Royal African Society

Royal African Society
Name	Royal African Society
Formation	1938
Type	Learned society; charity
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom; Africa
Leader title	President

Royal African Society

The Royal African Society is a London-based learned society and charity focused on the study and promotion of African affairs, cultural exchange, and policy engagement. Founded amid interwar networks of scholars and activists, the society has collaborated with institutions across Africa and beyond, engaging with figures associated with Pan-Africanism, decolonization, and transnational cultural movements. Its work intersects with scholars, diplomats, journalists, artists, and policymakers from institutions such as SOAS University of London, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the British Library, and international organizations.

History

The society emerged in 1938 from antecedent bodies and networks linked to the Royal Geographical Society, the Institute of African Studies (Ghana), and scholarly circles around Claude McKay and C. L. R. James, responding to debates that involved the League of Nations, the aftermath of the Scramble for Africa, and trajectories shaped by the First World War and the Second World War. During the mid-20th century the society connected with decolonization movements and leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta, Haile Selassie, and intellectuals such as Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, while hosting exchanges involving diplomats from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. In the 1960s and 1970s the society partnered with universities including Makerere University, University of Ibadan, and University of Dar es Salaam and engaged with international agencies such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth. In later decades it responded to the end of apartheid, engaging with activists linked to Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and NGOs working in the era of postcolonial policy debates.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission encompasses scholarly research, cultural programming, and policy dialogue across domains affecting African states and diasporas, collaborating with partners such as African Union, Economic Community of West African States, United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and academic centers like Brookings Institution and Chatham House. Activities include fostering links among scholars associated with Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, New York University, and African institutions such as University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University. The society supports interdisciplinary engagement across literature connected to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, economic policy debates referencing Paul Collier and Dambisa Moyo, health initiatives tracing work by Paul Farmer-adjacent networks, and cultural collaborations with artists who have exhibited at the Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Art (United States).

Publications and Media

The society publishes journals, commentary, and online media that intersect with publishers and platforms like Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, The Guardian, The New York Times, BBC World Service, and Al Jazeera. Its flagship magazine has featured contributors ranging from historians aligned with Basil Davidson and John Iliffe to contemporary writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Tsitsi Dangarembga, and Aminatta Forna. It commissions policy briefs that dialogue with researchers from International Crisis Group and Human Rights Watch, and curates content in partnership with museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum and archives such as the National Archives (UK).

Events and Programmes

The society organizes lectures, symposia, and festivals in collaboration with cultural institutions including the British Museum, the Southbank Centre, and the Royal Festival Hall, and academic partners such as King's College London and Imperial College London. Regular programmes include lecture series featuring speakers linked to African Development Bank, panels involving journalists from The Economist and The Financial Times, and creative residencies with artists showcased at the Serpentine Galleries and the Royal Opera House. It runs fellowships and mentoring schemes that mirror initiatives by Princeton University and Yale University and partners with philanthropic foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.

Governance and Funding

Governance follows a trustee framework similar to charities registered under UK law and has seen chairs and presidents drawn from diplomatic, academic, and philanthropic circles connected to Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Nations Development Programme, and British universities. Funding sources have included donations from foundations like the Carnegie Corporation, project grants from bodies such as the European Commission, corporate partnerships with firms operating in Africa and support from cultural bodies like Arts Council England. Accountability and governance practices reference standards promoted by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and engage auditors and legal advisers with experience in international nonprofits.

Notable Fellows and Associates

The society’s fellows and associates have included an array of figures from African political life, literature, academia, and diplomacy: leaders and statespeople such as Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta, Haile Selassie, Julius Nyerere; writers and intellectuals including Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ama Ata Aidoo, Nadine Gordimer; scholars like Basil Davidson, John Iliffe, Paul Collier; activists and lawyers such as Desmond Tutu, Wangari Maathai, Dambisa Moyo; journalists and broadcasters connected to BBC World Service, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and The New York Times; and artists and curators whose work has been shown at the Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, and British Museum.

Category:Learned societies of the United Kingdom Category:Charities based in London