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As Kenya’s independence loomed, nationalists established the East African Airlift to support the higher education of close to 800 Africans in North America. The Airlift was designed to overcome limited educational opportunities and Africanize the civil service. Relying on oral histories, secondary literature and archival research, this chapter argues that the scheme is a site of positive peace as it provided opportunities for young men and women to counter racism, patriarchy and negative ethnicity. Amidst the Cold War theatre, these students made claims as “worldmakers” in an era of self-determination as they engaged with the global order to define and expand notions of citizenship and belonging. The Airlift history has contemporary implications for understanding ethnicity, gender, nation-building and state-craft as Africa decolonized. It highlights the importance of conflict resolution mechanisms that recognize and build upon the historical contributions of subaltern actors in promoting just and sustainable peace in Kenya. Centering the voices of the students, this chapter demonstrates peace scholarship’s call to adopt a decolonial approach to realize the local turn. This historical narrative underscores the potential of educational initiatives to address underlying social divisions and foster long-term peace and stability.

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Education as a Driver of Positive Peace and “Worldmaking” in the Era of the Cold War: The Role of the East African Airlift (1959–1964) in Kenyan Decolonization, Statecraft, Citizenship and Belonging

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Debora Rogo

摘要

As Kenya’s independence loomed, nationalists established the East African Airlift to support the higher education of close to 800 Africans in North America. The Airlift was designed to overcome limited educational opportunities and Africanize the civil service. Relying on oral histories, secondary literature and archival research, this chapter argues that the scheme is a site of positive peace as it provided opportunities for young men and women to counter racism, patriarchy and negative ethnicity. Amidst the Cold War theatre, these students made claims as “worldmakers” in an era of self-determination as they engaged with the global order to define and expand notions of citizenship and belonging. The Airlift history has contemporary implications for understanding ethnicity, gender, nation-building and state-craft as Africa decolonized. It highlights the importance of conflict resolution mechanisms that recognize and build upon the historical contributions of subaltern actors in promoting just and sustainable peace in Kenya. Centering the voices of the students, this chapter demonstrates peace scholarship’s call to adopt a decolonial approach to realize the local turn. This historical narrative underscores the potential of educational initiatives to address underlying social divisions and foster long-term peace and stability.