Recording date: 09.10.2024 

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA-NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Giacomo Forte, "Nairobi"; Blue Dot Sessions, "Dirtbike lovers"; Abdoulaye Alhassane Touré, "Tamala". Free Music Archive.

Mike Mwanga arrived in Bern a year ago to pursue a PhD in the Experimental Virology group at the Institute for Infectious Diseases. Originally from Kilifi, Kenya, he was trained as a bioinformatician in his home country and developed a strong fascination for using computational methods to understand genetic data. His biggest challenge in Bern has been overcoming the language barrier. Mike believes his role as an African scientist is to serve as a bridge, fostering connections between his home country and Switzerland, especially within his field of expertise. He is part of the Genomics for Public Health Initiative, one of the Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE) launched by The Guild and the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA). In 2023, these two organizations jointly launched 20 Africa-Europe CoREs. Mike has proposed that Initiative Afrique could establish exchange programs to allow Swiss students to study at African institutions and vice versa. What he misses most about Kenya is his family and the food.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode Cecilia Olima 

Recording date: 15.11.2024

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA-NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Rocky Marsiano, "Munana"; Ketsa, "No clouds"; Abdoulaye Alhassane Touré, "Tamaya". Free Music Archive.

Cecilia Olima arrived in Bern 3 years ago to pursue a PhD in the Integrative Biodiversity and Conservation Science research team at The Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern. She holds a master's degree in Plant Ecology from Kenyatta University. Her master's project focused on assessing coastal protection and harvested goods provided by the mangrove forest in Mida creek, Kenya. She is passionate about the sustainable use of ecosystems and raising awareness among different stakeholder groups regarding environmental issues and possible ways to solve them. She would like to be a role model to African girls and women, giving them an example of the fact that one can still achieve their dream, even if you decide to have a family. It is never too late to go to school.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Gender studies and women’s welfare in global south cities

Philipa Birago Akuoko arrived in Bern to pursue a PhD at the Institute of Geography two years ago from Kumasi, Ghana. She is an urban development researcher focusing on spatial planning and informal economy through predominantly qualitative case studies and mixed-method approaches. Her interest also covers gender studies and women’s welfare in global south cities. Her biggest challenge at the University of Bern has been living alone without her infants and family, “fighting loneliness” every day. On the positive side, what she values most is the swiss canton’s uniqueness, the fact that each one has its identity and iconic image. She feels that one of her roles as an African researcher is to show other people what an African is; as an African woman, her role is to highlight misconceptions. She explained to us how important community building is for Africans and how much Africans love the idea of identifying with others. She suggested that Initiative Afrique could promote more social activities, such as a monthly lunch to share different cultures in a more informal environment. When asked about how to improve research collaborations south-north Philipa mentioned that Swiss researchers could benefit from the local environment, by getting in contact with researchers in Ghana through research stays.

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA-NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Crowander, "Afronauts"; Blue Dot Sessions, "Dirtbike lovers"; Blue Dot Sessions, "Around plastic card tables". Free Music Archive.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Samuel Agyekum is a PhD student at the Institute of Geography, University of Bern. He holds an MSc in Urban Environmental Management (Land Use Planning) from the Wageningen University and Research (The Netherlands). He arrived in Bern one year and a half ago after pursuing his bachelor's at Copenhagen as an Erasmus student and an MSc in The Netherlands. He was born in Kumasi, one of the largest cities in Ghana, and one of the few anglophone countries in the region. He feels that as an African scientist at the University of Bern, he has an epistemic responsibility to transmit true claims about his domain of research between Africa and Europe while at the same time, he has a social responsibility to align his research towards “desirable” ends and democratically held values. He reminds us of a Ghanaian proverb about promoting exchanges among UniBe and African institutions: “The path paver is not always aware that his back is crooked”, so you often need people by your side or behind you to steer collaborative processes. Inviting scholars from Africa to share their knowledge about how things work in their countries is one of the steps to achieving this collaboration. He thinks that Initiative Afrique is a good starting point as a platform where African researchers can discuss about common issues, always keeping in mind that “we should not be in a bubble”.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode 6. Prof. Zerihun Tadele

Recording date: 07.08.2024 

Moderator: Hugues Abriel. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA- NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Tim Taj, "Desert Mysteries"; John Bovey, "Desert Days on Earth"; "Ethiopia". Free Music Archive.

Prof. Zerihun Tadele is a group leader in Crop Breeding and Genomics at the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Bern. He has a long history as a scientist at UniBE, 21 years! He is currently working on a HORIZON project called “Booster” involving 12 countries —among which is his country of origin, Ethiopia. It aims to improve drought tolerance in both maize and teff, while simultaneously exploring the potential for transferring species-specific drought responsive features. With this project, they are connecting Africa and Europe. For him, Initiative Afrique brings assets not only to Africans but also to friends of Africa! His advice to new African students arriving in Bern is to adapt to the working conditions and be open to integrating oneself in a team.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode 5. Frank Mintah

Recording date: 07.08.2024 

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA- NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Habib Koite, "Barra"; Sere Quadrado, "Brazilian"; Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Ségal, "Niadou". Free Music Archive.

Frank Mintah is a PhD Researcher at the Institute of Geography, University of Bern. He holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in Planning (Urban Planning and Land Governance) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. During this episode, he shared invaluable input about what activities Initiative Afrique could promote to offer extra value to African students. He mentioned career orientation programs, capacities, skills development tailored to the African landscape and transferable skills. The most critical point for him is how Initiative Afrique could support African researchers in moving beyond publishing a paper in a scientific journal. How can policies be impacted once they return to their countries of origin? 

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode 4. Djouroukoro Diallo

Recording date: 08.08.2024 

Moderator: Hugues Abriel. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA- NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Studio Mali - Wake Up - "It's Africa Calling"; John Bartmann, "African Bliss"; Giacomo Forte, "Nairobi"; Serge Cuadrado, "Voronkov - Arabic Action". Free Music Archive.

Djouroukoro Diallo came to Bern in 2007 thanks to a Master's scholarship from the canton for outstanding international students from Mali. He now works as an Associate Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Language and Society (CSLS) and is the coordinator of the Initiative Afrique. A few critical issues came out in this interview. He wants to contribute to showing a better image of Africa and considers himself a "minister" of the African continent. He firmly believes that Initiative Afrique is a welcomed opportunity to better integrate all people of African origin into the University of Bern. He thinks we should focus on decolonization, expanding funding opportunities and establishing partnerships for the future.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode 3. Margaret Owuor 

Recording date: 12.06.2024 

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: “Yadina” (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA- NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Ksu Leer Yi, “Youssoupha Sidibe”; LaFaena, “Primitive Ritual”; Maria de Barros, “Cabinda A Cunene”. Free Music Archive.

Margaret Owuor, Professor of Integrative Biodiversity Conservation Science at the Wyss Academy for Nature, shares in this third episode of the Initiative Afrique podcast her insightful views on her role as an African scientist at the University of Bern and the challenges African researchers still face. She believes there is a need for inclusivity in the job opportunities and the grant processes. She feels that one of her roles as an African researcher is promoting meaningful, fair, and open collaboration. The biggest challenge for her is creating a “safe space” for interactions among African researchers at the University of Bern.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode 2. Jean Claude Makangara Cigolo

Recording date: 06.06.2024 

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: “Yadina” (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA- NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: John Bartmann, “Cuban Heat”; Ugo Mbaise, “Garri Gwu”, “Ofu Iko Mmanya”; Maria de Barros, “Cabinda A Cunene”. Free Music Archive.

Jean Claude Makangara is a medical doctor and researcher from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) who is doing his PhD at the University of Bern in infectious diseases -virology and bioinformatics-. In this episode he shares with us the multiple challenges he faced when arriving to Bern in 2023, such as the cultural clash that implies living “always close to your watch”! He thinks that studying at the University of Bern represents a huge opportunity for his career and feels as an ambassador of the Congo (the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, DRC). When he finishes his PhD, he plans to go back to his country and continue his work in Ebola and other infectious diseases.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.

Episode 1. Nada El Makhzen 

Recording date: 23.05.2024 

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: “Yadina” (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA- NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. “Ibn Al andalus”, by Fatimamhedden. Tribe of Noise PRO Bronze licence.

In 2022 Nada El Makhzen arrived in Bern (Switzerland) from Fez (Morrocco) to pursue a PhD at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. In this first episode of the Initiative Afrique Podcast, Nada shared with us the challenges she faced when applying to the University of Bern. Despite the paperwork, she has some encouraging words for any African student wanting to come to Europe: “Do not lose hope, keep up!”. She feels a big responsibility upon her shoulders for being an African scientist at the University of Bern because she “must show that Africans are here, can do a lot and have a scientific mindset”. 

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.