This project researched the promotion of minority engagement with formal and informal education in the context of East Africa. The research employed innovative methodologies including working groups, radio broadcasts, education events and life history case studies. In collaboration with a local radio station, which promotes the language of the minority group in question, this project unpacked the ways in which the minority community can be supported to explore the value of education for sustainable development.
The goal of this project was to support the Bravanese Community in understanding the importance of education. For so long, the Bravenese people have been excluded from educational opportunities. The exclusion of the Bravanese people from formal education started as early as the 1970s. The Bravanese people have been particularly vulnerable since then. Relations between the Bravanese and other communities are strained. Those Bravanese who speak little, or no Somali have a very limited understanding of, engagement with or influence over the world around them, to their considerable cost. This project sought to improve the ability of the Bravanese to understand and have agency in the world, so they are more able to live the lives they value in harmony with others. It also sought to show that an inclusive Somalia is not possible if Somalia is based on the (widespread) myth of ethno-linguistic homogeneity.
