The Royal African Society is uniquely placed to connect you with a diverse network of African professionals and Africa experts across the academic, business, political, arts and education sectors. Our friendship membership scheme if for anyone who wants to support our core charitable work whilst enjoying a wide range of exclusive members-only benefits.

Connect

• Joint membership with the African Studies Association of the UK (ASAUK), the primary organisation that facilitates links between UK and African institutions and scholars.
• Opportunities to network with like-minded people interested in Africa and establish professional connections and partnerships.
• Share and receive news in our members’ newsletters.

Learn

• Subscription to African Affairs, the world’s top-rated African Studies journal (worth £82).
• Access to SOAS Library, the world’s largest reference library on Africa (worth £200).
• Discounted tickets to the ASAUK Biennial Conference (worth £85).

Debate 

• Free or discounted entry to our programme of public events, where we tackle some of the most pressing issues affecting the continent today.
• Opportunity to feed into the advocacy and policy work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Africa, which we administer.

Celebrate

• Priority booking and discounted tickets to our cultural festivals Africa Writes and Film Africa.
• Exclusive invitations to high-profile celebratory events, such as the reception with our Royal Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales, and other members-only events.

Extra benefits

• Discounts on subscriptions to other journals and publications, including the Africa Confidential newsletter (30% off 1st year + consecutive discount deal), the African Arguments Insider’s newsletter (30%) and selected books with publishers James Currey and Boydell & Brewer.
• Third party discounts brokered through our partnerships.

Support our work

• As a Friend, your enhanced contribution makes a big difference to our charitable mission of amplifying African voices and interests and facilitating mutual understanding between people in the UK, Africa and the wider world.

Have you considered becoming a Lifetime Member of the Royal African Society? Our Lifetime Membership is for those who are real advocates of the Royal African Society’s values and mission and want to support the organisation’s work for years to come. Find out more about how to become a Lifetime Member here.

Am I eligible?

Anyone studying in Further or Higher Education institutions in the UK or their equivalents abroad is eligible for student membership of the Royal African Society. You will just need to submit a letter from your institution confirming that you are a student. Once you finish your course, you can become an Individual Member.

Questions?

If you have any questions about joining, please check our Frequently Asked Questions or get in touch at ras_membership@soas.ac.uk.