Night School 2025, Lifelines: A Visible Silence
Public lecture by John Thabiti Willis

For this public lecture, John Thabiti Willis will investigate the hidden narratives of Gulf pearl divers embedded in testimony, song and art.

In his ongoing work, Willis examines the intersections of labour, African diaspora life and cultural memory in the Gulf during the early 20th century, centering on the experiences of enslaved pearl divers and their descendants. By analyzing British colonial records, pearl-diving songs and visual art inspired by these narratives, he argues that contemporary heritage practices often obscure the agency and lived experiences of pearl divers, while disproportionately elevating the roles of merchants and boat captains. Heritage performances of pearling music offer important insights into the development of the African diaspora in the Gulf.

The event is free and open to all. Please kindly confirm your attendance by registering here.

A Visible Silence is part of Night School 2025, a month-long program of seminars and public events led by Todd Reisz and dedicated to encounters with urbanism and history in Dubai. More information here.

John Thabiti Willis is a scholar specializing in Africa’s social and cultural history in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Emory University, USA, and is Associate Professor of African History at The Africa Institute, Sharjah. Before this, he served as Associate Professor of African History at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. He was also a Carleton College Mellon New Directions Fellow, a position he held from 2020 to 2023. He facilitates student exchanges and academic partnerships, with recent collaborations including Carleton College, USA. Over the past decade, Willis has dedicated his research to uncovering the historical and cultural significance of Africa’s contributions to pearling in the Gulf. His research utilizes a range of sources, including museum exhibits, manumission records, and heritage performances. In his latest project, Willis is collecting oral histories through ethnography and geographic information system methodologies to analyze the biographies of individuals who were involved in the pearling industry.

Image credit: John Thabiti Willis