Nourhan Kamal has been named the winner of the 2024 Helmi Sharawy Award for African Studies for her published paper titled “Water Hegemony and Benefit Sharing in International Rivers: A Comparative Study of the Hydropolitical Interactions in the Orange and Omo Rivers.”
The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, October 17th, at the General Egyptian Library. The ceremony will include a presentation of Kamal’s winning paper followed by a discussion with a panel of experts. This panel includesAmbassador Samir Hossny, Secretary-General of the award committee; Abbas Sharaky, Professor of Geology and Water Resources at the Higher Institute of African Studies, Cairo University; Amani El Taweell, Consultant at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies; and researcher Khalil Manoun, committee member and researcher in African Affairs. Professor Touheeda Tawfik will present the award certificate to Kamal at the conclusion of the ceremony.
The Helmi Sharawy Award, established in 2010, is given annually to the best scientific research in African studies. It is named after the late Hilmi Shoura, who dedicated his career to the field. Shoura, who passed away in 2023, held positions at the African Society in Zamalek and the office of former president Gamal Abdel Nasser for African affairs. He authored several important publications, including Culture and Intellectuals and Ajami Script in African Manuscripts, as well as his personal memoirs, published in two volumes.
The award, worth 10,000 Egyptian pounds, is presented at a special ceremony upon the release of the winning research. The recipient receives a certificate of appreciation and a symbolic amount.
The tradition of the award has seen the publication of ten previous winning works:
- 2010, Bassem Rizk – “Africa and the West”
- 2011, Taha Tantawi – “Franz Fanon and the Algerian Revolution”
- 2012, Heba El-Beshbeshi – “Africa in Zionist Political Thought”
- 2013, Aliaa El-Hussein – “The Dinka in Cairo and Khartoum”
- 2014, Ghada Anis Ahmed Al-Bayya’a – “Global Economic Shocks and their Impact on African Economies”
- 2015, Sa’ida Mohamed Omar – “The Problem of Democratic Transition in Africa: A Case Study of the Republic of Djibouti”
- 2016, Walaa Saber Al-Bousati – “Africans and Arabs in the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964”
- 2017, Rasha Saeed Abu Shakra – “The Political Discourse of Arab Spring Youth: An Anthropological Field Study of the Youth of Egypt and Tunisia”
- 2018, Abdo Bah – “Regional Integration of the Economic Community of West African States”
- 2019, Mohamed Hagag – “Problems of Local Governance in Africa: Ethiopia and Nigeria, A Comparative Study”
- 2020, Abeer El-Fekki – “Public Service Reform in Africa: A Case Study of Kenya and Botswana”
- 2021, Abeer Reba’i – “Is It One Nile: Community Participation and Water Policies in the East Nile Basin, A Case Study of Egypt and Sudan”
- 2022, Nisreen El-Sabah – “Climate Change and its Impact on Conflicts in East Africa” (Dar El-Arabi publishing house)
- 2023, Ahmed Abdel Aziz Ali Abdel Aziz – “Economic Policies and Authoritarian Sustainability, A Case Study of Sudan from 1989 – 2019” (Dar El-Arabi publishing house)
