Mawazo Ideas Events: Building Platforms for Innovative Engagement
At Mawazo, we believe that ideas are the essence of creativity, the spark to innovation, and the call to research. This is why we invest in getting good ideas out into the public domain. To do this, we organise a variety of events under the Mawazo Ideas platform. These include, the Mawazo Ideas Night (MIN), a recurring public event that offers local researchers, scholars and other self-identifying nerds an informal and engaging platform to present their ideas to the public, and the Mawazo Ideas Exchange which gathers participants to deep dive into issues in their unique fields of practice.
Find out more about our past events below and check our events calendar to join the next Mawazo Ideas event.
Mawazo Ideas Night presents The Future of African Cities : A Science Quiz Night
During this edition of the Mawazo Ideas Night, the Mawazo Institute tested celebrities on the topic of how innovation is helping create futuristic African cities. Moderated by Kari Mugo, our science expert was 2021 Mawazo Fellow Dr. Mutono Nyamai, and our brave competitors were Georgie Ndirangu and Just Ivy Africa. You can find out more about the event here.
(November 1, 2022)
Mawazo Ideas Exchange: Gender Lens Investing
In this edition of the Mawazo Ideas Exchange, the Mawazo Institute hosted a panel discussion workshop with experts from Bamboo, Capital Persistent Energy and the Kenyatta University. The panel discussion offered insight for female researchers with ideas that have commercial potential. The panel and audience debunked investment myths, offered insight into the investment process and inspired those who had big ideas to commercialize them.
(July 21, 2022)
Climate Week: What is Planetary Health?
What is Planetary Health? In March 2022, Mawazo Institute’s Climate Week explored how human behaviour has been changing our planet’s health, and what we can do about it. Through in-person and virtual events, we presented local research, ideas, and approaches to planetary health that can strengthen community networks and instigate urgent action on climate issues for individuals and institutions in Eastern Africa, and beyond.
(March 22, 2022 - March 25, 2022)
Mawazo Ideas Exchange: African Women Innovating on COVID-19
On the International Day of Girls and Women in Science, the Mawazo Ideas Exchange celebrated Africa's female scientists and explored the value of science education in the continent's development. Women's research, labor, skills, and talent have been crucial to COVID-19 pandemic responses across the globe. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where women are estimated to make up less than one-third of all researchers, women are contributing to pioneering research into the virus and its control measures. African women have also been active in raising the alarm on food insecurity, fighting misinformation in the public arena, and innovating around access to education, for example.
(February 11, 2022)
Mawazo Ideas Exchange: African in the Ivory
In the middle of a global pandemic, why are life-saving medicines being hoarded in richer countries? Science has an equity problem that needs our urgent attention. On Africa Day, Tuesday, May 25th, the Mawazo Ideas Exchange joined Falling Walls Engage Hub Kenya to hear from African scientists, innovators, and storytellers as we explored the persistent inequalities limiting who can do science - and who gets to benefit from its discoveries.
(March 25, 2021)
Mawazo Ideas Night: Women and Science in Africa: A Silent Revolution
During this edition of Mawazo Ideas Night, Mawazo partnered with the Fondation L’Oréal, to screen Women & Science in Africa: A Silent Revolution, a documentary exploring how African women are impacting science and innovation on the continent. The film was followed by a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing African women scientists inspired by the documentary’s stories of women using science as a tool for development in Congo, Madagascar, and South Africa. You can watch the full panel discussion here or the highlight reel here.
(March 11, 2020)
Mawazo Ideas Exchange: The Case for Science Engagement
In our third Mawazo Ideas Exchange, we hosted a moderated workshop on the case for science engagement with a group of experts from Africa and beyond. We discussed a range of different perspectives on why bringing science to policymakers and the public matters, and explored the future of science engagement. The event was organised in partnership with Falling Walls as part of Kenya’s first ever Falling Walls Engage Hub. You can watch highlights from the event here or a read the summary report here.
(March 9, 2020)
Mawazo Ideas Night: Working On It
During this edition of Mawazo Ideas Night, we heard from the fields of innovation, storytelling, healthcare, conservation, and digital media, as six speakers gave lightning talks on how their work is helping to find solutions to local challenges. You can find more event details on our calendar or by reading our blog.
(November 7, 2019)
Mawazo Ideas Exchange: Roundtable on Investing in the Arts
Our second Exchange featured a roundtable discussion on the opportunities and challenges of scaling Kenya’s creative economy. The event was organised in partnership with MNM Consulting and drew from the insights of Kyle Polite, nonprofit leader and Mawazo board member and the experiences of participants with fundraising and spearheading creative ventures. You can find event details here, or download the event report.
(October 30, 2019)
Mawazo Ideas Night: Stories Behind the Science
A storytelling event that delves into the phenomenal, glass ceiling-breaking, and truly grueling moments of making it in the field of science as a woman. Told in front of a live audience, five Kenyan women share stories of finding success as scientists and offer insight into the unique challenges that women continue to face. The event was hosted as part of the NEF 2018 Africa Science Week - Kenya.
(December 5, 2018)
Mawazo Ideas Night: Tech Talks Back
In this edition of Mawazo Ideas Night, we hosted a moderated discussion on the state of Kenya’s tech sector. Dubbed, ‘Tech Talks Back,’ the evening invited leading players from the Silicon Savannah to share their vision for the role of technology in the region. The event was organized as part of the 2018 NEF Africa Science Week - Kenya.
(December 4, 2018)
Mawazo Ideas Night: The Launch
Our first Mawazo Ideas Night marked our entry into Kenya’s science engagement scene. In January 2018, Mawazo hosted a variety show that invited an ethnographer, a historian, a tech policy analyst, and a phyicist who doubles as a comedian to take the stage. You can find more details about the event here.
(January 24, 2018)
Mawazo Ideas Exchange: A workshop for Informal Science Practitioners
We launched the Exchange with an assessment workshop for informal science practitioners from across Kenya. Using design-based implementation research, Mawazo worked with Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield of NUI Galway to develop a program for local science practitioners to create strategies and resources that can be used to design informal science programs. To learn more, read the blog .
(January 24, 2018)