Maps and power aren’t often paired, but in Africa’s story, they’ve always walked hand in hand. Lines were drawn not to guide, but to divide and rule. Before colonialism, Africa was a thriving continent of kingdoms, empires, and autonomous nations, each governing its affairs according to its customs, laws, and leadership.  Territorial boundaries weren’t rigid

The story of the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia can be summarised by the rise and death of one man. A man who ruled the country for over four decades, and after his death, the country’s downfall ensued. Before we delve into the story of Yugoslavia, it is essential to understand some basic details about

To map Egypt, the British began to map what was not Egypt. Here, villages were divided, and imaginaries were created. But how did Rafah come into play as the final point – and when did we begin to treat this division as reality? Two soldiers stand under an olive tree in a deserted area. This

If you went to school in Egypt, you probably know the name Denshawai. It might bring back memories of a history lesson. You may recall bullet points from a revision booklet or a multiple-choice question on the subject. The narrative presented was so clear that it might surprise you to hear that it wasn’t the

In the hills of Jabal Nafusa, the streets of Zuwara, and the oasis towns of Ghadames and Awjila, the Amazigh flag waves once again. For decades, Libya’s indigenous people were silenced under the Arab nationalist regime. Today, they are slowly writing themselves back into the history of Libya. But what does it mean to be

In the 19th century, European powers divided Africa among themselves. Spain claimed the Western Sahara in 1884 and named it “the Spanish Sahara”. Located in the northwest of Africa, the territory is bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria, and is home to the Sahrawi people.  Often referred to as Africa’s last colony, Western Sahara is

Modern nation-states are often thought of in terms of what one might call the “Sleeping Beauty metaphor”,  the belief that the nation had always existed, simply awaiting its historical awakening. This metaphor, which gained popularity following the events of the Glorious and French Revolutions, was projected onto colonized states, where such thoughts had never existed.

وأنا صغير، كان عندي هواية غريبه نوعاً ما وهي إني دايمًا أتابع شريط توقعات درجات الحرارة اللي بيظهر على التلفزيون، واللي كان بيستعرض أحوال الطقس في مختلف مناطق مصر. وسط كل الأسماء اللي كانت بتعدّي، كان في منطقتين دايمًا بيلفتوا انتباهي وبيثيروا فضولي جدًا. وإحنا أطفال، كنا دايمًا فاكرين إن نهاية خريطة مصر بتقف عند

As the current events in Kabul unfold, we’ve decided to shed light on the turbulent history of Afghanistan, a land often referred to as the “Graveyard of Empires.” Landlocked and mountainous, Afghanistan lies at the very heart of Asia. It connects three major cultural and geopolitical regions: the Indian subcontinent to the southeast, Central Asia