Best Trans Saharan
Pet is a 2019 young adult fantasy novel written by Akwaeke Emezi. The narrative follows Jam, a transgender Black teenager living in the utopian city of Lucille, where the society believes it has eradicated all monsters. When a creature named Pet emerges from one of her mother's paintings, Jam must c...
Why this score?
National Book Award finalist with major critical acclaim, inventive allegory, and strong reputation for moral and literary ambition.
Scoring methodology
Ralph A. Austen was an American historian of Africa and professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. His research examined African economic history and historical change, with particular attention to trans-Saharan trade, slavery, Islam, colonialism, and long-distance commerce. His book Trans-Sah...
Why this score?
Respected economic historian of Africa, slavery and capitalism; strong specialist standing.
Scoring methodology
Located on the Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad, this archaeological site contains thousands of prehistoric rock art images. The engravings and paintings, largely dating to the Neolithic era, depict pastoral and hunting scenes that document the region's environmental transition from a humid clima...
Why this score?
Extensive Saharan rock art in dramatic UNESCO landscape, high heritage value, but uneven documentation and access limit consensus.
Scoring methodology
The Kanem Empire was a major state in the central Sudan, centered around the Lake Chad region. It developed by about the eighth century and became influential through control of trade and political connections across the Sahara. The ruling dynasty adopted Islam during the eleventh century, while the...
The Bornu Empire was a major West African state centered around the Lake Chad region. It emerged from the political tradition of the Kanem Empire after the ruling dynasty shifted its base west of Lake Chad, and it remained an important Islamic kingdom for centuries. Bornu’s rulers controlled regiona...
