2 events focus on Kenya

Two events in Indianapolis will offer a look at the connections between Indianapolis and Kenya, which includes a legal and sister city partnership, and an attorney who was in Kenya during the strife following that country's elections in late December.

The first event, Community Forum on Kenya is 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Christian Theological Seminary, 1000 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis professors Jeanette Dickerson-Putman and Dawn Whitehead will facilitate the discussion starting with presentations and remarks by Gilbert Nduru, geographer-human ecologist at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya; James Chelang'a, historian and political scientist, Moi University; and Naftali Gichaba, Kenyan Association in Indianapolis and member of the Kenyan community in the United States.

Attorney Fran Quigley, the Indiana-based director of operations for the IU-Kenya Partnership and former executive director of the ACLU of Indiana will also be on hand. Representatives of Ambassadors for Children; Rotary of Indianapolis Downtown; Indianapolis Eldoret Sister City Committee; Umoja and the Global Interfaith Council; and other NGOs that work with other organizations in Western Kenya will also attend.

For more information, contact Carol Darst at [email protected], or (317) 849-0133.

Another event to raise awareness about Kenya will be part of Indianapolis Downtown Art Dealers Association's First Fridays: Tuko Pamoja – Kenya & Indiana Together 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis.

"Tuko Pamoja" is kiswahili for "We are together." The event will feature African art, music, food, and a celebration of Indianapolis' first African sister city, Eldoret, Kenya, along with activists who are working with causes in Kenya, Darfur, Congo, South Africa, and Cuba.

For more information, contact John Clark at [email protected], or Gwyneth Sutherlin at [email protected].

The legal and sister city partnership was featured in an article in the Sept. 5-18, 2007, issue of Indiana Lawyer, and an attorney who was in Kenya during the strife following their elections in late December was featured in a "Rehearing" in the Jan. 23-Feb. 5, 2008, issue.