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Minutes of Kenya Task Force Meeting
September 15-16, 2000

Joe Brockington, Kalamazoo College

Thomas McClendon, Southwestern University

Iren Omo-Bare, Millsaps College

Jo Ellen Parker, Great Lakes Colleges Association

Sarah Penhale, Earlham College

Sean Pollack, Great Lakes Colleges Association

James Randall, Coe College

John Wadtkins, Colorado College

Jason Wagner, Great Lakes Colleges Association

Safety:

The task force was given a full account of the 3 disturbances that occurred while the program was in progress. Each of the troubling events was carefully scrutinized to ensure that we secure the safest schedule possible for future program activities. The following ideas were considered: First, have our Kenyan colleagues issue recommendations to the participants on how to blend in and stay safe. Perhaps this address could come at the beginning of the seminar during orientation and with the disbursement of print material prior to departure to Kenya. The task force felt that an American participant might exercise greater caution if the local inhabitants deliver these messages. Second, we should look into the problem of "free" time on Sunday. Two of the three disturbances occurred on Sunday while the participants were walking around on their own. Joe Brockington remarked that Sundays are less busy in Nairobi and that this atmosphere makes our participants more noticeable. Overall, however, the group felt that the merits of the program outweigh the negative instances that occurred. The task force felt that Nairobi is still a worthwhile place to hold future events if slight modifications are made in terms of scheduling and logistics.

Seminar Format:

Sean Pollack and James Randall each shared their views concerning the structure of the seminar, as well as some of the comments that they heard from the other American participants. Overall, the seminar was viewed as informative and wonderfully orchestrated (planning details, site visits, arrangements and accommodations, etc.). However, many felt that improvements should be made to enhance the program for future participants. They include the following: 1.) The main complaint was the length and format of the presentations during the symposium. The participants felt that it was very difficult to sit and listen to presentations for 4 straight days (8hrs/day), especially in the formal style which is the Kenyan convention, 2.) Another suggestion that surfaced during the debriefing of American participants was the idea to circulate presentation papers further in advance so that people feel better prepared to present questions and spark discussion. 3.) Many Americans wished for more time to make contacts and connections with faculty at the University of Nairobi who share their disciplines. Many felt that too little time was set aside to foster these relationships under our current seminar schedule. Important Note: The Kenyan Steering Committee was aware of the disconnection that occurred because many of the Kenyan representatives to this conference were senior administrators. But, participants and planners also recognize that this was a very prestigious occasion to the Kenyans who invited high-ranking colleagues to solidify relations and validate the content of the program.

Location:

Much of the discussion within the task force centered on the idea of exploring a different venue to hold the conference. The group felt that it would be beneficial to the selected American participants and the region to diversify the group of African scholars that we invite to attend the conference. It was generally agreed that we could embrace this notion while still drawing on the strengths of having an infrastructure and connections already in place at the University of Nairobi. The committee was in complete agreement, however, that invitations to next year's symposium should be extended to Tanzanian and Ugandan scholars. Particular emphasis will be placed on inviting faculty and department heads from these countries with a wide range of disciplinary interests.

Theme:

The committee felt that because we will have a new group of American participants attending next year, many of the things that worked well this year (logistics and activities) should be repeated. Because things went smoothly under Joe Brockington in our initial offering, the task force was in favor of keeping a similar format to the conference and letting our experience guide us. Although we did agree to maintain many of our original procedures and ideas, the group discussed implementing some changes. For instance, committee members favored the idea of introducing American participants to Kenyan colleagues prior to the excursion and maybe arranging for a 1 or 2-night homestay with those individuals. If this were too difficult to arrange, then perhaps simply having dinner at the home of some of our Kenyan colleagues would help to forge the relationships. Also, the group did decide to adopt a new title for the 2001 conference, which will be " East Africa in Transition: Images, Institutions, and Identities." Special attention will be given to applicants who are applying from schools that were underrepresented in our initial selection process. We are very committed to reaching out to all of the 41 participating institutions while still promoting a selection criteria that is open to all. Again, we will concentrate our efforts towards including the strongest candidates from the greatest number of institutions and disciplines that we can.

Travel Grants:

The Kenya Task Force agreed that year ' 2' of this Global Partners initiative should see the introduction of Travel Grants for those individuals who seek to further their research interests in East Africa. Therefore, the committee decided to reduce the number of participants that we send to the summer seminar from 21 to 15-16 and use the remaining money to fund 6 or so travel grants, with preference given to those participants from this year's seminar. These individuals will be able to use the travel grants at any time during the year so long as they make it obvious to Global Partner that the funds were used to advance their research (through publication of a book or article, a formal presentation, or other project). We also encourage that prospective applicants receive a letter of support from East Africans who are working closely with these individuals. Travel Grant and Regular Seminar applications will have a Jan. 26, 2001 deadline date.

Expectations:

Questions arose as to what we expect our office and Nairobi resources to do for a person who was awarded a travel grant? Some possible ideas are..

1) Library/Archive access

2) Provide a list of colleagues in similar field,

3) Local Host - Spend time with them, meet at airport, show them to the hotel. It is very important to get someone in-country to run things. In order to do this and solidify future opportunities for the 41 institutions, it was agreed that we might need to get the program officers together, share some of the things that we have to offer, and try to save some money. The group agreed to look into this further at our next meeting

Meeting Adjourned at 3:00 pm

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