The Shadow Scholars

Behind the scenes of global academia, a hidden industry thrives—where highly educated Kenyans write essays for Western students.

In The Shadow Scholars, Oxford professor Patricia Kingori travels to Nairobi to investigate this surprising industry. What starts as an inquiry into academic ghost writing soon reveals a deeper story — one tied to inequality, colonial history, and the global job market. As Kingori uncovers more about how and why this industry exists, her perspective begins to shift. The film challenges assumptions about academic integrity and exposes the far-reaching consequences of a system that enables students to buy knowledge while those producing it remain in the shadows. A gripping and eye-opening documentary that challenges what we think we know about academia. 

The film will be introduced by Sharon Anyango, tutor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM. She is currently pursuing her PhD on evolving gender expectations of settled Somali and Eritrean refugees in the Netherlands .
Her research interest lies in intersectional approaches to gender and migration. She worked in the field of development as a Project Manager for an educational institution in Kenya between 2015 and 2018, with a major focus on education provision to the youth, and eradication of FGM and child marriages.
After the film we reflect on what we have seen with her.

In collaboration with Lumière. 

Text source: IDFA.