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 ghostwriting 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.

Aftertalk with Gabriel Dinda Olewe

What challenges do young Africans face, regarding unemployment, and how does it intertwine with reading, writing and the environment? How does shadow writing fit into this picture? In the aftertalk with Gabriel Dinda Olewe, we talk about youth (un)employment, activism and the writing culture in Kenya.

Gabriel Dinda Olewe is a PhD candidate at University of Groningen and University of Nairobi, pursuing Ph.D in Climate Change and Adaptation. His research investigates the impact of youth activism in influencing climate policies. In 2014, he founded Writers Guild Kenya, a Centre for readers & writers working to encourage general reading and writing culture in Kenya. He is the author of Questions of my Youth (2019), Guide to Self-Publishing (2018), Youth Unemployment in Kenya, a Ticking Time Bomb (Co-authored, 2016) and currently finalizing on his latest manuscript, “The Journey”