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The Africa Institute
Global Studies University
Khalid Bin Mohammed School, Al Manakh
PO Box 4490 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
info@theafricainstitute.org
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Licensed and accredited by the CAA, UAE MoHESR
Newspaper clipping announcing the Arab-African Symposium in 1976
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Conceptualized as a center for Africa and African Diaspora studies, The Africa Institute’s history dates back to December 1976, when Sharjah, UAE hosted the first Symposium on African and Arab Relations.
Organized under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, 45 African and Arab intellectuals were invited to participate in the symposium. Among one of the major recommendations was to establish an institute for African and Arab relations that would focus on the study and documentation of historical linkages, to be headquartered in Sharjah, UAE.
The symposium also addressed the need for a Documentation and Data Collection Center to be focused on Arab-African relations in Sharjah, an annual meeting to discuss Arab-African relations, and a proposed Arab-African Fund. Through the establishment of The Africa Institute on June 6, 2018, the Government of the Emirate of Sharjah committed to strengthening Afro-Arab relations.
The original Africa Hall building was inaugurated on the same day as the Municipality’s building in 1976, but the original buildings of both were first built in the early 1970s as   part of a wave of government modernist buildings. The building was inaugurated under the title ‘Africa Hall’ as its first cultural and political event was the Arab-African Symposium on December 16, 1976. The Africa Hall serves as a knowledge center and platform for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings and theatrical plays related to the activities of The Africa Institute. It also serves as part of the Institute's outreach to the larger community of Sharjah, UAE, and beyond.
Organized under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, 45 African and Arab intellectuals were invited to participate in the symposium. Among one of the major recommendations was to establish an institute for African and Arab relations that would focus on the study and documentation of historical linkages, to be headquartered in Sharjah, UAE.
Organized under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, 45 African and Arab intellectuals were invited to participate in the symposium. Among one of the major recommendations was to establish an institute for African and Arab relations that would focus on the study and documentation of historical linkages, to be headquartered in Sharjah, UAE.
The symposium also addressed the need for a Documentation and Data Collection Center to be focused on Arab-African relations in Sharjah, an annual meeting to discuss Arab-African relations, and a proposed Arab-African Fund. Through the establishment of The Africa Institute on June 6, 2018, the Government of the Emirate of Sharjah committed to strengthening Afro-Arab relations.
The original Africa Hall building was inaugurated on the same day as the Municipality’s building in 1976, but the original buildings of both were first built in the early 1970s as   part of a wave of government modernist buildings. The building was inaugurated under the title ‘Africa Hall’ as its first cultural and political event was the Arab-African Symposium on December 16, 1976. The Africa Hall serves as a knowledge center and platform for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings and theatrical plays related to the activities of The Africa Institute. It also serves as part of the Institute's outreach to the larger community of Sharjah, UAE, and beyond.
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