The second annual CRC-TR 228: Future Rural Africa Summer School was held in Nairobi and Naivasha, Kenya from 29th July to 2nd August 2019 under the theme of “Exploring socio-ecological transformation through the lens of Future Studies.” Attendees engaged with an exceptional and varied programme that included a series of lectures, presentations and workshop discussions that furthered understanding of the topic, encouraged collaborative research and stimulated debate.
The Summer School was initiated at the British Institute in Eastern Africa in Nairobi, with introductory lectures given by Prof. Dr. Detlef Müller-Mahn (CRC spokesperson-University of Bonn) and Prof. Dr. Christian Borgemeister (Center for Development Research-University of Bonn). A great number of delegates were welcomed from our partner institutions in Kenya and Tanzania, for whom Prof. Dr. Borgemeister included in his lecture an overview of the function, scope and potential of Collaborative Research Centres.
All attendees then transferred to Naivasha and the Lake Panorama Hotel became the conference centre for the rest of the week. The crosscutting theme of the summer school was “Politics of anticipation”. The topic was discussed in breakout working groups and plenaries. Highly informative lectures and presentations were given by Prof. Dr. Detlef Müller-Mahn (University of Bonn), Dr. Kennedy Mkutu (United States International University, Nairobi), Dr. Eric Kioko (Kenyatta University, Nairobi), Dr. Annie Cook and Dr. Bernard Bett (International Livestock Research Institute), Winnie Changwony (Kenyatta University, Nairobi), and Dr. Boniface Kiteme (Centre for Training and Integrated Research in ASAL Development, Nairobi). The summer school ended with an excursion that included a guided tour to the Hell’s Gate National Park and the Olkaria Geothermal power plant both located south of Lake Naivasha in Kenya.
By Juliet Wanjiku
