Digital Humanism Summer School in Kigali

The Digital Humanism Summer School was held in July 2025 in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, as a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and in-depth debates on key issues of technology development and application in the African context. Some 100 participants from 19 countries focused on critical topics like digital participation, sovereignty in the digital age, and data protection concerns.

Vienna and digital humanism

Digital humanism is an interdisciplinary field that examines the complex relationship between technology and humanity.

The City of Vienna is committed to supporting technological progress based on social responsibility. It aims for a human-centred approach in digital innovation, making sure social and societal needs are met as digital technologies come to play an increasing part in human life. One of the pioneers in this field is Professor emeritus Hannes Werthner from the Vienna University of Technology, who also assumed a central role in the Kigali Summer School. Werthner is the author of the 2019 Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism.

The Republic of Rwanda

The summer school was held in Kigali, the capital of the Republic of Rwanda. The landlocked country with a population of about 14 million is situated in Eastern Africa, bordering Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its area of about 26,000 square kilometres is mainly characterised by mountainous landscapes.

Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent. Key economic sectors are agriculture, tourism, mining, and renewable energy. The country's gross domestic product has been growing at an annual rate of 4 to 9.5 percent in recent years. At the same time, Rwanda is known to struggle with high population density and, as a result, increasing consumption of natural resources.