Editorial

Abstract

The reader keeps in hand the Summer 2013 issue of “Afrika Tanulmányok”, the Hungarian Journal of African Studies. As everywhere in the world we also commemorate that fifty years ago, on May 25, 1963 the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor organization of the African Union was established. In our later issues we obviously will deal with the events of the Budapest Africa Forum, held June 6-7, 2013, and scheduled for this very occasion. This was the first such large-scale event in Hungary and hopefully it had helped to focus the attention of both the experts and of the wider public on the ever-growing importance of the African continent. To celebrate is great but the real substance is always in the labourious weekdays. If right now everybody leans back contentedly and will be (just) satisfied with the success of the Forum and of the large number of additional events organized for the occasion, e.g. the African Film Festival, then, the wanted breakthrough we will not achieve again, just like so many times in the past, the “black continent” will not come closer to us in our intellectual horizons and ways of thinking. With our actual issue we would like to contribute to the necessary pursuits. Our authors did everything in this issue again for the accurate and insight information. Sándor Csizmadia in his article gives us guidelines to see clear in the old but now very actual Mali conflict. The war has been going on since decades with more or less intensity, nevertheless it is not well known by us. The article of Mária Béres about the mathematic “merriments” of the African continent is already the third in a row, it is extremely interesting and not only for the lovers of mathematics! Zsuzsánna Biedermann writes about Rwanda and Helga Eisenbeck about the African cultural heritage, both authors in wider international context. András Vojnits remembers the two Telekiexpeditions, one 125, the other 25 years ago, in the later he himself also participated. Our actual issue is completed by the traditional sections of book reviews and reflections. We wish you a good time with us!

Gábor Búr
editor-in-chief