In a televised conversation with philosopher Ali Benmakhlouf on Al Aoula TV, I reflected on the intellectual traditions of Africa and the transformative possibilities of the African humanities. Together, we explored questions of ethics, comparative religion, and decolonial thought, emphasizing the need to reframe global knowledge production through African philosophical and literary legacies. The dialogue highlighted shared commitments to interdisciplinary inquiry and institutional collaboration, offering a vision for how African and diasporic perspectives can reshape the future of the humanities on the world stage.

In this episode of Space at the Center, I joined host Leah Barlow to discuss my forthcoming book, Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities. We explored the life and work of Shaykh Musa Kamara, a Senegalese Muslim scholar whose monumental historical writings complicate colonial narratives of African intellectual absence. I shared how Kamara’s struggle to publish his work during French colonial rule serves as a lens for thinking about the textual foundations of the humanities, the politics of knowledge, and the power of reading and rereading in a world increasingly dominated by algorithmic thinking. The conversation also reflected on my intellectual journey, the value of showing up as oneself in scholarly life, and the enduring necessity of the humanities as a space where interpretation, tradition, and study remain vital.

I joined host Rachel Beatty Riedl host of Ufahamu Africa to discuss the layered histories of Islam in Africa and the formation of African Islamic modernity. Drawing from my research on Arabic and vernacular textual traditions, I traced how African Muslim thinkers have negotiated global and local traditions of Islam in the aftermath of slavery and colonialism. We explored the intellectual and political dimensions of African Muslim scholarship, the role of language and textuality in shaping identity and resistance, and the continued relevance of Islamic thought in contemporary African life. The conversation, released during Black History Month, also reflected on the broader stakes of Black intellectual life and the humanities in a global frame.

In the episode “Islam at a Crossroads in West Africa” (Episode No. 488 of The Making of the Islamic World series on the Ottoman History Podcast hosted and produced by Chris Gratien), I, along with Ann McDougall and Rabiat Akande, explored how Islamic civilization took root and flourished across West Africa from the 10th century onward. We examined the rise of early Islamic polities—particularly in Ghana, Mali, and Songhay—born of trans-Saharan trade and enriched by centers of Arabic learning. The discussion foregrounded the region’s unique engagement with the Maliki legal tradition and its entanglement in the global slave trade, highlighting how African Islamic jurisprudence engaged complex social realities while challenging narratives of intellectual absence. Together, we reframed West Africa not as a peripheral zone of Islam but as a vital node in the broader Islamic world, rooted in textual traditions, scholarly networks, and meaningful engagement with global flows of trade and ideas.Description goes here