Ideas From Africa

Figures thinking and playing music against the Addis skyline.

Photo illustration by Mark Riechers. Source images via Steve Paulson. (TTBOOK), Oladimeji Odunsi (CC0), Janine Robinson and Thomas Bennie (CC0)

A Special Series in Partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes

“Ideas From Africa” explores the world of contemporary scholars, writers and artists who are redefining our understanding of Africa’s past and helping to shape its future. Through interviews, personal stories, soundscapes and field recordings, this radio project investigates a series of big ideas and provocative questions.

Much of the audio was recorded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Steve Paulson and Anne Strainchamps attended one of CHCI’s African Humanities Workshops in 2019. That event brought together leading scholars, celebrated artists, and emerging academics from across the continent and around the world, each with profound intellectual and individual ties to various parts of Africa.

This series is produced by To the Best of Our Knowledge, in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes and with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.