Programs Beyond the Field - The Rise of African Football

This program was streamed live on Wednesday March 29th, 2023 at 6:30 PM. You can watch the full program below:

See Video

The Africa Center presents Beyond the Field: The Rise of African Football on March 29th from 6:30-8PM EST. This discussion will explore the cultural, economic and social impacts of football in Africa. With the emergence of African football stars such as George Weah, Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba and the African teams impressive performances in international competitions such as the world cup, there has been increased interest, investment and growth in African players across the continent. Together Sean Jacobs and Hisham Aidi will further examine the role of identity politics in African football, the history of colonialism and the challenges African players are faced while playing for international teams.

Speakers

Sean Jacobs is associate professor of international affairs at the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs at The New School. He is founder and editor of Africa is a Country, a site of criticism, analysis and new writing. His book, Media in Postapartheid South Africa: Postcolonial Politics in the Age of Globalization, was published on May Day 2019. He has written about African football for Roads & Kingdom, Al Jazeera and the New York Times and he runs an infrequent football substack and podcast named Eleven Named People.

Hisham Aidi is a Senior Lecturer at SIPA Columbia University and co-founder of the Program on African Social Research (PASR). He is the author and co-editor of several books. He has written about football for The New African, Africana magazine and Africa Is a Country.