Internasjonalt seminar:
From tourism to terrorism - about the dramatic transformations in the Sahel

Beginning with an introduction to the context and key actors (the bombing of Libya, al-Qaeda, insurgents, militias and armies, UN missions, French operations, etc.), researchers and PhD students will share their insights into how resistance, adaptation, and solidarity emerge among communities and individuals whose personal stories are intertwined with the region’s violent history.

Scholars from the Sahel will present their fieldwork experiences in Niger and Mali, offering a deeper, behind-the-scenes look at the security situation in the region. Throughout the seminar, short video clips will be shown to illustrate key points and provide visual insight into the realities on the ground.

The seminar will be conducted in English.

We ask:

How do civilians navigate daily life amid violence and insecurity?

Are these states on the verge of collapse? If so, what happens next?

SPEAKERS:

Ibrahim Poudiogou (Postdoctoral Researcher, NMBU) – Researches the link between land rights and migration.

Ibrahim Ag Youssouf (Peace Mediator) – Extensive experience in peace negotiations in Mali.

Aissata Kampo (PhD, Visual Anthropology, University of Bamako, Mali) – Studies how the ongoing conflict between jihadists, self-defense groups, and the Malian army affects the local population in Konna, a town where these violent forces intersect.

Ibrahim Sanogo (PhD, Visual Anthropology, University of Bamako, Mali) – Investigates how teachers and radio journalists navigate and resist jihadist censorship.

Moussa Saidou (PhD, Visual Anthropology, University of Niamey, Niger) – Conducts research among pastoralist communities in southwestern Niger, near the Burkina Faso and Benin borders, where climate change and jihadism heavily impact cattle herding.

MODERATORTrond Waage (Professor, Visual Anthropology, UiT) – Extensive research and university collaboration experience in the Sahel region.

The event is hosted by "Sahel on Sahel: Collaborative Visual Anthropology" at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. Since the 1990s, UiT’s Visual Anthropology research group has collaborated with scholars and institutions in Cameroon, Niger, and Mali.