Zoom Meetings

The following Zoom meetings are mandatory. These are all on the Google calendar, with Zoom links included.

• September 19, 7:00-8:30am PACIFIC TIME
• October 17, 11:30-1:00pm PACIFIC TIME
• November 21, 8:30-10:00am PACIFIC TIME
• December 5, 10:00-11:30am PACIFIC TIME
• January 9, 10:00-11:30am PACIFIC TIME

We expect that our dadas will be in different time zones, and may have commitments that will make it challenging to participate in these meetings. However, we also know the value of connecting prior to our trip and these will be key moments to build community, learn about Kenya and the education system, and connect with Carol - who will join these Zoom meetings. Because of the time difference with Kenya, we are unable to have these meetings in the evening.

Please note: failure to participate in pre-work, Zoom meetings, and to respond promptly to communication can be grounds for dismissal.

Reading

Required

September: Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators, Chapters 1-4, by Elena Aguilar. This book will ground us in the concept of resilience in educators.

October: Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. A classic and required for anyone to understand the history of Africa.

November: Read one of these contemporary short stories from Africa: The Short List: The Caine Prize for African Writing.

December: Unbowed: A Memoir by Wangari Maathai

January: Your choice. Select one of the following (they are all written by Kenyan authors) and be prepared to discuss it over lunch in Nairobi.

• The River Between, by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
• One Day I will Write about this Place, by Binyavanga Wainaina
• The River and the Source, by Margaret Ogola

Additional Recommended

• Decolonizing the Mind, by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
• A Theory of Imperialism by Utsa & Prabhat Patnaik
• Orientalism by Edward W. Said
• Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor

Home Group Meetings

You are expected to meet in Home Groups once a month, for at least 90 minutes, on Zoom. When you start planning your PD session, you'll likely need more time to meet. Here's some guidance for these meetings:

September:

• What do the community agreements mean for you? What will it look like for you to hold this agreement in Nairobi? Which agreement feels easiest? Which one feels hardest?
• What are your hopes and fears for this experience?
• What do you really want and need your Home Group to know about you?
• Discuss Queen of Katwe (movie)
• Practice your Swahili!

October:

• Share a story about your own resilience: Describe a challenging time, how you dealt with it, and what you learned.
• Discuss Ch. 1-4 of Onward. Each dada select one question from the end of one chapter to offer the group for discussion.
• Begin planning your PD session: What process will you use to design the PD? When will you meet?
• Practice your Swahili!

November:

• Discuss Things Fall Apart. What was new learning for you in this text? What surprised you? What connections can you make to the history and to the story?
• Finish your PD session. Remember that your Home Group must schedule a Zoom meeting with Chiara between Nov. 18-26.
• Practice your Swahili!

December:

• Discuss the short story that you read. What was surprising? What was new learning?
• Discuss how you anticipate that your socio-political identity may impact how you experience the trip to Kenya. As you think about this, and discuss it, notice and name any feelings that come up.
• Revise your PD session.
• Practice your Swahili!

January:

• Final PD session agenda and materials due on January 15.
• Discuss the feelings. What feelings are coming up for you right now?
• Discuss Unbowed. What questions do you have about Kenya after having read it? What surprised you? What would you ask Wangari Maathai if you could?
• Practice your Swahili together!

Podcasts

• A Year of Kenya lectures on a wide range of topics in Kenyan history - from ancient history to contemporary. Some of the audio recording quality isn’t great, but a lot of the content is really good.
• Binyavanga Wainaina: Interview with one of Kenya’s most famous writers

Films

Queen of Katwe. This is a beautiful, moving, true story that takes place in Uganda, and illustrates many of the issues that we’ll explore in Kenya, including education for girls, the experience of living in an informal settlement, and community development. Watch this in August!

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind. This is a true story, about a young man in Malawi, that provides some useful context about education and climate change. It's available on Netflix - Watch this in November!

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai (optional)

Swahili

An Introduction to Swahili, from Carol

Kiswahili Survival Phrases (print this out!)

Video lessons from Madame Khulela Snaidah:

Introduction

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3