African borders – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

A mural at a slave house on Janjanbureh Island, once known as Georgetown, in The Gambia. Peter van der Sluijs/Wikimedia Commons

July 24, 2026

The Gambia’s hidden history: how a tiny river basin influenced colonial trade and slavery

Pape Chérif Bertrand Bassène, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar

Recognising African agency in colonised territories allows us to rethink borders and revise history.

Drakensberg/Maluti mountains bordering Lesotho and South Africa. Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Images

November 7, 2024

The curious case of the South African ski resort that never was: how a 1970s land tussle with Lesotho shaped history

John Aerni-Flessner, Michigan State University and Chitja Twala, University of Limpopo

A seven-year diplomatic dispute over the land earmarked for the ski resort ensured it was never built.

Elizabeth Dlamini at her curio stall in the Ezulwini Valley near Mbabane, eSwatini. The kingdom’s economy is dependent on its larger neightbour, South Africa. EFE-EPA/John Hrusha

November 11, 2021

South Africa’s apartheid regime manipulated borders. Today, the effects linger

John Aerni-Flessner, Michigan State University and Chitja Twala, University of the Free State

International borders were negotiable for the right price. What residents of former ‘homelands’ and of Lesotho and eSwatini have in common now are limited government services and few job prospects.

Articles on African borders

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The Gambia’s hidden history: how a tiny river basin influenced colonial trade and slavery

The curious case of the South African ski resort that never was: how a 1970s land tussle with Lesotho shaped history

South Africa’s apartheid regime manipulated borders. Today, the effects linger

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