In their project, the two German designers Timm Donke and Marvin Kasper, together with the Kenyan architect George Wekesa, have reinterpreted the term mobility in a both practical and meaningful way.
Keywords such as virtual mobility or long distance exchange had led the trio to consider that mobility can mean much more than physical mobility.
At the same time, the intensive look at the actual needs of both countries clearly indicated differences within the local labour markets. While Germany has an increasingly large shortage of skilled workers, the low number of apprenticeships in Kenya leads to high youth unemployment.
The idea of an innovative craft training concept based on an intercultural exchange of skills between Kenya and Germany appeared to be a promising approach.
Under the title KAZUJU, the team finally began designing a digital learning platform whose name is inspired by the Kenyan words for work (Kazi) and skill (Ujuzi).
In the future, digital training programmes with certified degrees will be offered on KAZUJU, which will enable students from both countries to produce sustainable products in intercultural exchange through their newly acquired professional skills.
In order to be able to efficiently put their idea into practice, the trio is initially focusing the platform on the production of furniture. Currently, the three initiators are increasingly looking for potential supporters and partners from both countries and cultures.
The presentation of the KAZUJU project was recorded at the »Ideas Crossing Borders« conference in Berlin. The final presentations of the other two teams of the Design Networking Hub, HOUSING and TECHNOLOGY, are also available on YouTube.
Funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Design Networking Hub was established in May 2021 and is a knowledge and networking platform for designers, architects and creative professionals to support international cooperation projects in the field of design.
An integral part of the Design Networking Hub is the exchange of ideas on an equal footing, as all participants should learn from each other and grow together. In order to make the information offered on the platform as user-oriented as possible, a pilot group of five German and five Kenyan designers and architects was put together to work in small teams through the entire process of a bilateral cooperation. In the areas of mobility, housing and digitalisation, they are developing new product and business ideas or non-profit concepts.
German Design Museum Foundation
The German Design Museum Foundation was founded in 2011 on the initiative of the German Design Council and is based in Frankfurt am Main. Since its foundation the GDMF has firmly established itself in the German foundation landscape and established itself as a multi-voiced and non-profit institution for the overall design spectrum with nationwide funding projects. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote and communicate design to a broad public as a significant component of applied art and everyday culture. Since its foundation and with the support of committed cooperation partners, the German Design Museum Foundation has organised numerous projects in the form of workshops, summer academies, exhibitions, publications and the development of a digital museum.
www.deutschesdesignmuseum.de/en
German Design Council
The German Design Council was founded in 1953 by the Federation of German Industries and leading companies on the initiative of the German Bundestag. More than 350 renowned companies from various industries support the German Design Council in implementing design as an economic and cultural factor. Outstanding designers as well as up-and-coming young designers are also supported. The German Design Council strengthens the general public's understanding of design beyond Germany and acts as an international interface.
www.german-design-council.de/en
Design Kenya Society
Based in Nairobi, the Design Kenya Society brings together Kenyan designers, design students and design businesses with the aim of strengthening the design and creative sector in Kenya and promoting excellence in African design.
Contact:
German Design Museum Foundation
Julia Kostial
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 49, 60327 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Telephone +49 69 24 74 48 638
kostial@deutschesdesignmuseum.de
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Germany
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