AFAS Featured Event: Works of Dr. El Hadji Samba Amadou Diallo

El Hadji Samba Amadou Diallo received his doctorate in History and Social Anthropology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France and he is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. This talk will highlight his most recent book, Sciences et Confréries Soufies au Sénégal: Approches Nouvelles de la Violence et de la Démocractie (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022).

Anti-French political sentiments and military coups continue to multiply in West Africa, in places such as Mali, Guinea-Conakry, Burkina Faso, and most recently in Niger. There are many reasons for this increase in protests, ranging from security crises triggered by jihadist threats in the Sahel to France’s control of many sectors of the local economy and the influence of France on the African post-independence state. Many young Africans are stuck in the limbo of “waithood,” and the lack of socioeconomic opportunities they face has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in a wide range of reactions and responses from youths. In countries such as Senegal, youth’s critique of Françafrique often clashes with a neo-authoritarian regime; however, in Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger, many young people have allied themselves with the military. This presentation will examine the exacerbation of violence in West Africa and possible solutions via the involvement of Sufi Muslim leaders in political dialogues.

RSVP