East African Studies Program
Why no programs since 2005?
First let me state that I'm hopeful that I'll be
able to offer this tour again soon! In fact nothing would make me happier. What
follows is a brief explanation of some very complex circumstances. I started
doing this program in 1998 at the University of Southern Mississippi. I ran it again
from there in 1999. When I came to MSUM in I ran the
program again in 2000 and 2001. During those years we spent all of our
time in the Republic of Kenya, a special place where I've lived and to which I have
been traveling since 1988. Kenya is my second home. A big part of those
tours, and a highlight for many of the participants, was an extended weekend homestay with families in the village of Igoji, Meru, on the eastern slopes of
Mt. Kenya. That village is the ancestral home of my very dear friend Dr. Pascal
Gitari Kaumbutho, whom I have known since 1987. During those years from
1998-2001 we had great relationships
established with many families in Igoji as well as the students and teachers at
St. Joseph Primary School and St. Lucy's School for the Blind. With a few
exceptions this homestay was the high point for most people. It conveys the
spirit of the program in its entirety.
Of course everything changed after September 11, 2001. In the wake of the uncertainty that followed from that tragic day I decided early on to cancel the 2002 program. In May 2003 I had a program arranged and a group ready to go, but on the same day we were scheduled to leave the U.S. the State Department issued a travel warning for Kenya. Words cannot describe the sense of disappointment I felt, especially for the students who were scheduled to go. Unfortunately that travel warning is still in place, although the reasons for it remaining in force are certainly arguable. What it means though is that I am prohibited from taking any group there by MNSCU* travel policies.
Although that original travel warning forced me to cancel the 2003 program in 2004 and 2005 I tried to replicate the program by taking students to Tanzania, Kenya's neighbor to the south. Things went well and we saw some great places and met lots of wonderful people, but to me it did not feel quite the same. Tanzania is a lovely place and Tanzanians are wonderful people but I do not know the people or the country nearly as well as I know Kenya and Kenyans. That is no one's fault but my own but of course I am my own worst critic. Even my Kenyan Kiswahili got me in trouble from time to time!!! We also had some issues with the homestay since Tanzanians generally do not know English as well as Kenyans and that is simply an artifact of the different colonial histories of the two countries.
Ideally I 'd prefer to take students to Kenya again; nonetheless, until the U.S. State Department lifts the travel warning I cannot. I would love to take students to Kerala, India; however the timing does not work well with the Indian summer heat in May and monsoon rains in June and July. UFF DA!IIre I am considering possibilities but at present can't commit one way or another. If anything materializes I will post details on this website and disseminate the information via campus media such as Dragonews, TTN, etc.
Thank you for your interest and I greatly appreciate your patience. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact me at robertsb@mnstate.edu or 218-477-2043.
Sincerely,
Bruce
D. Roberts
January 2010
*MSUM is part of MNSCU -- the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
Last updated 01/17/10
