WASSAP: The Africa-West Asia Podcast

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Desirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Professor Anne K. Bang, historian at the University of Bergen and a leading scholar of the Indian Ocean world, to explore the historical and cultural connections linking East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The conversation challenges the idea of the Red Sea as a barrier between regions and instead presents it as a space of mobility, exchange, and connectivity. Professor Bang explains how maritime trade routes connected coastal communities across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, facilitating the movement of merchants, scholars, religious...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh are joined by Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa Director at the International Crisis Group and host of The Horn podcast, to explore the growing interconnectedness of the Horn of Africa, the Gulf, and the wider Red Sea region.

The conversation traces how Gulf engagement in the Horn has evolved over the past decade, examining the impact of Gulf rivalries, the war in Sudan, tensions in Yemen, and the fallout from the Iran crisis on regional security dynamics. Alan discusses how conflicts across the Red Sea increasingly spill...

In this episode of the WASSAP podcast, hosts Désirée Custers and Hubert Kinkoh explore the evolving economic relationship between Africa and the Gulf in the context of an increasingly multipolar world.

They are joined by Aparupa Chakravarti, a strategist working at the intersection of geopolitics, business, development, and social impact across Africa and the Gulf. Drawing on her extensive experience across both regions, Aparupa discusses why Gulf countries have become interesting partners for African states and how their investment approaches differ from those of more traditional external actors.

The conversation also examines emerging sectors of cooperation beyond the commonly discussed...

In this special World Cup episode of the WASSAP podcast, we explore how football is increasingly shaping relations between Africa and the Gulf, from the expanded 2026 tournament to Saudi Arabia’s hosting ambitions for 2034.

Host Desirée Custers is joined by Hubert Kinkoh and Dr. Sebastian Sons to examine how football has evolved into a field of geopolitical competition, diplomacy, and strategic engagement. The discussion highlights the growing role of Gulf states as key actors in global sports and unpacks how major tournaments and investments are embedded in broader political and economic agendas.

At the same time, the episode considers...