SAVE THE DATE
January 2026
The mission of our annual SOE conference has been to serve as a bridge between not only Africa and our global diaspora, but also between the academy and the K-12 classroom. This year's conference will be paired with a Collaborative Virtual Institute, in partnership with Howard University Center for African Studies and Boston University African Studies Center, entitled “The Gold Road: Global Medieval Africa in the Time of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.”
Learn About the Early Empires of Medieval Africa
with Professor Michael A. Gomez
Silver Professor of History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at NYU
Gao & Ghana
The West African Sahel was shaped by the prosperity, military power, and continent trade established by the ancient city-state of Gao and kingdom of Ghana.
Imperial Mali
The Mali Empire, spanning the 13th-16th centuries, was shaped by two figures: Sunjata, the founding emperor of Mali, and Mansā Mūsā, famous for his staggering wealth and pilgrimage to Mecca.
Imperial Songhay
The Songhay Empire ushered in a period of scholarlship and social harmony through tolerance and diversity, as seen in the fabled cities of Timbuktu and Jenne.