Africa is a Country; the academic edition

Between them Wayne Marshall and Martin Murray pointed me to these 2 panels at the recent annual meeting of the American Geographical Association that took place here in New York City:

Africa is not a country: Challenges and opportunities in teaching about Africa I (Sponsored by Graduate Student Affinity Group, Geography Education Specialty Group, Africa Specialty Group)

Room: Carnegie Suite East, Sheraton, Third Floor (Panel Session)
ORGANIZER(S): Ryan Good, University of Florida; Amelia Duffy-Tumasz, Rutgers University
CHAIR(S): Kathleen Dietrich
Panelists: Seth Appiah-Opoku, University of Alabama;
Janet Puhalla, Saginaw Valley State University;
James Saku, Frostburg State University;
Ibipo Johnston-Anumonwo, SUNY Cortland;
Veronica Ouma, Hofstra University

Africa is not a country: Challenges and opportunities in teaching about Africa II (Sponsored by Graduate Student Affinity Group, Geography Education Specialty Group, Africa Specialty Group)

Room: Carnegie Suite East, Sheraton, Third Floor (Panel Session)
ORGANIZER(S): Ryan Good, University of Florida; Kathleen Dietrich
CHAIR(S): Amelia Duffy-Tumasz, Rutgers University
Panelists: Jennifer Bjerke, Rutgers;
Sarah Smiley, Kent State University at Salem;
Hilary Hungerford, University of Kansas;
William Y. Osei, Algoma University

Anybody who attended and who has some feedback?

Further Reading

Atayese

Honored in Yorubaland as “one who repairs the world,” Jesse Jackson’s life bridged civil rights, pan-Africanism, empire, and contradiction—leaving behind a legacy as expansive as it was imperfect.

Bread or Messi?

Angola’s golden jubilee culminated in a multimillion-dollar match against Argentina. The price tag—and the secrecy around it—divided a nation already grappling with inequality.

Visiting Ngara

A redevelopment project in Nairobi’s Ngara district promises revival—but raises deeper questions about capital, memory, and who has the right to shape the city.

Gen Z’s electoral dilemma

Long dismissed as apathetic, Kenya’s youth forced a rupture in 2024. As the 2027 election approaches, their challenge is turning digital rebellion and street protest into political power.

A world reimagined in Black

By placing Kwame Nkrumah at the center of a global Black political network, Howard W. French reveals how the promise of pan-African emancipation was narrowed—and what its failure still costs Africa and the diaspora.

Securing Nigeria

Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be solved by foreign airstrikes or a failing state, but by rebuilding democratic, community-rooted systems of collective self-defense.

Empire’s middlemen

From Portuguese Goa to colonial Kampala, Mahmood Mamdani’s latest book shows how India became an instrument of empire, and a scapegoat in its aftermath.