John Thabiti Willis, Associate Professor of African History at The Africa Institute, recently participated in the “On the Medium” panel on April 25, 2025, as part of the AA Visiting School’s (AAVS) “Climate Cartographies” program, held at Warehouse 50, Alserkal Arts Foundation, Dubai from April 25–27, 2025.
The “Climate Cartographies” program, supported by the Alserkal Arts Foundation, sought to explore the intersection of climate change, heritage, and sonic practice. Over the course of three days, the event brought together a diverse group of architects, designers, artists, and cultural practitioners to examine the long-term impact of climate change on heritage sites, using innovative methods like soundscapes, listening, and spatial practices to reimagine the relationships between history and the environment.
The panel—featuring a range of artists and scholars including Safeya Alblooshi, Shumon Basar, Susan Schuppli, and Professor Willis—explored how sound functions as more than ambient background, offering a powerful lens through which to experience and interpret space, history, and environment. The session concluded with a live ASMR performance by Rusha Omran.
Professor Willis, whose research bridges African history, ritual performance, and oral traditions, connected sonic practice with the historical narratives embedded in landscapes and heritage sites. “Performances of the songs of pearl divers by their descendants capture the rich legacies of pearling that characterize contemporary heritage practices in the Gulf,” he said.
“Sound mediates the relationship of pearling crews to the work of extracting pearls from the sea and the synchronized human interactions that this work involved—as well as how current generations relate to the past.”
His participation reflects a growing focus within his research on Gulf-African connections, particularly through cultural heritage. In recent years, Professor Willis has examined Africa’s contributions to the pearling economy in the Gulf, integrating oral histories with archival and spatial methods.
This program explored how new mapping and sound practices can provide alternative ways to understand and represent the historical and environmental challenges posed by climate change. For more information, visit AA Visiting School to learn more.
John Thabiti Willis, Associate Professor of African History at The Africa Institute, recently participated in the “On the Medium” panel on April 25, 2025, as part of the AA Visiting School’s (AAVS) “Climate Cartographies” program, held at Warehouse 50, Alserkal Arts Foundation, Dubai from April 25–27, 2025.
John Thabiti Willis, Associate Professor of African History at The Africa Institute, recently participated in the “On the Medium” panel on April 25, 2025, as part of the AA Visiting School’s (AAVS) “Climate Cartographies” program, held at Warehouse 50, Alserkal Arts Foundation, Dubai from April 25–27, 2025.
The “Climate Cartographies” program, supported by the Alserkal Arts Foundation, sought to explore the intersection of climate change, heritage, and sonic practice. Over the course of three days, the event brought together a diverse group of architects, designers, artists, and cultural practitioners to examine the long-term impact of climate change on heritage sites, using innovative methods like soundscapes, listening, and spatial practices to reimagine the relationships between history and the environment.
The panel—featuring a range of artists and scholars including Safeya Alblooshi, Shumon Basar, Susan Schuppli, and Professor Willis—explored how sound functions as more than ambient background, offering a powerful lens through which to experience and interpret space, history, and environment. The session concluded with a live ASMR performance by Rusha Omran.
Professor Willis, whose research bridges African history, ritual performance, and oral traditions, connected sonic practice with the historical narratives embedded in landscapes and heritage sites. “Performances of the songs of pearl divers by their descendants capture the rich legacies of pearling that characterize contemporary heritage practices in the Gulf,” he said.
“Sound mediates the relationship of pearling crews to the work of extracting pearls from the sea and the synchronized human interactions that this work involved—as well as how current generations relate to the past.”
His participation reflects a growing focus within his research on Gulf-African connections, particularly through cultural heritage. In recent years, Professor Willis has examined Africa’s contributions to the pearling economy in the Gulf, integrating oral histories with archival and spatial methods.
This program explored how new mapping and sound practices can provide alternative ways to understand and represent the historical and environmental challenges posed by climate change. For more information, visit AA Visiting School to learn more.
Subscribe to our mailing list and get the latest news from The Africa Institute
