The Africa Institute serves as a globally-oriented, interdisciplinary academic research institute dedicated to the study, research, and documentation of Africa; its people and its cultures; its complicated past, present, and future; and its manifold connections with the world. The Centre for African and African Diaspora studies also examines the historical and contemporary linkages between Africa and the Arab Gulf region, demonstrating that geographic proximity and economic and cultural exchanges over millennia have long connected Africa and the Arab Gulf. The Africa Institute offers both Masters and Ph.D. Programmes.Responding to a query, the institute spokesperson said, “Recent studies demonstrate that geographic proximity and economic and cultural exchanges over millennia have long wed Africa and the Arab Gulf region. Both modern and medieval scholars have often conceived of these spheres as largely separate entities.” He further added that “the two regions share fascinating and deep historical roots that influence both past and present events, including migratory patterns, policy shifts, market-based economic fluctuations, and local and global political changes. That is why AI decided to specialize in the linkage.”
The Africa Institute in Sharjah has held several successful events in the recent past. In September 2018, the institute held, 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction symposium. It aimed at revisiting the original 5-plus-1 exhibition curated by Frank Bowling in 1969. AI held The Axis of Solidarity: Landmarks, Platforms, Futures conference in February 2019 in Tate Modern, London, UK. This conference aimed to bring together scholars, writers, curators, researchers, and artists to reflect on the international solidarity movements that emerged in the second half of the twentieth Century during processes of decolonization in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Speaking during an interview, the institute director, Hassan, said, “The Institute is a universal institute for African studies,” says Hassan. “It will incorporate Afro-Arab relations and more. Africa is not just a continent, but rather, a global presence, because of universal migration and slavery and colonization and migration of people. It’s not just about the past, but African people as they move today. It will also evaluate factors such as water rights, civic studies, and migration.”
An international conference, Global Africa: African and African Diaspora Studies in the 21st Century, was held by the institute in March 2019. The Global Africa conference focused on assessing the current state of African and African Diaspora studies and interrogating new theoretical approaches through a range of interdisciplinary perspectives. The meeting lasted for three days at the Africa Hall, Sharjah, UAE. Scholars in African and African Diaspora studies from across the globe were invited to present papers in their respective disciplines and specializations towards the shared goal of appraising their fields in their past, present, and future iterations.
About Africa Institute
AI is as a cultural and academic unique addition to the study of Africa and its diaspora, in addition to its unique emphasis on Afro-Arab historical relations and linkages. It aims to accomplish this through research, teaching, and contribution to the development of related academic disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.