Kenya

Scholarly Memory in Nairobi, Kenya: Essay Meta-Narrative

AO: I have taken this year's frame of "innovation" very broadly to think about the technologies, spaces and practices needed to preserve and care for research data. What is particularly innovative about the long-standing practice of archiving primary source materials? I tack between historical...Read more

Fedha, N.W. 1972. "The Role of the Archives in Research." Conference Paper. Nairobi, Kenya.

AO: In February 2019, I came across this document written in 1972 by one of the early chief archivists of the Kenya National Archives (N.W. Fedha). The document outlines the early history of the Kenya National Archives as well as the rationale and motivation for its creation...Read more

Carotenuto Matthew and Katherine Luongo. “Navigating the Kenya National Archives: Research and Its Role in Kenyan Society.” History in Africa 32 (ed 2005)

TM: Interesting peice that prepares the researcher of the wealth of resources at the Kenya National Archives. However, this archaival resources come at a price as the anthropologically romanticized struggle researchers face at the archives as they navigate the waters of the KNA is documented in...Read more

Gisesa, Nyambega. 2019. “The Unsung Mau Mau Heroes Who Fought for Independence.” Daily Nation, June 1, 2019.

AO: This article mentions Ukombozi library and the National Archives. It quotes Kimani Waweru, the in-charge at Ukombozi Library as saying: "There was a deliberate effort to ensure that the stories of these great men were not told. A few individuals who tried to research on...Read more

Daily Nation Interview with Mshai Mwangola: "Arts are an essential part of a holistic education, not just for a talented few"

In this interview with Kenyan newspaper, Daily Nation's DAISY OKOTI, Mshai Mwangola ties the importance of performing a story to intellectually engaging with any idea. She states: "Stories are a prism through which we are able to abstract, reflect, and collectively think through the...Read more

Google Market Research: "Understanding barriers to mobile Internet adoption in Kenya and Ghana"

AO: This project is an example of the type of market research work we conducted with technology companies such as Google, Philips, and IBM. Given our position "on the ground" in Nairobi, we had a strategic advantage over any Silicon Valley-based research companies who had their own learning...Read more

BIEA Partial Digitized Collections on Aluka/JSTOR

AO: This artifact gives an appreciation for the types of materials held by BIEA that have been archived through Aluka/JSTOR. According to this overview written up by the British Archaeology Data Service...Read more

AO. Questioning common narrative of Kenya as "not a reading nation"

AO: This is a rich paragraph from Wanjiru's blog post that raises several issues. First, she identifies a common public narrative about how Kenyans do not read. I have also often heard some...Read more

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