Africa

State, politics and society · International relations

The Nile: Between Arab and African Geopolitics

The Ethiopian mega dam on the Nile raises not only hydro-technical disagreement between Egypt and Sudan (downstream countries) and Ethiopia (the source of the Blue Nile); it also underscores latent contested perceptions of Arabs versus Africans. However, the Nile flow transcends this division.

State, politics and society

Coronavirus Update: The Middle East and North Africa

In this blogpost, LUCIS brings together short updates on the impact of COVID-19 in countries in the MENA region, written by experts on and researchers in the countries listed. New entries will be added as they arrive.

Art, literature and media

“Knowledge is Richness beyond Wealth”

(Elimu ni utajiri kuliko mali) An investigation into the private library of Mahmoud Mau inspires new research on Islamic intellectual history and the Swahili poetic production of coastal Kenya.

Moonsighting

On 12 September Muslims celebrated the Sacrificial Feast. Every year uncertainty about the lunar date to which this feast is linked instigates religious disputes about the correct determination. The Nigerian book "Moonsighting" offers new insights.

Chrislam: Defying Nigeria’s Religious Boundaries

Nigeria, known for violent confrontations between Muslims and Christians, has also produced a movement that preaches the opposite: Chrislam.