shape – and are shaped by – academic collaboration. This made Uppsala Africa Days 2026 an important meeting place for critical reflection and knowledge exchange."

In summary, this year's event demonstrated the strength of academic dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and geographical contexts. By highlighting both theoretical and empirical contributions, Uppsala Africa Days helped to deepen both the understanding of Africa's complex and dynamic role in the world today and of Uppsala as a hub for African studies.