The De:link // Re:link podcast explores local insights and new knowledges. We invite intellectuals from different backgrounds to engage them in conversations about new spatial configurations and local perspectives on transregional infrastructure projects.
For this episode, we invited Kenyan author and public intellectual Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor to talk about knowledge production, China’s presence in Africa, Europe’s colonial legacy, the benefits of a global omanyara, and how we can reimagine the world we live in. Yvonne is the author of the well-received Dust (Knopf, 2014), and The Dragonfly Sea (Knopf, 2019). She obtained a BA from the Kenyatta University, an MA from the University of Reading, UK, and an MPhil (Creative Writing) from the University of Queensland, Brisbane. From 2003 to 2005, she was the director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Her story “The Weight of Whispers” earned her the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2003. Her other works are to be found in various publications, including National Geographic. For her artistic achievements, Owuor was awarded the (Kenya) Head of State Commendation in 2016. Yvonne is active in the Kenya conservation and environmental sector. At the time of recording, she was DAAD artist-in-residence in Berlin.
In our podcast, we value open conversations with our guests and understand our podcast mainly as a platform to share our guest’s perspective. The Podcast is produced by members of the research consortium “De:link // Re:link – Local perspectives on transregional (dis-)entanglements”, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
This episode is hosted by Daniel Kossmann, in collaboration with John Njenga Karugia and Linda Ammann.