13-15 June 2007

Nyeri and Isiolo , KENYA

Seminars on World Philosophy Day 2007

The World Social Forum, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in Africa, was supposed to be a forum for the voices of the grassroots. But Firoze Manji writes that, despite the diversity of voices at the event, not everyone was equally represented.

As one would expect, WSF was highly heterogeneous. There was a lot going on. At one level no one can deny the diversity of people from all parts of the world. WSF seemingly reflected the heterogeneity of civil society internationally: there were initiatives from grassroots women’s organisations, from feminists, social movements, small and large African organisations, international (or is it ‘multinational’?) organisations, donors and funders, grantees, activists, hustlers and the hassled. There were vociferous anti-capitalists and anti-(capitalist) globalisation meetings and discussions, as one would expect of an event that evolved out of the need to assert an alternative to imperialist globalisations of the Davos kind. And there were those whose politics could reasonably be viewed as part of the civil society infrastructure of modern-day imperial expansion.

Over the recent past, HEUK has been organising conferences, receiving visitors from other humanist groups (IHEU Members) and participating in joint ventures for Africa.

We encourage travel to Kenya, bringing humanism to Africa and promoting the principles as defined in our manifesto: we are in a position to host guests from all over the world.

For Travel Arrangements, contact Samson Mochoge Nyanumba

The Masai Mara is one of the best known and most popular reserves in the whole of Africa. At times and in certain places it can get a little overrun with tourist minibuses, but there is something so special about it that it tempts you back time and again.
Seasoned safari travellers, travel writers, documentary makers and researchers often admit that the Masai Mara is one of their favourite places. So why is that? Perhaps it is because of the 'big skies', the open savannahs, the romance of films like 'Out of Africa' and certainly because of the annual wildebeest migration, the density of game, the variety of birdlife and the chance of a hot air balloon ride.

Lamarck, Darwin, Wallace, Huxley, Haeckel,... Great names of science whose pioneering theories on the evolution of species and natural selection boosted a revolution in the 19th century Victorian science, since they suggested a common ancestor for man and apes, against the biblical conception of one Creation. Ernst Haeckel postulated the existence of an ape-man, Pithecanthropus, who would have inhabited a sunken continent called Lemuria, close to India.

The “Kenyan Culture” is born of myriad sources and influences both new and old. Despite the many and varied influences that have shaped Kenyan society, the culture in Kenya has become truly and purely Kenyan.

If any one thing of Kenya speaks of this unique character, it is the modern melding of traditional societies and culture.

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, lying on the Indian Ocean. It has a major port and an international airport. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry. The original Arabic name is Manbasa; in Kiswahili it is called Kisiwa Cha Mvita (or Mvita for short), which means "Island of War", due to the many changes in its ownership. The town is also the headquarters of Mombasa District which, like most other districts in Kenya, is named after its chief town.

The Institute for African Ecology and Philosophy reports that World Philosophy Day 2006 was celebrated on 16 November 2006, by the Institute, in the Republic of Kenya.

Participating in its celebration for the 5th time, since 2002, the World Philosophy Day in Kenya allowed reflection on various topics of particular importance, such as “Philosophy and the Condition of Modern Man”, “Cultural Philosophy, Diversity and Communication”, “Modernity and Woman Condition”, “Philosophy and Obstacles to the Alliance of Cultures”, “Philosophy: Teaching, Discussing and Translating”, or “Philosophy and North-South Dialogue: What Difficulties? What Future?”.

As democracy in Kenya is gaining advantage, more members are getting interested in making the 2007 conference a reality for Africans and friends alike.

We have managed to put all the basic organisation in place and recieved many applications from Paper presenters. We still have more space for interested applicants and would benefit if we got international humanists joining the Organising Committee to make the work complete.

During May, Kenya recieved visitors from Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zaire, Gabon, Senegal and Egypt, in the name of making Africa a viable continent for Humanistic activities. Kenya became the crux of the African Humanist Summit and Nigeria has continously offered its support.

IHEU member organization HEUK is now organising a Post Conference, at which global participation is invited. Abstracts of papers addressing the African dynamics, and expressions of interest in attending, should be sent to Samsom Mochoge (mochogesam@yahoo.com).