The presentation will discuss how the British colonialists established what should develop into a Nile empire, after they in the 1880s decided, during a period of about fifteen years, to occupy first Egypt, and then what should become Uganda and Kenya and Sudan and South Sudan. This short colonial period should radically change the way the river had been conceived and controlled with far-reaching consequences until today. The present conflicts among states in the Nile basin, including that between Ethiopia and Egypt regarding the GERD, will be highlighted within this longer historical perspective.

Terje W. Tvedt is a professor at the University of Bergen Department of Geography, and former professor of Global History and Political Science at University of Oslo. He has also served as Guest Professor at Cambridge University. Tvedt has authored a broad range of books and articles, written and co-directed a number of TV documentaries, and has led national and international research networks and projects on the history of waterways. His most recent work includes a book titled “The Nile: History’s Greatest River” and a documentary series featured on Netflix, National Geographic, Al Jazeera, and the Discovery Channel, “The Nile Quest,” which trace the story of the Nile River in economic, political, and mythical context.