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Johan Woxenius forskningsvistelse i Kenya

Nyhet: 2012-02-07

Spending seven months in Kenya last year clearly left me with lasting impressions. My first article about my stay (see below) was largely written in future tense; this article presents what happened with my plans. With a focus on Kenyan academics, collaboration between Gothenburg, Nairobi, and Mombasa, and my time as a visiting professor at the University of Nairobi, please enjoy a glimpse of a very fruitful stay in a quite different academic environment!

Read more: Logistics in Kenya’s Academic System– Article for the Northern Lead newsletter, January 2012

Kenya is defined by its immense contrasts. The country’s natural habitat ranges from sandy beaches and rain forests to savannahs crowded with exotic animals and mountains with glaciers to semi-arid bush land and arid deserts. People are divided into very different tribes, and income levels vary beyond comprehension. Telecommunications are highly developed, whereas Kenya does not boast about its manufacturing sector. Agriculture and tourism generate the currency needed for importing fuel, machinery and consumption goods. Freight transport ranges from air transport of cut flowers to Europe and modern Volvos and Scanias moving containers from Mombasa to donkey rides and manually pulled trolleys, which can also be seen in downtown Nairobi. Spending more than half of this year in Kenya is a truly exciting and rewarding experience, both on a professional and personal level. While Sweden and Kenya are extremely different countries, I have observed that the academic life is actually very similar. Telecommunication and global supply chains provide access to people and goods just like they do at home.

Read more: Kenya: A Country of Contrasts – Article for the Northern Lead newsletter, September 2011

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