The Kenyan Science Café Experience: Challenges and

Opportunities

Ruth Wanjalaand

Juliette Mutheu

Origin of the KSCWhy they begunAbout the KSC

KSC 2008Opportunities

ChallengesLessons Learnt

2009 KSCInput from you

Kenyan Science Café (KSC)

Science Café is a science communicationmodel that provides a forum for

discussing ordebating important and interesting

scientific issues in an informal accessible manner.

250 Science Cafés in 40 countries around the world!

In 1997, Marc Sautet started Café Philosophique

In 1998, Duncan Dallas replicated the idea to Café Scientific/Science Café

In 2007, 23 young African science communicatorsintroduced to the Science Café concept, here in

SouthAfrica, British Council seminar

In 2008, two young Kenyans set-up the fourth-country

Science Café (after South Africa, Ghana, Uganda)

Origin of the Kenyan Science Cafés

Why Kenya why Science Cafés?Meaningful scientific information shelved and was not getting out to the public

Kenyans asking questions and not really getting answers

Frustration with improper/incorrect media coverage on health and science research

Novelty and Informalities of Science Cafés

About the KSC…Informal dialogue forums on topical scientific issues in Kenya

Held in Coffee houses within Nairobi

Weekday Evenings from 6-8 PM

Provide an informal platform for scientists and the public to debate and demystify science.

Introduction>Questions>Discussion

Kenyan Science Cafés 2008

First Science Café 17th April 2008 HIV Vaccine (Professor Omu Anzala of Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative)

Second Science Café 11th September 2008 Malaria the research in Kenya and East Africa (Dr Willis Akwale,

Dr Elizabeth Juma and Dr Andrew Nyandigisi of Division of Malaria Control, Ministry of Health, Kenya)

Third Science Café 23rd October 2008 Climate Change (Dr. Musonda Mumba, (World Wide Fund (WWF) )

Pictures

Opportunities

Access to Scientists and the publicBuilding of Database of Scientist from across the boardProbability of integrating the media in Science CaféOpportunities to work with school children in junior Science Cafes.Funding: Duncan Dallas, Burness Communication, Wellcome Trust* and Nation Media Group*

Challenges

Juggling jobs and Science CaféPlanning report writingFollow-up on queries of guests

Funds, -if you made Kenyans pay to attend a SciCaf attendance would be low and not

Getting the media involved

Current Science Café attracting upper middle class.

Lessons Learnt from the 2008 KSC

The media can be an allyWe can partner with scientific organizations to offer budgetary support to host Science Cafes e. g IAVIThere is a lot of interest from the PublicThere is a necessity to control and moderate discussion at the caféHave more than one speaker at the café to break monotony

Kenyan Science Cafes 20092009 Calendar Planning (12 months)BudgetRegistration of Kenyan Science Café as an organizationFormation of an advisory CommitteeCreate a scientists databaseRun junior science cafes Plan on hosting rural Science CafesPartnershipsDevelop a structured evaluation sheet

Input from you