The Africa Institute enjoys a unique position in the modern century, given the fact that it has been charged with the study and documentation of Arab-African interactions. Conveniently located in Sharjah, UAE, where the first symposium on African and Arab relations was held, the institution seeks to build on the seeds sown decades ago. The Africa Institute strives to achieve this by offering postgraduate programs while being committed to hosting events that are suited for the general public.Speaking about the general view of Africa and the Arab Gulf region, the institutes spokesperson commented, “It has become too common for medieval and modern scholars to look at Africa and the Arab Gulf region as two separate entities in their studies. This has been despite the fact that most of these works ultimately show two regions that have long been wed to each other. Right from the close geographical proximities, deep historical roots, and massive cultural exchanges, these are people connected both in the past and present.”
Hosting events has become the platform for The Africa Institute to reach out to society and bring to light the many discoveries made by the scholars. It has also been a way of raising awareness in crucial areas and calling for ideas from scholars in the academic field. These efforts saw The Africa Institute host the Global Africa conference on March 12 to 14th 2019, in the newly rebuilt Africa Hall, where the first symposium was held. This conference brought scholars from across the world who presented papers assessing the state of African and African diaspora studies in the modern age.
Talking about the massive success of the Global Africa conference, the institute’s spokesperson said, “In the recent decades, there has been a significant shift by scholars on their approach to African studies given the new areas of interests in different fields. What began as a small spark has become a large fire that has had tremendous impacts and cannot be ignored today. The Global Africa conference created the perfect platform where the future of these studies could be analyzed. It was the perfect place to foster a conversation that has long been ignored and set a mark point for similar discussions in the coming years.”
The year 2020 has begun on a high note for The Africa Institute as it continues to make massive strides to accomplish its founding goals while building the new generation of thinkers. A number of events have already been hosted at the institution with a focus on topics that have attracted much attention. The Africa Institute still has a lot planned for the year and has made it convenient for everyone to keep in touch with the latest events.
About The Africa Institute
The Africa Institute has since its launch taken the path to become an institution of excellence that will further African studies and be a point of connection to the society by regularly hosting value-driven events.