The Sharjah-based Africa Institute has announced that the Indian Ocean region will be the third edition of its “country-focused season,” an annual initiative that explores an African country or African diaspora community through a variety of of academic and public programs.
After two successful seasons focused on Ethiopia and Ghana, the 2022-2023 season is titled “Thinking Archipelago: The Indian Ocean Islands of Africa.”
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app..
The multidisciplinary lecture series is organized by The Africa Institute in collaboration with leading scholars Jeremy Prestholdt, Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego; Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf, Professor of Anthropology, Georgetown University in Qatar; and Uday Chandra, Assistant Professor of Government, Georgetown University in Qatar.
Building Terrain II (2012) Type C digital print by Naiza Khan. (Courtesy: The Africa Institute)
The four-part conference will explore core themes examining and reimagining circulation, mobility, race and slavery, ecological change, and cultural production through the lens of the islands of Africa by hosting panel discussions, screenings of movies, musical performances, theater and more.
“These issues deserve consideration not only in comparison to other regions of the world but also because, unlike its Atlantic and Mediterranean counterparts, the Indian Ocean’s unique nexus of translocal relationships has never received the attention it deserves,” said Professor Prestholdt.
“The Islands have always been comprehensive spaces for exchange. As crucial points of contact with societies inside and outside Africa, they have been the main conduits through which people, goods and ideas move, especially in the context of the monsoons and maritime worlds,” said the Professor Abusharaf.
Professor Chandra adds: “From the immense scale and ecological diversity of Madagascar to the compact urban environment of the island of Mozambique and the centrality of Mombasa in the East African economy, the islands have profoundly shaped African history. The social environments of islands such as Zanzibar, Lamu, Seychelles, Mauritius, and the Comoros have contributed to unique forms of literary production, music, dance, film, aesthetics, and art forms in dialogue with continental and more distant societies. The islands have also faced a variety of environmental challenges, from cyclones and tsunamis to rising sea levels and the devastation of marine ecologies due to climate change.
Ghanaian hip-hop artist M.anifest performs at the Africa Institute’s second country-focused season Global Ghana in March 2022. (Supplied)
To resonate with the country-focused season, The Africa Institute has collaborated with Pakistani artist Naiza Khan to use her imagery to visually represent the Indian Ocean monsoon circularities and what it represents as a motley mix of power, colonial history and collective memory. . .
The inaugural event themed “Reimagining Mobilities/Immobilities in the Indian Ocean” will take place in Sharjah at The Africa Institute on December 15-17, 2022, with three subsequent iterations to take place in 2023 at selected island locations in the Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean and in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
interdisciplinary research institute
Established in 2018, The Africa Institute in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, is an interdisciplinary academic research institute dedicated to the study, research and documentation of Africa and the African Diaspora.
As the only institution of its kind located in the Gulf, the historic nexus of African-Arab cultural exchange, the Africa Institute is uniquely positioned to broaden its understanding of African studies and the African diaspora as a global enterprise. The Institute is conceived as a research-based think tank and postgraduate institution, whose goal is to train a new generation of critical thinkers in African studies and the African Diaspora.
Read more: Sharjah to host workshop on West Sudan Community Museums project
