On June 8^th, Dr. Vincent Hiribarren, lecturer in African History at King’s College London, came to Oxford to present his research on the the Empire of Kanem-Bornu in Central Africa. This enigmatic kingdom is one of Africa’s first nomadic states, with a king list stretching back almost a millennia. The Kingdom controlled Saharan trade routes and was an important node in the Islamisation of Africa. Dr. Hiribarren presented his research on the 1000 year history of Kanem-Bornu and its varying geopolitics, archaeology, and society, providing a crucial insight into one of Africa’s least well-known Empires. The workshop explored issues relating to nomadism and its place in Kanem-Bornu as well as state sponsorship of trade routes. This proceeded to a discussion on the place of the environment in the formation of geopolitical arrangements in Central Africa.