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Intellectuals in Eastern and Central Africa

The Centre de Recherche et d’Études sur les Pays d’Afrique Orientale (CREPAO), attached to Pau University (UPPA), in partnership with IFRA and l’Inter-university Council of East Africa, organized a seminar titled “University and scholars after a crisis in Eastern and Central African countries", in Kampala in June 2007.

Presentation and research programme

This seminar lies within a wider academic exchange and North-South solidarity programme, which brings together the French team and various African scholars trained at Pau University. This programme ended, in September 2006, with a seminar on ‘classical functions and new position and attributions of scholars, comparative approach of experiences and individual strategies’. Its major theme dealt with “University and scholars after a crisis”; with studies relating to surveys on private and public Universities in the Great Lakes Regions of East Africa.

In the methodology, a network of national or expatriate scholars, specialized in social sciences and humanities, who have worked in the Great Lakes region were asked to respond to questionnaires. The approach took place in three events. First the seminar, held in Pau in September 2006, established the problems and determined a number of new questions. The second seminar held in Kampala clarified reflections and expanded the issue by proposing opening up East African universities. The final event will be a conference during which conclusions and recommendations will be made.

The questions that were dealt with in September 2006 were on the ‘classical functions and new position and attributions of scholars, comparative approach of experiences and individual strategies’. In June 2007, the work begun in Pau was continued, focusing on ‘classical functions and the new position and attributions of scholars, comparative approach of experiences and collective and individual strategies’. The program will close in 2008 with a conference in Bujumbura.

The first meeting examined examples, monographs, biographies, typologies of situations and problems that researchers and teachers in universities encounter. The second meeting intends to complete the state of research extending the work and inventories that are currently being pursued on universities, inter-universities cooperation, reforms and orientations experienced, the potential public policies or those being implemented. The contribution of Ugandan scholars that have in the past dealt with these issues currently being experienced by Burundi, Rwanda, and DR Congo is strongly needed.

The papers of the first seminar have been published and can also be consulted on the CREPAO website.

The approach of the seminars aimed at being critical and introspective, starting from precise situations, specific life experiences, specific individuals or specific sectors to allow for a better understanding of the general, collective and national situations in immediate retrospective as well as in the prospective.

Scientific committee: François Constantin, Professor of Political Science, emeritus UPPA, Daniel Bourmaud, Professor of Political Science, UPPA, Dominique Darbon, Professor of Political Science, CEAN Bordeaux, B. Koss, Professor of History, Université de Laval, J.P. Chrétien, History DR emeritus, CNRS, Cemaf-Paris, E. Morowha, Professor of History, Université du Burundi, J. Gahama, Professor of History, Institut pédagogique du Rwanda, D. Dibwe, Professor of History, Université de Lubumbashi, RDC, B.Charlery de la Masselière, IFRA Nairobi

Organisation committee: Herve Maupeu, lecturer Political Science, UPPA, Christian Thibon, Professor of History, UPPA, Alain Cazenave-Piarrot, lecturer, IUFM/CREPAO, Julien Nimubona, Associate Professor, UB, Joseph Gahama, , Associate Professor, IPR

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Kampala confenrece in 2007: Themes and recommendations

The scientific reflection is organised around four themes, inspired by the work and recommendations of the seminar at Pau.

A reflection on scientific thought on « Humanities, social sciences and crisis » on the contribution of social sciences and humanities in the analysis of situations and problems that societies of the Great Lakes region of East Africa encounter. This is as much an epistemological reflection on the place, role, and function of humanities and social sciences (including law, political science, geography, history, anthropology and sociology), as a critical outlook on the work achieved or currently underway, and a questioning of the problems studied.

Recommendation: It is clear that a double obsession on the crisis and identity phenomenon hinders the field of research and positioning around scientific fields. Is a new perspective in research and teaching desirable or achievable? The experience and debates should be presented. The current emergence from the crisis as well as the present history are at the heart of this articulation. There is a necessity between the analysis of urgency and the urgency of putting in perspective (long term and prospective).

A methodological reflection: Sources in humanities and social sciences. The problem of sources and their confrontation, the problem of their accessibility constitutes the basis of any investigation and analysis and /or perspective.

Recommendation: It is necessary to continue some self-questioning on the nature of sources, humanities and social sciences, among other themes on large and small surveys, on internet resources as well the use of oral sources and memory.

This methodological reflection must lead to taking into account the need of documentation networks and their eventual connection to information systems on a regional level that offer part of the data indispensable for research.

A reflection on the role of scholars : « Possible dynamics » The study of the role of scholars in the crisis, in the exit from the crisis, in the civil society and political life must continue, but we must avoid an exclusive critical vision of their instrumentation or alienation of « the trial of intellectuals » nature.

Recommendations: The papers and debates have shown “the possible dynamics”, concerning the function and role of Universities in situations that at first seemed blocked. It would be better to take into account “the possible dynamics” that are gathering. In other words, the experience, the strategies, the recomposition as well as through inter-university cooperation at a regional level or on a wider scale, initiatives by sector or collective initiatives modelled on “scholar-businessmen” within the existing institutions or territories or outside of these.

A reflection on the contribution of scholars in expertise. This theme, dealing with expertise and research writing, measures the distance and proximity between order-givers and other types of expert and scholars, remains of current interest.

Recommendations: Studies and participation observation of operating projects within this dynamic of associating scholars, other experts, public and political decision-makers must be continued not only to measure their limits or faults, but also their potential.

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