2026 SOE Sessions
Gold lay at the heart of the great West African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai—fueling trans-Saharan trade, drawing global interest from Europe and the Islamic world, and affirming Africa’s central role in the medieval global economy. Its legacy also set the stage for subsequent European colonization and the transatlantic slave trade. The session highlights how the historic Gold Road continues to shape patterns of wealth, power, and exchange in the contemporary global economy.
FEATURING:
Sarah Guérin, Associate Professor of History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
“There are other models of Africa’s participation in history than the one that’s predominantly taught, especially in North American schools... That’s a rich and complex history that has been, at best neglected, at worst suppressed. And in excavating that history, literally and figuratively, gives a different model for thinking about the future.”
Yinka Adegoke, Editor, Semafor Africa