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DAAD Regional Office for Africa - April 2015
nairobi
newsletter
REGIONAL NEWS: Up to 300 DAAD
postgraduate scholarships on offer to
study in the East Africa Region
From this year on, DAAD will offer up to 300 Master and PhD scholarships within its In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme for
Eastern Africa. The expansion of this programme, which has successfully supported students in the region for several decades, is
part of DAAD’s new Strategy for Africa which was launched last
year. It will contribute to strengthening and expanding DAAD’s regional network of academic partners offering high-quality Master
and PhD studies which are related to development and geared towards capacity building. The extended number of scholarships is
possible thanks to additional funds by the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation and Development.
In February, DAAD invited universities, research centres and research networks in the region offering postgraduate programmes to
apply for a quota of scholarships, including those who had already
been part of the programme in the past. By April, DAAD had received 86 proposals by interested institutions from Kenya, Ethiopia,
Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania. All proposals were assessed in a
peer review process with international experts. As a result, more
than half of the institutions who applied were admitted to participate
in the programme.
Shaping the future of higher education capacity building in East
Africa: The international selection committee for the relaunched InCountry/In-Region scholarship programme.
Members of the selection panel assess the application
documents. From left to right: Cay Etzold (DAAD Head Office
Bonn), Huruma Sigalla (Uni Dar es Salaam, TZ), Lilian Wambua
(ICIPE, Kenia) and Mwibanda Wesonga (JKUAT, Kenya)
In the first week of May, DAAD will publish on its website a list of the
selected Master and PhD programmes. Interested students can folEditorial
DAAD
Regional Office for Africa
P.O.Box 14050-00800
Nairobi, Kenya
Director:
Dr. Helmut Blumbach
Editor:
Anja Bengelstorff
Contact:
+254 733 929 929
[email protected]
http://nairobi.daad.de
low the link to the respective scholarship advertisement on the offering institution’s website which contains all requirement details
and forms as well as the deadline for individual applications. Scholarships will be available for postgraduate programmes starting in
September 2015.
For more information: Mr. Bonface Nyagah,
Ms. Inse Boehmig
Deliberating: Prof. Jan Bongaertz (Uni Freiberg, Germany) and
Florence Tushabe (Uganda Technology and Management
University)
newsletter April 2015
Law students
selected for DAAD
scholarships at TGCL
in Dar es Salaam
Dozens of East Africans—
from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania—
applied this year again for a
Master or PhD scholarship at
the prestigious, DAADsponsored TanzanianGerman Centre for East
African Legal Studies
(TGCL), located at the University of Dar es Salaam in
Tanzania. The admission and
scholarship interviews were
hosted by the DAAD Regional Office in February. Nine
lucky LLM students and one
PhD students were selected
for a DAAD scholarship and
will be starting their courses
in September. Congratulations to the budding law
scholars from all over East
Africa!
DAAD at Education
Fairs in Nairobi
Since 2001, the DAAD Regional Office has been participating in the annual International Education Fair in Nairobi. This year, in March, we
were again among the exhibitors, providing insight and
guidance on study and research opportunities in Germany. We even recruited a
new intern who will start
working with us in May.
What a scholarship has to
do with chicken in Uganda
The 2014 In-Region Scholarship Handover
Ceremony took place on the 6th of March at
the DAAD Regional Office in Nairobi. DAAD
awarded 30 scholarships to students from
Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic
of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda,
South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Togo, all
studying and carrying out research at Kenyan
universities and research institutions. Of the
30 scholarships, 13 were for PhD and 17 for
Master studies.
The scholars introduced themselves and their
ambitions in terms of giving back to the society. This offered the scholars’ views on the
challenges Africa faces as a continent and
what solutions they see. Neville Mapenzi from
DR Congo explained how delighted he was to
be in the Integrated Watershed Management
master’s program funded by the DAAD at
Kenyatta University, because, according to
him, Congo has many water sources that are
not managed appropriately. The water supply
is unreliable and there is a deficiency of drinking water in most parts of the country. In the
future he wants to contribute towards better
use of water resources in the DRC.
In February, we took part in
an international student fare
at the Laico Regency hotel.
More info on the funding and
scholarship opportunities to
be found on our website!
DAAD University
Info Tour Kenya
Mark your calendars for the
following DAAD PhD
scholarship presentations:
Wednesday, 13 May
10 am: Maasai Mara Univ
4 pm: Kisii University
Thursday, 14 May
10 am: Maseno University
4 pm: University of Eldoret
Friday, 15 May
9 am: Moi University (main
campus)
3 pm: Egerton University
Monday, 18 May
10 am: Laikipia University
4 pm: Dedan Kimathi
University
Tuesday, 19 May
10 am: Embu University
College (with Meru und
Chuka UC)
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Page 2
East Africans in search of answers: The new In-Region
scholarship holders at the DAAD Office Nairobi.
Jasinta Mamor, a master’s scholar from
South Sudan studying Animal Nutrition and
Food Science, isn’t happy with the fact that
her country imports chicken from neighbouring Uganda. She feels that South Sudan has
the capacity to rear its own chicken and engage in other agricultural activities just like
her neighbouring countries in East Africa. Her
aim is to help develop food security in the
region.
The students highlighted some of the challenges they face as In-Country/In-Region
scholars, for instance delays in disbursement
of stipends by the university management
and lack of proper orientation by the university for international students.
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Registration is free.
newsletter April 2015
Page 3
KENYA: Afternoon Tea -Scientific
Knowledge as Cultural Memory
On 5th February, DAAD Nairobi hosted Stephan Mühr,
professor for German and Culture Theory at the University of Pretoria, for a presentation on Scientific Knowledge
as Cultural Memory - How German Scientists remember
the Colonial War in Namibia. He was DAAD visiting professor for intercultural literary studies at the University of
Nairobi at the time.
Prof. Mühr analyzed two German PhD publications on
cultures of remembrance of the war between the German
colonial troops and the Herero in Namibia between 1904
and 1907. According to him, those scientific approaches
are practices of remembrance themselves that reconstruct and re-enact a shared past that has been divided
into two perspectives. He refers to one of the publications, by Larissa Förster and an exhibition in Germany
“Namibia und Deutschland, eine geteilte Geschichte.”
The German verb “teilen” can refer to the fact that the
war divided both parties, but on the other hand it may
mean that both parties share “a culture of remembrance.”
Prof. Mühr’s presentation led to a lively discussion among
the participants who hailed from all parts of Africa, countries which had a colonial past themselves. In Mozambique, according to one scholar, two historical narratives
seem to exist: The “official” one and the one shared
among the people. A Sudanese scholar stated that their
people have dismissed the history availed to them by Historians from the West for not being their “own”. Therefore,
according to the scholar, Sudanese have no history at all.
Participants were also puzzled about the interest of Western academics in their history while their own historians
seem to be silent on it or at least don’t publish their research.
Most guests were German Masters Students from the
University of Nairobi, many of whom are sponsored by
the DAAD, as well as other DAAD scholars and Alumni.
Prof. Mühr, right, is making a point in a discussion with a young scholar.
UGANDA: New DAAD Lecturer at Makerere University:
“Uganda was a natural choice”
Applying for DAAD Lektorat in Uganda was a natural choice for me, because I had already worked and lived in the country in the previous years and greatly enjoyed its cultural environment. Moreover, the daily life in Uganda allowed me to
make unique experiences that had a great impact on my understanding of the relations between Germany and Uganda.
When I got the opportunity to engage myself with the work of the Goethe-Zentrum in Kampala I realized the importance
of the German language and culture for many Ugandans. I was quite impressed by their commitment to learn and pick
up the language. Since I graduated with Master degrees in
Political Science, History and German as Foreign Language from the Universities of Oldenburg and Jena I
found myself well prepared for further activities in academic and cultural exchange. That is why I felt very glad
when I got the ambitious assignment to take over the
DAAD Lektorat in Uganda.
Since my arrival in December last year I already had the
opportunity to interact with my colleges and students of
the German department at Makerere University and I am
really looking forward to the next semesters to come. At
the same time, I want to contribute to the strengthening of
the German language in Uganda and to the further development of the academic links between the countries.
newsletter April 2015
Page 4
Kenya: DAAD Nairobi Director visits
Karatina University
The Director of the Regional Office, Dr. Helmut Blumbach, together
with DAAD Lecturer Dr. Shaban Mayanja visited Karatina University
on 21st January. A German Studies Programme was to be officially
initiated. Dr. Blumbach was curious to see one of the Kenyan universities recently established.
Currently, four universities in Kenya offer a German degree program;
Kenyatta University, Moi University, the University of Nairobi and
Pwani University. The Karatina University German Programme will
enrich the curriculum for students pursuing Tourism and Hospitality.
Dr. Helmut Blumbach (centre) with officials of Karatina
University and Dr. Shaban Mayanja (third from right).
In order to contribute to achieving this goal, the DAAD donated books
for the new German department. Dr. Blumbach presented DAAD Programmes and scholarships for various target groups and urged the
students to apply. Dr. Mayanja, a specialist in German Studies, pre-
sented the curriculum he had come up with
for Karatina University. He later on advised
the students on the career opportunities for
graduates of German Studies.
ANZEIGE
Technische Universität Berlin
Campus El Gouna
Technische Universität Berlin (TUB), Germany, established a satellite Campus in El Gouna to act as an academic hub and research center at the Red Sea in Egypt.
TUB Campus El Gouna currently conducts three advanced Master’s degree programs in:
·
·
·
Energy Engineering
Urban Development
Water Engineering
All two-year programs comprise 120 Credit Points
(ECTS) and are taught in English. Students graduate
with a full Master’s degree by Technische Universität
Berlin. Next to their study time in El Gouna, they spend
up to one year at TUB’s mother campus in Berlin.
Deadline for application:
31 May 2015
TUB Campus El Gouna was founded as a nonprofit
Public-Private-Partnership between TU Berlin, Orascom
Development Holding (ODH), and Sawiris Foundation
for Social Development (SFSD). Teaching and research
are conducted by staff of Technische Universität Berlin
and international experts under German regulations for
higher education.
The exceptional location of TUB Campus El Gouna provides a state-of-the-art environment for studying and
research, while serving as bridge for scientific and intercultural exchange between Europe, the MENA region,
and worldwide.
For more information, please visit:
www.campus-elgouna.tu-berlin.de and follow us on
www.facebook.com/CampusElGouna
newsletter April 2015
Page 5
Kenya: DAAD president Margret
Wintermantel on short visit in
Nairobi
During a panel discussion on February 22 at the National
Museums of Kenya, DAAD president Margret Wintermantel, accompanying German Foreign minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier on his tour to three African countries, appreciated the 40-year long scientific cooperation between the
DAAD and East Africa. In Kenya alone, 1.700 scholars
benefitted from DAAD Master and PhD scholarships over
those four decades. In 2015, this academic collaboration
will even be extended: With an additional 250 scholarships for the region and a highly remunerated university
cooperation for applied Resource Management in Kenya.
Professor Margret Wintermantel (right): Additional 250 DAAD scholarships for
the region.
In the course of the discussion that focussed on a symmetrical dialogue between Germany and African countries in the
fields of arts and science, the South African scholar Arnold
van Zyl, currently Vice Chancellor of the Technical University
of Chemnitz, raised the question of the symmetrical dialogue
in academia: “The justification of science is to channel the
acquired knowledge back to the society. Therefore we must
be in touch with the people and that’s where media comes
in.” He described a subtle, but alarming tendency where African scientists are left to collect data at home which is then
analyzed by European and American scientists abroad. “We
need a symmetrical co-production in science as well.”
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier with Kenyan Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Amina Mohamed, and German Ambassador to Kenya, Andreas Peschke
(left)
ANZEIGE
New Interdisciplinary Master Course
“Environmental Engineering” (MaEE) at
Lübeck University of Applied Science (LUAS)
The study programme Master Environmental Engineering is intended to further qualify experts in environmental protection based on sound environmental assessment and innovative technologies.
The study course attaches great importance to scientific
methods, application orientation and problem-solving
strategies in interaction with social requirements and at
the intersection of different stakeholder interests.
Course-integrated projects across the entire course duration aim at the training of skills to develop solution
strategies, use of need-oriented, technical approaches
and the development of a high level of social competence. Teams work on scientific and industrial projects
of regional and international nature.
MaEE has been designed as non-consecutive international full-time study-course of 3 semesters with 90 CP
(ECTS) in English; the tuition fee is 12,000 EUR in total
for 3 semesters. Applicants must have a degree of
Bachelor of Engineering (or a corresponding, similar
field) of at least 210 Credit Points (CP) and one year of
professional experience in an environmental field.
Possible employers include public authorities, NGOs,
scientific institutions, consulting firms and planning companies, corporations and environmental and water management services and organisations. The scope of duties may be of technically oriented and planning or advisory nature.
For more information: http://master-environmentalengineering.de or contact [email protected].
newsletter April 2015
Page 6
Kenya: DAAD trains upcoming scholars in PhD Proposal Writing
27 PhD scholarships to Germany are up for grabs for Kenyans every year – and yet, never have all positions been filled.
What is the reason? For once, a number of applications were rejected by the selection commission due to the lack of
scientific value. In order to help potential applicants for those scholarships write winning proposals, the DAAD Regional
Office for Africa has been offering PhD Proposal Writing Workshops in Nairobi. Now in its 7 th year, the workshop in
March 2015 attracted a record number of candidates interested in how to write that elusive scientific draft. Eventually, 77
young scholars attended. Participants travelled to Nairobi from as far as Dar es Salaam or from Rwanda.
How do I identify a research gap? What is my research problem? How do I make sure that I don’t repeat the research of
someone else? How do I find a supervisor in Germany, and what do I do with online resources? Those are some of the
questions the participants
leant to answer in six working
groups which were created
according to the participants’
study area. They were guided
by experienced trainers who
are accomplished academics
and DAAD Alumni.
The participants left the workshop in high spirits. “I enjoyed
the workshop and I added a
lot to what I knew,” said Leonard Bakize from the Institute
of Kiswahili Studies at the
University of Dar es Salaam
in Tanzania. Before the workshop, he had already spent a
few days in Nairobi researching his topic at Kenyatta University. “I thank the team for
the great insights into proposal writing”, said participant Susan Mambo from Kenya. All attending scholars are now challenged to work on their drafts and send them back to the trainers for review and comments, as a requirement to attend
the second part of the workshop in June.
Africa region: On History and Identity: Scholars of German Studies
meet in Namibia
The Association for German Studies in Southern Africa (SAGV) hosted the XXVII International Conference of German Studies at the University of Namibia in Windhoek from 29th March to 1st April. Under the theme „History and
Identity: 100 years after the First World War, 25 years after the German unification, 25 years after Namibia´s attainment of Independence“, more than 70 participants from South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Canada, Poland, Germany, Mexico, Kenya, Togo, Irland, the UK and the USA presented academic papers. Participants from the GoetheInstitut in South Africa organized workshops on the teaching of German.
The DAAD was represented by DAAD lecturers Dr. Phillina Wittke, Susanne Jahn, Daniela Auer and Dr. Shaban
Mayanja. A highlight of the DAAD-funded conference was a public reading by renowned German-Namibian auther,
Bernhard Jaumann.
The next conference will be jointly hosted by the SAGV and the Association of Scholars of German Studies in Africa
(GAS) next year. Hopefully, the East African Association of German Scholars will have been launched by then.
newsletter April 2015
Page 7
The region: The East African Network of Learning of Administrators
(EANLA) goes virtual
From 24 - 26 November 2014, finance administrators
and principal investigators (PIs) from several Kenyan
and Ugandan universities met at Egerton University to
discuss challenges of international third-party funding
administration.
The workshop was organized by the initiators of the
network from Egerton University in Kenya and the
International Center for Development and Decent
Work (ICDD) in Germany as well as partners from
IUEA and Makerere University in Uganda. EANLA
was initiated in 2013 as a network of East African finance administrators and PIs to promote good practices of international finance administration as well as
to pinpoint and cope with the challenges of handling
international third-party funding at East African univerProf. Dr. Hellstern from Kassel University with participants from Kenya and Uganda
sities, taking into account the cultural differences in
the administrative processes. A main focus is to create awareness among donors, PIs and finance administrators of
the different perspectives of the various stakeholders, the administration processes, and the technical challenges of
handling third-party funding.
At the workshop, an online learning platform was established that allows members of the network to communicate,
share and discuss information as well as to create a common knowledge base on best practice examples. The EANLA
Wikispace will be administrated by Egerton University and a rotating board of elected chairpersons will maintain its
content. Presently, 15 Kenyan and 11 Ugandan universities have become members of the network and a total of 50
persons are connected through the EANLA Wikispace.
At the end of 2015, a conference in Kassel (Germany) will conclude the first phase of the EANLA project. The aim of
the conference will be to disseminate the gained experiences and the increased knowledge about administrative processes in the respective countries, and also share the experience with colleagues from German universities who work
and cooperate with universities in Africa.
An expansion of the network to Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania would be welcomed.