Syracuse University's Africa Initiative will present "Focus on the Fabrication of
Terrorism in Algeria and Somalia," Thursday, Feb. 19, from 3-5:30 p.m. in Room 204
of Maxwell Hall. The event will feature two internationally renowned scholars: Abdi
Samatar, professor and chair of the Department of Geography at the University of
Minnesota, and anthropologist Jeremy Keenan, author of a number of books about
northern Africa. The event is free and open to the public; parking is in SU pay lots.
Samatar, originally from East Africa, will speak on "The War on Terror and the
Terror of War," focusing on the relationship between the U.S. "War on Terror" and
the political instability and violence in Ethiopia and Somalia.
Keenan will present key arguments of his latest book, "Dark Sahara: America's War
on Terror in Africa" (Pluto Press, 2008). The book focuses on what the author
describes as a secret U.S. agenda behind the War on Terror in Africa and methods
used to perpetuate the myth that the region is a hotbed of Islamic terrorism. In his
book, Keenan presents evidence suggesting that, from 2003, the Bush administration
and the Algerian government were responsible for hostage takings and other violence
blamed on Islamic militants.
In addition to his Thursday lecture, Samatar will do a second presentation on Friday,
Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center, in
the Regency B room, which will focus on the prospects for change and peace in
Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
Samatar's research focuses on the relationship between democracy and development
in the Third World in general and Africa in particular. He is currently examining the
link between democratic leadership, public institutions and development in East and
South Africa. Other areas of research include Islam, social capital and ethnicity in the
Horn of Africa, and environment and development.
Samatar has been a Fulbright scholar in Ethiopia, has done fieldwork on
governments and institutions in Botswana, and spent two years in South Africa in the
immediate aftermath of apartheid. He is the author or co-editor of several books and
numerous scholarly articles. His books include "The African State: Reconsiderations"
(Heinemann, 2002), which was a finalist for the Herskovits Award for scholarship,
and "An African Miracle: State, Class Leadership and Colonial Legacy in Botswana"
(Heinemann, 1999).
Along with "Dark Sahara," Keenan has written several books, including "The
Sahara: Past, Present, and Future" (Routledge, 2007) and "The Lesser Gods of the
Sahara: Social Change and Indigenous Rights" (Routledge, 2004).
The Africa Initiative is a program of the Department of African American Studies in
SU's College of Arts and Sciences that focuses on Africa as an important site of
knowledge by highlighting teaching, research and publications by SU scholars
representing a variety of disciplines, including the arts, humanities, social and natural
sciences, mathematics and engineering.
