Observations: Kenya

This column comes to you while I am on safari in Kenya. Safari is a Swahili word that just means journey, but for audiences around the world, it has come to refer to a special journey to see the wonderful animals of East Africa.

I first went to Kenya in 1980 and visited Nairobi National Park and climbed Mount Kenya for the first time. I kept returning almost every year, leading programs for American students, teaching Kenyan students at the University of Nairobi and making many African friends along the way.

On my return from my year at the University of Nairobi, I began to wonder if I might make opportunities available for my Kenyan students to study in the United States. Miami University then had a serious diversity problem. It began to improve when then Provost Ronald Crutcher began to hire people of color and encouraged the Admissions Office to make the same commitment.

I cajoled my own department into offering a graduate assistantship to one of my Kenyan students. He thrived here, earned a master’s degree and went on to get a Ph.D. at one of the best universities in the country. And numerous other students followed, both in my department and in others. Indeed, at one point, before the influx of Chinese students, candidates from Kenya were among the most numerous international students here.

It wasn’t always easy for them. There is a learning curve, to be sure, and it takes time to adjust. But without exception, they have thrived.

It has become harder in recent years. My retirement 10 years ago lowered my own voice. The Trump administration’s clampdown on international students makes it harder than it ever was to come here.

And the Trump administration’s current policy is making it even harder for such a program to prosper.

Kenya is classified among those “shithole” countries labeled by our president. That classification makes it ever more difficult. One of our favorite students, who did two degrees at Miami and then opened his own consulting business in the United States while working for a Ph.D., went home to see his family and renew his visa and was denied reentrance to the United States. That was months ago, and he still hasn’t been able to return and may never get back.

Meanwhile, my family is on safari. Two years ago, we took our children and grandchildren to Zimbabwe and Botswana – it was an incredible experience, especially for the kids, aged 12 and 14. My sister decided she wanted to do the same thing for her family and asked us to plan the trip and come along.

And so we’re on safari, seeing the elephants and lions and zebras in the wild. It’s nothing like going to the zoo, though I enjoy that, especially in Cincinnati.

Here you go in Land Rovers or similar vehicles, and drive through Masai Mara or other game parks in search of whatever animals you can find. The excitement at seeing your first elephant is breathtaking. Occasionally, you might come across a kill, usually done by a lion at night. But then the hyenas come, and after that the vultures, and you can watch the feast and listen to the cacophony of sound as they all compete for a piece of meat.

It’s getting harder to travel as we get older, but the experience is indescribable, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Allan Winkler is a University Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at Miami University, where he taught for three decades. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Oxford Free Press.