Summer Break in Kenya:
Excavating Indigenous Knowledge in a Global Era
image: Dennis Muraguri’s, “Kundandia” (2017)
Kenya plays an important role in Africa and the African Diaspora. Its history, cultures, languages, and political movements have not only contributed to the trajectory of East Africa but it also has an important, if complicated, place in global politico-economic dynamics, in conversations on ecological sustainability, in discussions of indigenous knowledge transmission, and in anti-colonial discourse around the question of “modernity.” This study and research abroad course is designed to explore various aspects of Kenyan structural and socio-cultural experience, giving significant historical and regional context for the country’s current social, cultural, economic, and political conditions.
The first part of the course – study – will introduce students to various concepts and perspectives that first provide a more expanded view of Africa and the important continuities or points of solidarity shared between the continent and the Diaspora. From there, we give more detailed attention to Kenya and its place within a global era.
The applied portion of the course – research abroad – will take place in Kenya from June 15th to June 26th, 2025. The course will close with a final set of learning sessions and student research presentations that culminate and connect our experiential learning with a deeper understanding of Kenya in a globalized world. This research will be developed into a digital humanities project with the expectation that findings will be made available to the campus community as well as to a wider public.
Throughout the program, students will engage critical thinking* and work with scholars, indigenous knowledge producers, cultural activists, and artists to:
- Analyze issues related to natural and human resource use which affect Kenya and the region, paying particular attention to the impact of international trade and finance organizations on sociopolitical, economic, and environmental conditions
- Explore lessons from anti-colonial struggles and the potentialities of cultural production for addressing local, national, and international inequities
- Critically examine how knowledge is developed, produced, and transmitted between Kenya, Africa, and the Diaspora, with particular attention to the integration of indigenous knowledge into cultural, economic, and sociopolitical situations
*As the major intellectual action and skill development of the course, “critical thinking” refers to: analyzing, synthesizing, deconstructing, interpreting, and evaluating information and concepts across or within a discipline to solve problems
Credit/Registration: Students will be registered AFAS/HIST T280 Excavating Indigenous Knowledge in a Global Era 4 credits as part of spring term course load. Students must leave room for the credits when registering or will be billed for credits exceeding the 20 credit maximum.
Course Overview
Pre-Travel: 18 in-person class sessions and completion of Travel Journal/Notebook, Response Papers, and Research Project Abstract
Kenya: Program Activities and continued Travel Journal/Notebook
Post Travel: 2 in-person class sessions and Research Project Presentation
Eligibility: This program is being offered through Africana Studies and the History Department. In the case that the course receives an excess of applicants, students who have a track record of scholarly interest in Africana Studies, in global studies, and in Black community/justice work will be selected. Students in their sophomore, pre-junior, or junior year are eligible. Continuing seniors will be considered based on other eligibility factors.
Instructors
Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui, Assistant Professor History and Africana Studies tas434@drexel.edu
Dr. Jakeya Caruthers, Assistant Professor English and Africana Studies jc4568@drexel.edu
Pre-Travel (Spring Term): This portion includes weekly in-person sessions (schedule TBD), readings, and assignments. Note: This is a full, 10-week course with the abroad experience as its core. 40% of the class’s learning and assessment will be based on pre-travel activities and 60% will be based on activities and projects that occur during and post-travel.
Abroad Study and Research in Kenya: This portion includes active engagement in program activities, keeping up with the assigned travel journal/notebook, and various research exercises. This part of the course will take place at the close of finals week and during a portion of spring/summer intersession.
Post-Travel (SummerTerm): This portion includes two in-person wrap up classes and a final research presentation. This portion of the course will take place during a portion of spring/summer intersession.
Kenya Tentative Itinerary
Start: June 15th, 2025 (depart US June 14th)
End: June 26th, 2025 (return to US June 27th)
Day 1 Arrival Jomo Kenyatta International Airport; check in accommodations
Day 2 Experiential Orientation
Visit Nairobi National Museum and Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Museum to gain a mixture of political and cultural history as well as contemporary understanding of political, social, and arts landscapes. Visits and orientation guided by Kenyatta University scholars.
Day 3 Explore Global Implications of Health Infrastructure
Visit Kahawa West Health Centre and Ruiri Level Four Hospital for an intimate examination of health infrastructure and different forms of medical care, learning more about the impact of global financial flows as well as national and local priorities and practices on medical systems in Kenya.
Day 4 Visit Bomas of Kenya
Visit one of the oldest Tourism Finance Corporation’s projects designed to preserve, promote, and maintain Kenyan cultural heritage. Learn about the various ways that heritage tourism in the global era can reflect contested views and negotiations of culture, performance, and economy.
Day 5 Mombasa Excursion Day 1
Depart Nairobi by train and arrive in Mombasa. Enjoy late dinner and music with local hosts.
Day 6 Mombasa Excursion Day 2
Visit Bombolulu Craft Center, Heller Park, Shimoni Slave Caves, and Fort Jesus to learn about local arts-making and knowledge practice as well as view wildlife unique to East Africa. Finally, learn more about and visit African Indigenous spiritual sites, the trans-Indian Ocean enslavement of African peoples, and 17th Century Portuguese military architecture and the role that imperial exploration and commerce plays in the contemporary experience of Kenya in a globalized world.
Day 7 Mombasa Excursion Day 3
Brief souvenir shopping and reflections on the Mombasa experience before returning by train to Nairobi.
Day 8 Kambiti Tea Farm and Nairobi Railway Street Art Showcase
Learn more about how local tea farmers are setting agendas for sustainable ecological and economic development and how local artists are contributing to discourse and strategies for local change.
Day 9 Maasai Mara Excursion Day 1
Depart Nairobi by van and arrive in Maasai Mara. Students will have the opportunity to visit Maasai Mara, visit with Maasai elders, and visit protected Maasai Mara protected ancestral lands which involves a tour in a pop-up roof tour van. Students will have an opportunity to see the flora and fauna of Maasai Mara in their natural ecosystems. This visit is integral to the experience of excavating Indigenous knowledge in Kenya, as students will engage with keepers and transmitters of Indigenous Knowledge with Maasai elders and the various ways Maasai peoples are not only protecting and preserving the ecological balances in their ancestral lands, but the varied impact of ecological destruction and appropriation of forests and savannas in East Africa.
Day 10 Maasai Mara Excursion Day 2
One final early morning drive through Maasai Mara protected reserve before returning for Nairobi. Brief souvenir shopping on the way back to Nairobi, with a brief stop for lunch overlooking the Great Rift Valley.
Day 11 Giraffe Center and Farewell Dinner
Visit at the Giraffe Center in Nairobi for insight into radical black ecology and interdependent relationships between plant, animal, and earth. Exchange final reflections over a farewell dinner at Safari Park Hotel.
Day 12 Depart Nairobi
Due March 1st $500 Advanced Payment + $25 Application Fee
Due May 1st $2,920 Final Payment
*All payments are non-refundable unless declined admission or program cancels for unforeseen reasons.
Included in Program Fee:
- 11 nights accommodations double occupancy
- 11 Breakfasts, 11 lunches, 10 dinners
- Educational Program visits and tours
- Museums entry fees and local guides
- Regional transport between Nairobi and Mombasa
- Maasai Mara Game Reserve and Stay
- Local transport including airport transfer
- On Call health and emergency insurance
- Onsite support staff
Not Included in Program Fee (Estimated):
- Regular Drexel tuition
- Round trip flight Philadelphia to Nairobi $1500
- Passport $165
- Meals (lunches not included) $50
- Tourist Visa $34
- Malaria medication (if advised by doctor)
- Spending money $100
Financial Aid: Students may request an Adjusted Cost of Attendance by submitting the ICA program fee and estimated out of pocket expenses listed above to Drexel Central (via askdrexel). Doing so could make students’ eligible for additional financial aid. Students may also be eligible to apply for Drexel's ICA Scholarships.
Lindy Center Anti-Racism Grants: Anti-Racism Mini-Grant direct Lindy Center monetary resources toward student projects and learning focused on racial justice and anti-racism in the Mantua and Powelton Village neighborhoods of West Philadelphia, especially projects that demonstrate deep relationship-building within this community.
- Program Partner Kenyatta University
- A train itinerary to Mombasa and will be provided with arrival and return times that align with the program schedule.
- A suggested flight itinerary to and from Kenya will be provided by the faculty leaders. Students are advised to follow flight guidance when booking their airfare.
- US Citizens are not required to obtain a tourist visa for entry to Kenya. Other nationalities should confirm visa requirements on the Kenyan Embassy website.
