The Africanist Podcast

In this episode, Chelsy Monie and Dr. Susan Gagliardi (Emory University) discuss, the latter's recent monograph entitled Seeing the Unseen: Arts of Power Association on the Senufo-Mande Cultural "Frontier" (Indiana University Press, 2023) In this book, "art historian Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi examines tensions between the seen and unseen that makers, patrons, and audiences of arts in western West Africa negotiate through objects, assemblages, and performances. Gagliardi examines how ambiguity anchors design of the arts, and she shows that attempts to determine exact meanings miss the point. Specialists across western West Africa construct assemblages, installations, and buildings that hint at the possibility of revelation, but full disclosure remains unattainable. Specific activities and contexts integral to the design and use of the works often leave no visible trace" (IU Press). More about the host of this episode, Chelsy Monie here. 

In this episode, renowned Kenyan writer and thinker Ngūgī wa Thiong’o discusses crucial issues in African literature including the 1962 African Writers Conference in Kampala, language use and the specter of (neo)colonialism in literary productions and African development. He also talks about sociopolitical issues in contemporary Africa as well as personal challenges he’s faced in the past few years. Co-Host: Dr. Baba Badji (Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of French and the Department of English, Rutgers University)  Music by Xuman and Keyti. We thank Xuman and Keyti of the Journal Rappé for allowing us to use the songs below in this episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9edJOJa_O4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5MZnUbygGo   

On June 1, 2023, a criminal court in Dakar found opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko guilty of corrupting the youth while dropping the rape and death threats charges in a historic case opposing him to Adji Sarr. The verdict plunged the country into another popular uprising resulting in more than two dozen fatalities, hundreds of injured protesters, and detentions. In this conversation, journalist, Borso Tall and the host discuss the outcome of the Sonko v. Sarr verdict and their experiences with the June 2023 uprising in Dakar, Senegal.   

On June 1, 2023, a criminal court in Dakar found opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko guilty of corrupting the youth while dropping the rape and death threats charges in a historic case opposing him to Adji Sarr. The verdict plunged the country into another popular uprising resulting in more than two dozen fatalities, hundreds of injured protesters, and detentions. In this conversation, journalist, Borso Tall and the host discuss the outcome of the Sonko v. Sarr verdict and their experiences with the June 2023 uprising in Dakar, Senegal.

PART-TWO: What happened in Ngor last week, a small fishing village on the coast of Dakar, Senegal? What do we know about the death of Adji Diallo, a 15-year-old inhabitant of the village? Is the Senegalese justice system being weaponized against Ousmane Sonko and the opposition to invalidate his presidential bid? How can the legal saga against Sonko impact the 2024 presidential election in Senegal? Will President Macky Sall, run for a third candidacy? In this conversation, Chevening Scholar and freelance journalist, Borso Tall takes us into weeks of covering protest movements in Senegal and talking with protesters and victims' families. We also discuss the imbalance of the Senegalese judiciary and how it may impact the upcoming presidential election in 2024. Music (Diougou fi and Badola XXXL) by Keur Gui Crew

PART-ONE: What happened in Ngor last week, a small fishing village on the coast of Dakar, Senegal? What do we know about the death of Adji Diallo, a 15-year-old inhabitant of the village? Is the Senegalese justice system being weaponized against Ousmane Sonko and the opposition to invalidate his presidential bid? How can the legal saga against Sonko impact the 2024 presidential election in Senegal? Will President Macky Sall, run for a third candidacy? In this conversation, Chevening Scholar and freelance journalist, Borso Tall takes us into weeks of covering protest movements in Senegal and talking with protesters and victims' families. We also discuss the imbalance of the Senegalese judiciary and how it may impact the upcoming presidential election in 2024. Stay tuned for part two of the conversation. Music by Keur Gui Crew

In this episode, historian, Mariana Candido (Emory University), discusses her recent book entitled Wealth, Land, and Property in Angola: A History of Dispossession, Slavery, and Inequality (Cambridge University Press, 2022). In this conversation, Prof. Candido elaborates on the issues of women's land ownership, theories of "unoccupied lands and land surplus" as well as the power of written documentation under colonial rule in West-Central Africa.

In this episode, historian, Joel Cabrita  (Standford University), discusses her recent monograph Written Out: The Silencing of Regina Gelana Twala (Ohio University Press 2023) She explains how a Black South African woman (Regina Twala) was systematically erased from history and from the scholarly works she helped produced. Dr. Cabrita also discusses the issues of positionality, historical erasure, and academic misappropriation as obstacles that continue to impede knowledge production and dissemination.

In this episode, Ugandan social activist and scholar, Bwesigye Bwa Mwesigire (Institute of African Studies, Emory University), discusses the policing of social activism in contemporary Africa. He also shares his personal experience in an environment where violent attacks against activists are recurrent.  This conversation is part of a series on "Social Activism in Contemporary Africa" produced in the framework of the Ufahamu Africa Non-Resident Fellowship. It was first released on the Ufahamu Africa Podcast. You can listen to the first episode of the series here.  "What is the role of the radical intellectual in Uganda?" (by Bwesigye Mwesigire)

In this episode, Associate Professor of History, Tyler Fleming (University of Louisville) discusses his book Opposing Apartheid on Stage: King Kong the Musical  (University of Rochester Press 2020). "In 1959, King Kong, an interracial jazz opera, swept across South Africa and became a countrywide phenomenon. Its performances sold out, its LP record was widely heard, and its cast became recognized celebrities. Featuring an African composer, cast, and orchestra but predominantly white directors and producers, this interracial production seemed completely distinct from any other theatrical production in the country's history. Despite being staged over a decade after the enacting of apartheid, the interracial collaboration met widespread acclaim that bridged South Africa's racial, political, ethnic, and class fissures." https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781580469852/opposing-apartheid-on-stage/