The Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK (AHRC), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG), National Research Fund Kenya (NRFK) and National Research Foundation South Africa (NRFSA) propose to deliver a joint closed stream on Equity and Narrative in international research collaborations. This will be a unique opportunity for the ASAUK delegates to hear from arts and humanities funders on their approaches to navigating narrative, power, competing priorities and meaning making in the development and delivery of international research funding partnerships across the African continent and the projects they enable.
Four panels over days 3 and 4 (each with at least three panel members and a chair) will be organised by the funders. The panels will focus on the funders’ commitment to implementing equitable partnership principles, research agenda setting and visions for the future, the importance of early career research and a unique reflective opportunity for the funders to listen to under-heard and marginalized voices from the breadth of ASA UK attendees. The titles of the four panels to be co-organised are:
Panel 1: Equity in international collaborations- how do we create collaborative research agendas, and how does this change how stories are made
Research is never neutral. It is shaped by whose knowledge matters, which problems are prioritised, and how resources are distributed. When agendas are set without the meaningful involvement of rightsholders and other diverse stakeholders, power imbalances are reproduced rather than challenged. This panel will explore the possibilities and challenges of co-creating research priorities, funding design, governance structures and decision-making processes across the full ecosystem of funders, governments, civil society, artists and scholars. It also seeks to explore how creative methodologies, such as art, storytelling and participatory methodologies be leveraged for setting research agendas? Drawing on the AHRC-funded BEAP project, the panel will consider how collaborative agenda-setting can influence research cultures, inform policy and support more inclusive, accountable and justice-oriented knowledge production.
Chair: Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu
Presenters: Prof Ashley Gunter, Prof Parvati Raghuram, Professor Wyclife Ong’eta Mose
Panel 2: Equity in international collaborations-Whose priorities? Which stories are told and what is the role of knowledge holders in this?
In today’s global landscape, questions of whose priorities shape research, policy, and development agendas have become critical. Decisions on knowledge production and amplified voices and stories often mirror deep power imbalances in institutions, funding, and partnerships. This panel interrogates how narratives on memory, justice, and human rights are produced within asymmetrical partnerships between the Global North and Global South. Drawing from museums, universities, and civil society, it examines how funding frameworks, institutional priorities, and global discourses determines which stories are told and whose knowledge counts. It highlights the role of diverse knowledge holders and local actors navigate these dynamics by contesting, reframing, and producing alternative narratives. Moving beyond tokenism to genuine co-creation, a shift in epistemic authority, and equitable partnerships actively reshape global memory debates. Practical strategies for building inclusive knowledge ecosystems and ethical, locally grounded storytelling will be highlighted.
Chair: Ms. Jackline Ngwio Muyalo
Presenters: Tali Nates, Betty Karanja, Dr Motsane G. Seabela, Prof. Lucy Gitonga
Panel 3: Equity in International collaborations- What role does story telling play within research we fund? Lessons for the opportunities we seek to create
Researchers have a great responsibility towards the people they conduct research with. This applies not only to the period during which the research is planned and carried out, but also extends to the period afterwards, covering the communication of results within the scientific community and beyond. This panel draws on experiences from previously funded projects in various disciplines and contexts to explore the significance of storytelling as a mode of engagement. How can such stories shape and change narratives and the way we think about specific settings and phenomena? What role do research funding programmes and their administrative frameworks play in enabling the potential of stories? How can the incorporation of storytelling contribute to more equitable research collaborations? How do stories help to break away from well-established epistemic hierarchies?
Chair: Prof. Katharina Schramm
Presenters: Dr. Inês Macamo Raimundo, Dr. Jonathan Ngeh, Dr. Marko Scholze, Dr. Abdourahmane Seck
Panel 4: Equity in International collaborations- how can arts and humanities research enable transformative change and what role will funders play in enabling equitable global futures.
Research funders face similar socio, economic, political and cultural pressures which inform how research agendas and funding opportunities are developed which in turn impacts the relationship between Europe and the African Continent. National research funders now have a wealth of evidence through commissioning and funded projects that provide recommendations and principles to enact change. In this context, national research funders are changing the ways in which they scope, develop and deliver arts and research funding to enable transformative change and seek equitable global futures. The representatives from national funders from Europe and the African Continent will reflect on the ways in which their organisation has and is changing. They will consider: what are the barriers for this change, what does this mean for research communities, is it different for arts and humanities research programmes, how can international research collaboration can enable better outcomes and drive inclusive economic growth.
Chair: Dr Erica Key
Presenters: Mr Greg Meredith, Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu, Prof. Dickson M. Andala, Dr Kathrin Knodel
Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu
Dr Mchunu is a director within the International Grants and Partnerships Division of the NRF overseeing bilateral and multilateral programmes. She holds a doctoral degree in Fungal Genomics, with expertise in biotechnology, Dr Mchunu is focused on advocating for science accessibility across Africa. Dr Mchunu’s work is characterized by her commitment to building continental and global research partnerships, driving the advancement of science and technology in Africa, and promoting equitable access to scientific knowledge through Open Science initiatives. Mchunu continues to actively champion the cause of open science, driving forward initiatives that support research infrastructure, policy development, and the overall democratization of scientific knowledge on the continent.
Prof Ashley Gunter
Prof Ashley Gunter is a Professor of Geography and Acting Deputy Executive Dean (since January 2025) in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He is an NRF C1-rated researcher, a distinction awarded to a relatively small and highly selective group of South African academics in recognition of sustained international research standing, leadership, and scholarly impact.
He has held Research Fellowships at the University of Oxford, the University of Edinburgh, and The Open University (UK), and maintains long-standing research affiliations across the UK higher education sector. Prof Gunter has led and co-led major UK–South Africa and UK–Africa research collaborations, supported by the British Academy, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), ESRC–NRF Newton Fund, and EU funders. Across his career, he has managed and coordinated over R29 million (£1.3 million) in competitive research funding, working across multi-institutional, interdisciplinary consortia with a strong focus on equitable partnerships, capacity building, and research governance. In addition to his research profile, he occupies a senior executive leadership role at one of Africa’s largest universities, contributing to institutional strategy, internationalisation, and research management, and bringing a combined perspective of research excellence, senior academic leadership, and deep practical experience of UK–Africa partnerships.
Prof Parvati Raghuram
Parvati Raghuram is Professor in Geography and Migration at the Open University. She publishes widely on migration, particularly skilled and student mobility. She is Chair of the Executive Board of IMISCOE, the largest network of migration scholars. She has also been exploring the use of ‘care’ as a concept in social policy, postcolonial theory and feminist ethics. One of her recent AHRC funded project is Decolonising Peace Education in Africa (DEPA, 2019-2025) where she looked at how to ‘actually decolonise’. The project focused on how arts can be used in educating for peace. Sixteen projects were funded across 14 countries in Africa as part of this consortium. Arising from this, the team also worked on the project Creative Peace Economies in Africa. These projects have led to the production of a number of open educational resources which are freely available. Her latest project is Building Equitable African Partnerships, funded by the AHRC, aims to apply some of the findings of DEPA in how to do partnerships beyond the development gaze. The team has produced a report and an OpenLearn module, Partnering for Equitable Research Gallery (PEERS), specifically meant for those working in the humanities and arts. All these projects have been underpinned by the desire to explore postcolonial care and responsibility in Geography, both in theory and practice.
Professor Wyclife Ong’eta Mose
Wyclife Ong’eta is the executive director of Oasis Peace Web Organisation and a lecturer in the security, diplomacy, and peace studies department at Kenyatta University. He has over ten years of experience teaching, researching, and cross-border peacebuilding in Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan in Africa, having engaged multi-stakeholders. Wyclife has an impressive track record of field research, report writing and analysis; activity reports and project management reports; and dissemination of research findings to inform people-centered policies. He has been involved in many project of tremendous impact in Africa, for example, Building Equitable Partnerships in Africa funded by AHRC, Women’s Empowerment among refugees and communities of Karamoja funded by the Nippon Foundation and the present one developing the Peace Education Curriculum for the refugees and conflict affected communities of Karamoja working in partnership with the team from the University of Sheffield.
He has Ph.D. in peace and conflict studies from the United Nations-mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica.
Ms. Jackline Ngwio Muyalo
Ms. Jackline Ngwio Muyalo is a professional with extensive experience in project management, resource mobilization, and partnership development. She currently serves as the Senior Resource Mobilization and Partnership Officer at the National Research Fund (NRF), where she manages funded research projects, leads donor engagement, and prepares and reviews funding proposals, concept notes, and supporting documents to attract sustainable funding. Jackline also drives capacity-building initiatives for researchers, equipping them with skills in proposal writing, fundraising, and effective donor relations to enhance their competitiveness in securing grants. Prior to joining NRF Kenya, Ms. Muyalo managed projects funded by leading organizations such as the World Bank, CBM Global, OSIEA, the Ford Foundation, and Voice, with a focus on inclusive development, disability rights, and women’s empowerment. She holds a master’s degree in project planning and management from the University of Nairobi and a B.Sc. in Disaster Management and International Diplomacy from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Passionate about transformative impact, Jackline’s work spans national, regional, and international development spaces.
Tali Nates
Tali Nates is the founder and Executive director of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre (JHGC) and Chair the South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation. A historian who lectures internationally on Holocaust and genocide education, memory, reconciliation, and human rights, she was born to a family of Holocaust survivors, her father and uncle rescued by Oskar Schindler. Tali has been involved in the creation and production of dozens of documentary films, curated exhibitions, published articles, edited books and journals and contributed many chapters to edited volumes. She won numerous awards in South Africa and globally, the latest were the Goethe Medal (2022, Germany), the Secretary of State International Religious Freedom Award (2023, USA), the International Network of Genocide Scholars’ Impact Award (2024) and recently, the Decoration of Honour in Gold (2025, Austria).
Betty Karanja
Betty is research scientist in the Cultural Heritage department with the National Museums of Kenya. She has worked in the museum and heritage sector for the past 18 years, 11 of them as a Curator in different museums. Betty has a bachelors degree in Anthropology, a masters in Project Planning and Management and certification in Museum Leadership from the Getty Leadership Institute, California. With this extensive experience in the museum field, she is highly skilled in curatorial practice, exhibition development, collection management and building relationships with artists, collectors, donors, and other stakeholders. She is particularly interested in promoting culture and the preservation of cultural and natural heritage sites and collections. She has also been involved in various projects geared towards realizing the decentralization as well as decolonization of museums.
Dr Motsane G. Seabela
Motsane G. Seabela is an interdisciplinary researcher and museologist focused on critical heritage and museum studies, as well as indigenous epistemologies. She currently is the Curator of Anthropology at the DITSONG National Museum of Cultural History, Pretoria, South Africa. Seabela is also a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria and holds a PhD from the same University. Her research centres on the overlooked narratives of black individuals in museums and ‘collections’ that are deeply rooted in colonial histories. One of her recent creative works is the co-curated exhibition entitled Inherited Obsessions, which interrogates the concepts of preservation and its true purpose. Additionally, Seabela addresses the transformation of museums from sites of violence to spaces of healing through restitution efforts both within and beyond their walls.
Prof. Lucy Gitonga
Prof. Lucy Kawira Gitonga is a Professor of Midwifery and Nursing Education at Chuka University, Kenya, with over 26 years of experience in healthcare, academia, and health systems leadership. Her work increasingly focuses on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital health technologies, and data-driven approaches to improve healthcare delivery, particularly in maternal, neonatal, and community health. She holds a PhD in Midwifery and Nursing Education from the University of Nairobi and an MSc in Nursing (Midwifery) from the University of Dundee, UK. Prof. Gitonga has also undertaken advanced training in health systems management, research, and innovation, positioning her at the intersection of healthcare and emerging technologies. Prof. Gitonga is actively involved in AI-driven health research, serving as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator in several funded projects. Notably, she leads the AI-Powered Cultural Information System for Embu and Tharaka Nithi (CIS-ETHN) project and co-leads projects on AI-based tuberculosis detection using X-ray imaging and automated breast cancer screening using deep learning models. Her work emphasizes explainable AI, ethical integration of technology in healthcare, and context-specific innovation for low-resource settings. She has contributed to scholarly discourse on AI in healthcare, including presenting on explainable machine learning for disease prediction at international conferences. Her broader research portfolio includes over 30 peer-reviewed publications in areas such as maternal and neonatal health, health systems strengthening, and clinical care outcomes. Beyond research, Prof. Gitonga has played a pivotal role in curriculum development for health and technology-integrated programs, mentoring postgraduate students in interdisciplinary research that bridges health sciences and data science. She has supervised numerous MSc and PhD students and continues to support capacity building in digital health and AI applications in Africa. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) by the President of Kenya in 2023. She is also an active member of national and international professional bodies and contributes to policy development, ethics, and governance in healthcare and research. Prof. Gitonga is passionate about leveraging AI and digital innovation to transform healthcare systems, improve health outcomes, and advance equitable access to quality care in Africa and beyond.
Prof. Katharina Schramm
Katharina Schramm is Professor and Chair for Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, where she is also a member of the “Africa Multiple” Cluster of Excellence. She is facilitating the research group “Anthropology of Global Inequalities” which is invested in a critical public anthropology at the interface of Science & Technology Studies (STS) and political anthropology. Her own work focuses on race as an unruly object in political and scientific practice. Among her recent publications is the volume “Knowing-Unknowing: African Studies at the crossroads”, co-edited with Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni.
Dr. Inês Macamo Raimundo
Inês Macamo Raimundo is an Associate Professor of Human Geography at Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique. She specialises in migration within Mozambique, including international and transboundary dynamics, internal rural-urban mobility, and forced displacement from environmental disasters. She has led several projects related to migration and poverty, climate change, and food security. Her work also addresses migration policy and informality in Mozambique. Raimundo has published internationally in these fields for over 20 years. She has been invited to participate in panel discussions, lectures, and classes at internal and international universities and has received awards for her academic achievements.
Dr. Jonathan Ngeh
Jonathan Ngeh is a sociologist affiliated with the University of Cologne. His research examines social inequalities, focusing on labor exploitation, migrant exclusion, and epistemic inequality– particularly in relation to practices of co-producing knowledge. His regional focus includes the Arab Gulf states, Northern Europe, and West Africa. He is currently finalizing a monograph with Michaela Pelican and Tu Huynh titled Parity in Research: The Third Space of Knowledge Production (Routledge), which analyzes the challenges and potentials of inclusive, coproduced research.
Dr. Marko Scholze
Marko Scholze holds a PhD in Anthropology from Bayreuth University. He is a scientific coordinator at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main in Germany. Together with a Franco-, Anglo- and Lusophone African network of research institutions, he coordinates the annual Programme Point Sud series of conferences in the humanities and social sciences, which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). He also coordinates the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa’s (MIASA) outreach programme at the University of Ghana in Accra, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
Dr. Abdourahmane Seck Dr Abdourahmane Seck is Associate Professor (Maître de conférences) at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal, where he teaches religious and political anthropology. His scholarship, at the intersection of African studies, intellectual history, and Southern epistemologies, has significantly renewed analyses of the relationships between Islam, the state, and society in West Africa, situating them within a critical reflection on modernity and the postcolony. He has notably developed an original approach around memography, as a way of rethinking the production and transmission of knowledge from the Global South. Coordinator of the Groupe d’Action et d’Étude Critique – Africa (GAEC-Africa), he stands as an important voice of the critical Global South, contributing to contemporary debates on knowledge ecologies, the decolonization of the social sciences, and the reconfigurations of politics.
Dr Erica Key
Dr. Erica Key is the US Global Hub Director for Future Earth, an international constellation of researchers, innovators, and actors supporting transformations to sustainability. She brings to the role more than 15 years of experience leading systems approaches to global change and community-led research. Prior to joining Future Earth, Erica was the first Executive Director of the Belmont Forum, an international partnership of funding, resource, and science coordination organizations committed to transdisciplinary, transnational approaches to global environmental change. She led membership and strategic development for the Forum, building a funding ecosystem of more than 200 funding and donor programs capable of supporting a range of knowledge types and geographies in collaborative research and action with stakeholders. Erica also supported the implementation of the Forum’s Open Data and Open Access Policy and Principles in all elements of its funding and review program, including targeted funding for innovative re-use of Belmont Forum data and digital objects. She is founder and Executive Committee member of the annual global Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress, a Special Advisor to the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum, Enabling Environments Steward for Financial Ecosystems for Systemic Transformation, and a member of the Conseil d’Orientation Strategique of the Institute for Research and Development of France. Erica continues to advance opportunities for inclusion and transformation, including ethical open access, regenerative multi-sector financial coalitions for achieving the future we want, expanded methods for valuing transdisciplinary research outcomes, and the enhanced development of boundary spanners who translate knowledge into action. She draws on her experience as a program director at the U.S. National Science Foundation, interagency agreements lead, and a global change researcher. Erica holds a Ph.D. in meteorology and physical oceanography from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School for Marine Sciences.
Mr Greg Meredith
Greg Meredith is Head of International Partnerships and Engagement at AHRC where he leads a global portfolio of research collaborations and partnerships. A strong focus in recent years has been to support work on developing equitable ecosystems for future AHRC activities. Greg has spent 13 years at UKRI across various areas covering Health, Data, Education, and international development. He has also spent time at The University of Edinburgh and was previously based in Thailand where he was responsible for regional partnerships delivering sustainable development and global citizenship initiatives.
Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu
Dr Mchunu is a director within the International Grants and Partnerships Division of the NRF overseeing bilateral and multilateral programmes. She holds a doctoral degree in Fungal Genomics, with expertise in biotechnology, Dr Mchunu is focused on advocating for science accessibility across Africa. Dr Mchunu’s work is characterized by her commitment to building continental and global research partnerships, driving the advancement of science and technology in Africa, and promoting equitable access to scientific knowledge through Open Science initiatives. Mchunu continues to actively champion the cause of open science, driving forward initiatives that support research infrastructure, policy development, and the overall democratization of scientific knowledge on the continent.
Prof. Dickson M. Andala
Prof. Dickson Andala is the CEO of the National Research Fund (NRF), leading efforts to mobilize resources for research, capacity development, and innovation to drive sustainable national development. He is also an Associate Professor of Materials/Inorganic Chemistry at Multimedia University of Kenya, specializing in Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology for applications in sensors, catalysis, and environmental remediation. With research support from the National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Grand Challenges Canada, and The World Academy of Sciences, Prof. Andala has received numerous accolades, including recognition by the African Academy of Sciences, Kenya National Academy of Sciences, and OPCW. At NRF, he has spearheaded strategic global partnerships with institutions such as the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI Africa), NRF South Africa, IDRC Canada, and UK International Development programs, among others. He currently severs as a board member at NACOSTI and Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), He has held various senior leadership/management positions including having been a Director to the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA), African Materials Research Society (AMRS) boards, Executive Committee Member to Africa Crystallographic Association (AfCA); Membership to various Professional Associations including African Academies of Science (AAS), Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS). His contributions to science, policy, and international collaborations continue to shape Kenya’s research landscape.
Dr Kathrin Knodel
At the German Research Foundation (DFG), Kathrin Knodel currently serves as a Programme Officer for International Affairs related to the Maghreb, West and Central Africa. Together with her colleagues, she is responsible for networking between researchers at German institutions and their peers in the region. At the same time, she oversees the strategic orientation of cooperation, especially between scientific systems with different configurations and the field of equitable research partnerships. She is a trained social and cultural anthropologist. As such, she has conducted qualitative research on a wide range of social phenomena like migration, marriage and NGOs in West Africa. She cooperated intensively with academic colleagues in the region on research, scientific events and publications before joining the DFG in 2020.
