Learning for (Ex)Change is an international exchange project, which was created in cooperation of the University of Basel and the University of Namibia. Over a period of four years (2019-2022), two excursions will take place each summer - one in Namibia and one in Switzerland. The first Winter / Summer School took place in 2019 in Oranjemund, Namibia and in the Appenzellerland in Switzerland, under the title "Structural Change in Semi-Urban Regions in Namibia and Switzerland". The second edition will be held in 2021 under the topic "Rural Development" in the Beverin Nature Park (Graubünden, Switzerland) and in southern Namibia. The third edition will take place in 2021 under the topic "Water Management in Cross-Border Regions". Further information on the projects can be found on the respective sub-pages.

Structural change in small towns and semi-urban regions in Namibia and Switzerland

In June and July 2019, the University of Basel and the University of Namibia organized two joint excursions, first to Oranjemund, Namibia and then to Appenzell, Switzerland. Students and young professionals from both countries dealt with the question of how small towns in both countries  deal with structural change; both in the past and in the present. So the overall question was, which strategies and possible alternatives are availlable to local authorities and individuals  to ensure economic survival in the region if the main economic sector ceases to exist. The study region in Namibia was Oranjemund, a small mining town in the South of the country. Towns like former Oranjemund are faced with the fact that mineral resources, in the case of Oranjemund diamonds, are exhausted and the large mining companies are withdrawing. The central research region in Switzerland was the Appenzellerland, which among other things had to cope with the decline and ultimately almost complete disappearance of the textile industry and upheavals in agriculture.

In small groups, the participants worked on different aspects of structural change, both historically and in relation to current and future questions. We have closely worked together with partner institutions from the respective regions.

Nine students and three young professionals from Namibia and seven students and two young professionals from Switzerland took part in the two excursions. With the inclusion of young professionals, the project wants to enable an exchange between practice and theory. Young professionals have already experienced the challenges and difficulties that face the concrete implementation of projects. An experience that students usually do not yet have. Conversely, young professionals benefit from university discussions to get new ideas and suggestions for their day-to-day work.

Dates

Namibia: 15–29 June 2019

Switzerland: 08–20 July 2019

Rural Development and Transformations in Namibia and Switzerland

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the excursions initially planned for 2020 had to be postponed by one year. As a consequence of the global travel restrictions, the exchange could not take place as planned in 2021 either. As a result, two small pre-excursions were planned in Switzerland and Namibia in July 2021 to provide students with initial in-depth insights within their geographical contexts. Excursion participants from the University of Basel spent five days in Andeer, Grisons. The planned pre-excursion for students from the University of Namibia had to be cancelled at short notice due to the epidemiological situation in Namibia.

In January and May 2022, the excursions planned for 2020 could finally take place and led the students of the University of Namibia and the University of Basel to the Hardap Region in Namibia and to Grisons in Switzerland. Students from both countries conducted research in four groups around topics of rural development. The main focus was on tourism, agriculture and aspects related to the production and distribution of agricultural products. One of the aims of the excursion was to analyze rural development in a cross-national and cross-cultural comparison. 

The pre-excursion in Grisons (2021) involved 11 students from the University of Basel. A total of three students from the University of Namibia and five students from the University of Basel participated in the 2022 excursions. Three lecturers from the University of Basel and three lecturers from the University of Namibia were involved in the organization of all excursions. 

Dates

Pre-excursion Switzerland: 27.06. - 03.07.2021

Excursion Namibia: 29.01. - 08.02.2022

Excursion Switzerland: 21.05. - 27.05.2022

Migrant Labour, Land and Borders in Namibia and Switzerland

In June and July 2022, the University of Basel and the University of Namibia organised two joint excursions, first to central and northern Namibia and then to Basel, Switzerland, and Como, Italy. Students from both countries engaged with the history and legacy of migrant labour systems in both countries. In Namibia, the Winter School started in Windhoek and the group then travelled from there to Ondangwa, Omuthiya, Tsumeb, Karibib and Usakos, and back to Windhoek. The Summer School in Switzerland started in Basel from where the group travelled to Como (Italy), Milano (Italy) and Baden and back to Basel. The core idea of this third Summer / Winter School was to understand how the respective migrant labour systems in Namibia and Switzerland emerged and developed over time, to look at their differences and similarities, to look at the current situation and to understand how they are linked to topics like xenophobia.

In small groups, the participants worked on different aspects of migrant labour, both historically and in relation to current and future questions. The topics were “Sending Areas,” “Border & Transport,” “Workplace & Housing,” “Memories & Remembering,” and “New Labour Migration & Xenophobia.”

Nine students from Namibia and ten students from Switzerland, as well as seven lecturers and organisers from both sides took part in the two excursions.

Dates

Namibia: 21 June – 02 July 2022

Switzerland: 14–25 July 2022