REGIONS AND BORDERS IN AFRICA

On October 2nd  open debate (Round Table format) on Regions and Borders in three African conflictual areas will take place.

 

2nd October 2020 (Friday) – Cinfães

Organization: CEAUP; Associação Cultural Serpa Pinto - Cinfães

To consider African borders as artificial and African States as a colonial heritage has become a commonplace in the specialized bibliography and in political speech for decades. Yet, not much attention has been paid to recent case studies: attempts to (re)organize African regions within former States, new forms of federal or regional organizations and especially national movements of secession within older states.

Where is the line dividing inter-state and intra-state conflict in Africa? Only 11% of the African borderlines were drawn taking into consideration former political, language or other cultural differences (in Europe, these stand for 50% 0f the borderlines). The hidden wars in Western Sahara, Southern Cameroon, Togo, South Soudan, Somalia, Kivu are the most recent consequences of such old and forced configurations. Fifty years later, does the Cairo conference recommendation (1964) urging the new states to preserve colonial borders remain feasible?

This Conference expects to discuss these issues in interdisciplinary mode as well as to give a broad overview on the much different situations that have emerged throughout the continent.

On the other hand, even in the non-disputed African borders (as well as in  others around the world) issues like control, legal and illegal migrant fluxes, or of those arising out of border working as a waiting /business line have increasingly shaped the social dynamics.

An evaluation on the concepts and maps produced by borderlines is surely a priority for Social Sciences today. This Conference intends to contribute to highlight a hidden but decisive issue in the African politics of today.

To see the program  click here.

الدخول للتعليق

معهد الدراسات الافريقية جامعة بورطو

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Centro de Estudos Africanos da Universidade do Porto
Via panorâmica, s/n
4150-564 Porto
Portugal

+351 22 607 71 41
ceaup@letras.up.pt