Africa/s

The IRIS Africa/s programme operates at the intersection of the continent’s diversity (the Africas) and its singularity, reflecting the African Union’s vision of a United States of Africa by 2063.

In the 2000s, following analyses by various consultancy firms, Africa emerged as the “last frontier” to conquer. This sparked a “scramble for Africa,” leading to the emergence of new players such as China, India, Turkey, and Israel, as well as the resurgence of former powers like Russia over the past decade. In response to this influx, African states diversified their partnerships, moving beyond their traditional relationships with former colonial powers. The United Nations vote on 2 March 2022, which sought to condemn Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and saw 17 African countries abstain, highlighted Africa’s role as a fully-fledged actor in international relations.

The Africa/s programme aims to analyse these endogenous dynamics while considering the geostrategic reconfigurations of foreign powers. By collaborating with African researchers, think tanks, artists, and intellectuals, the programme seeks to shed light on the complexity of the power dynamics shaping the continent at various scales.