The Africanist Podcast

Bamba Ndiaye, PhD
  • 4.9 (10)
  • EDUCATION

This podcast investigates political, socio-economic, and cultural issues in contemporary Africa and the African Diasporas. It engages Africanist scholars, artists, activists, athletes, opinion leaders, business people, and ordinary citizens in a critical conversation about the challenges facing Africans and people of African descent.

  1. 1D AGO

    Mapping Defiance: Dr. Mark Deets on the Casamance Conflict

    This episode of The Africanist Podcast features a rich and thought‑provoking conversation with Dr. Mark Deets of the American University in Cairo, whose award‑winning monograph A Country of Defiance (Ohio University Press 2023) has reshaped scholarly understanding of the Casamance conflict in Senegal. In this episode, Dr. Deets walks listeners through the spatial and historical dynamics that have shaped the region’s long‑running struggle, offering a perspective that moves beyond conventional political narratives. His approach highlights how geography, memory, and local identity intersect to produce a conflict that is both deeply rooted and continually evolving. The discussion brings clarity to a topic that is often misunderstood, making it accessible without sacrificing analytical depth. The book is both grounded and expansive, weaving together archival insights, fieldwork experiences, and theoretical reflections.    Music: Jammu Africa by Ismaila Lo; Jaàm by Julien Juga ft. Doudou Ndiaye Rose

    1h 8m

  2. 12/08/2025

    Tanzania’s Political Crisis: State, Protest, and Consequences

    In this installment of our series Podcasting African Democracy, we sit down with Dr. Aikande Kwayu to unpack the turbulent aftermath of Tanzania’s recent presidential election. Marked by allegations of irregularities and contested legitimacy, the election sparked a wave of protests that revealed both the resilience and fragility of democratic practice in the country. Dr. Kwayu guides us through the complex interplay of state authority, citizen mobilization, and international scrutiny, highlighting how the protest movement has reshaped political discourse and exposed deep tensions between governance and grassroots demands. Together, we explore the consequences of this moment: the risks faced by protestors, the strategies of civil society, and the long‑term implications for Tanzania’s democratic trajectory. This conversation situates Tanzania’s crisis within broader debates about accountability, representation, and the future of African democracies.

    1h 8m

  3. 11/14/2025

    Textual Life: Shaykh Musa Kamara and the Politics of Knowledge

    In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Wendell H. Marsh (Mohammad VI Polytechnic University) to explore his groundbreaking book Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities (Columbia University Press, 2025). Marsh takes us deep into the intellectual world of Shaykh Musa Kamara, a towering figure of West African Islamic scholarship, whose bilingual manuscript History of the Blacks becomes a lens for examining colonial disruption, epistemic resistance, and the literary life of African thought. We unpack how Marsh reimagines African Islamic texts not as anthropological artifacts but as living documents of literary and philosophical engagement. From Kamara’s struggle to publish in colonial Senegal to the broader implications for postcolonial humanities, this conversation challenges us to rethink what counts as knowledge, who gets to preserve it, and how textual traditions shape futures across continents.

    58 min

  4. 10/25/2025

    Insistent Presence: Reimagining the Human Figure, Histories & Identities

    In this episode, Ph.D candidate, (in Art History) Margaret Nagawa discusses "Insistent Presence", her curated exhibition at Emory University's Michael Carlos Museum. "Drawn from the collections of the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and curated by Emory PhD candidate Margaret Nagawa, Insistent Presence features works of sculpture, painting, ceramics, and printmaking by 24 artists who have lived and work on the African continent and in the diaspora. The exhibition examines how artists have reimagined the human figure to pose questions about social and political histories, contested identities, and a possible future for how we relate to one another. The artists in the exhibition think about twenty-first-century ways of being in the world and invite us to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the worlds we inhabit." source: https://carlos.emory.edu/exhibition/Insistent-Presence   This episode was recorded on October 14, 2025. Music by: Ismaila Lo

    48 min

  5. 09/17/2025

    Taxed to the Limit: Kenya’s Youth Uprising and the Fight for Economic Justice

    This episode is the first installment of a new series entitled Podcasting African Democracy. It was recorded on August 5th, 2025. In this episode, we speak with Wairimu Gathimba — writer, researcher, and longtime organizer within Kenya’s social justice movement — about the mass protests that erupted in June 2025 following the commemoration of the 2024 controversial Finance Bill protest. From Nairobi to Kisumu, thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets, demanding transparency, accountability, and relief from crushing economic burdens. Wairimu breaks down the political stakes of the tax bill, the decentralized nature of the movement, and the role of digital mobilization in shaping a new era of civic resistance. We also explore the generational dynamics at play, the risks faced by protesters, and what this moment reveals about the future of Pan-African organizing. This is not just a story about taxes — it’s about reclaiming democracy, redefining leadership, and resisting austerity in a time of global economic pressure.   Co-host: Luccas Perez Editor(s): Luccas Perez

    47 min

  6. 07/09/2025

    Sonic Scholarship: Teaching, Research and the Academic Podcast

    In this special episode recorded live at the 2024 African Studies Association's Conference in Chicago, we delve into the vibrant world of academic podcasting with scholar-creators: Peter Alegi (Michigan State University), Bamba Ndiaye (Emory University), Reginold Royston (University of Wisconsin), Dean Rehberger (Michigan State University) and Michael Green. Drawing on their deep experience as researchers and podcasters, they share how podcasting can serve as a dynamic tool to disseminate scholarly work, foster critical pedagogy, and build public intellectual communities across borders. From practical insights on integrating audio storytelling into classrooms and research agendas to strategies for monetizing content and leveraging AI for streamlined production, the conversation unfolds as both visionary and grounded. The episode also highlights the flourishing of podcasting on the African continent, where creators are reimagining sonic archives and challenging the boundaries of scholarly communication. Whether you're new to academic podcasting or eager to take your work to the next level, this episode is your soundcheck for the future.

    58 min

  7. 06/23/2025

    Africanfuturism vs. Afrofuturism

    Step into the imaginative realms of Africanfuturism in this insightful episode featuring Prof. Kimberly Cleveland of Georgia State University in conversation with Bukunmi Bifarin (Emory University). Centered around Prof. Cleveland’s groundbreaking monograph, Africanfuturism: African Imaginings of Other Times, Spaces, and Worlds (Ohio University Press 2024), the discussion traverses speculative aesthetics, historical memory, and the creative force of African cultural expression. Together, they delve into how African artists, writers, and thinkers envision futures rooted in Indigenous knowledges, spiritual continuities, and alternative temporalities—disrupting colonial frameworks and offering new ways of seeing and being. This episode is an invitation to dream through the lens of the continent and its diasporas. Music: Ismaila Lo Episode Host: Bukunmi Bifarin Editor: Luccas Perez

    54 min

  8. 04/29/2025

    Projections of Dakar: A Conversation with Devin Bryson and Molly Krueger Enz

    In this episode, Profs Devin Bryson (Illinois College) and Molly Krueger Enz (South Dakota State University) discuss their co-authored monograph, Projections of Dakar: (Re) Imagining Urban Senegal Through Cinema (Ohio University Press 2024). “Projections of Dakar studies the audiovisual creations and practices of twenty-first-century Senegalese filmmakers living, working, and distributing their films in urban Senegal. Although some observers have described contemporary Senegalese cinema as a dying industry, this book shows that it retains great potential. Senegalese cinematic practitioners are forging unique, dynamic responses to social challenges and producing content in innovative forms.” Music: Africa by Ismaïla Lo             Ndakarou by Youssou Ndour

    1h 19m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

This podcast investigates political, socio-economic, and cultural issues in contemporary Africa and the African Diasporas. It engages Africanist scholars, artists, activists, athletes, opinion leaders, business people, and ordinary citizens in a critical conversation about the challenges facing Africans and people of African descent.

Information

  • Creator
    Bamba Ndiaye, PhD
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Africanist Podcast 2024
  • Show Website
    The Africanist Podcast