Register for this event here.

The MIT-Africa and MIT-India programs at MISTI frequently host lecture series that focus on its respective regions, but for the first time, the two would like to collaborate on an event of mutual interest. In the spirit of international studies and cross-cultural learning, the programs plan to co-host an event focused on ethnographies of South Asian diaspora communities in East Africa, with a particular focus on Kenya and Tanzania.

The relative size and significance of the South Asian diaspora in the region is often surprising to visitors. Seldom is the community’s history and influence in country formation discussed outside niche circles. This event seeks to explore the ethnography of this group, its relative economic, social, and political positioning in Africa, as well as its sense of identity as “Africans.” As a cross-program collaboration, MISTI seeks to attract a wider audience, shining a spotlight on this topic and engage a diverse group of participants to interrogate these topics in a virtual forum.

Speakers

• M.G. Vassanji: MIT B.S. '74 and co-founder of the MIT African Student Association; Acclaimed novelist and Kenyan/Tanzanian of South Asian heritage

• Professor Kenda Mutongi: History at MIT; Author of Matatu: A History of Popular Transportation in Nairobi

• Professor Sana Aiyar: History at MIT; Author of Indians in Kenya: The Politics of Diaspora

• Boluwatife Akinola: MIT student, Mathematical Economics '21; President of the MIT African Student Association (ASA)

• Deekshita Kacham: MIT student, Computer Science '22; President of the MIT South Asian Association of Students