Ep. 47: East Africa: Past, Present & Reimagined Futures w/ Author Nanjala Nyabola; Architect Omar Degan; Archaeologist Sada Mire; Journalist Abdi Latif Dahir; Artist Eltayeb Dawelbait

Kenyan author, political analyst and researcher, Nanjala Nyabola’s work is centred on the links between technology, politics, as well as migration and human mobility. Author of Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move, the essays discuss themes of migration, race and privilege through the lens of travel.

Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move by Nanjala Nyabola

Nanjala has visited over seventy countries across four continents, including Nepal, Sicily, Haiti, Botswana, the US and Nairobi to name a few. Nanjala offers candid observations of her journeys across contrasting political and cultural landscapes.

2021 marks three decades since the Somalia state collapsed amidst the carnage of a brutal civil war that saw countless numbers perish and hundreds of thousands of Somalis become refugees.

Somali-Italian Architect, founder, and principal of DO Architecture and Design, Omar Degan’s practice is based in Mogadishu, Somalia. His firm specialises in sustainability, emergency architecture and post-conflict reconstruction.

From Mogadishu, Omar discusses designing for positive growth, his experiences in facilitating post-conflict cultural preservation in Somalia, and shares his perspective on the region.

Somali-Swedish archaeologist, art historian and presenter Sada Mire is the only active archaeologist working in the Somali Region. Formerly head of Somaliland Archaeology Department, Sada is currently the head of the Horn Heritage Foundation. She is at the forefront of several archaeological discoveries in the region, including discovering prehistoric rock art and antiquities over 100 sites across a large stretch of Somaliland.

Sada is the author of Divine Fertility: the Continuity in Transformation of an Ideology of Sacred Kinship in North-East Africa, in which she has explored in-depth the impact of indigenous ideology and thought on everyday life in Northeast Africa. Sada’s work has appeared in the Guardian and Africa Forum, and she has contributed to literature and culture festivals, as well as documentaries for international media outlets. She speaks with Stance about protecting, preserving and curating cultural heritage in the Horn of Africa.

Based in Nairobi, Abdi Latif Dahir, East Africa correspondent for the New York Times, has reported on issues ranging from political transitions in Ethiopia and Sudan, to geopolitics and technology in the region, including China’s role in Africa. His reporting also spotlights insightful stories about African culture, literature, fashion and food.

Abdi shares an exclusive essay written for Stance, an ode to his teenage years in Mogadishu, honouring one of Somalia's best-loved singers and performers, Fadumo Nakruma. He pays homage to her life, career, and music, and to the beauty of Somali culture.

Sudanese artist Eltayeb Dawelbait has spent more than 20 years living and working in Nairobi. Known for his abstract pieces made of mixed materials influenced by his rural Sudanese childhood, Eltayeb’s work captures the spirit of interactions and encounters with people in spaces from the past and the present. Having led a nomadic life, Eltayeb’s practice in Nairobi is inspired by symbols and iconography around him, combined with observations and exchanges from the city.

Eltayeb talks through his processes evolving from his studio in Nairobi, the positioning of the city as an East African creative hub, its ever changing cultural landscape in shaping his craft, and the art scene in Sudan.

Ismail Einashe is an award-winning journalist and writer based between Nairobi and London who has written for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, BBC News, ArtReview, Foreign Policy, among many others. At present, he is a Senior Journalist at Lost in Europe, a cross-border journalism project, which investigates the disappearance of child migrants in Europe. Ismail has co-edited the book, Lost in Media: Migrant Perspectives and the Public Sphere , a collection of essays on the representations of migrants and refugees in the European media.

Music Used in this podcast:

Dur Dur Band - ‘Gorof (Elixir)’

Fadumo-Nakruma (Live) - ‘Dib Baa Loo Noqonayaa’

Fadumo-Nakruma - ‘Qabyo 2 Part 1’ (A Play)

Hamza El Din - ‘Childhood’

Maryam Mursal - ‘Qax’

Mayonde - ‘Nairobi’ feat. Stonee Jiwe

Sinkane - ‘Ya Sudan’

Waaberi - ‘Shubahada’

Waaberi - ‘Hafun’

Mulatu Astatke - ‘Yèkèrmo Sèw’, Strut Records

Cultural Shoutouts:

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Stance is Guest Edited by Ismail Einashe. More on Ismail’s work here.

Front Page Image Credit: Secondo Lido Lighthouse by Omar Degan Sharif