An experimental international vaccine trial is sending 800 Finns to Benin, West-Africa and the objective of this study is to investigate its conduct. In reference to literature on clinical trials in low and middle income countries, the project will follow the conduct of the trial and follow its impact on its Finnish participants and the local community in Benin.
What happens when a large number of tourists arrive at a quiet, off-the-beaten-path destination? What happens when innovative medical research is conducted in collaboration with a cultural centre? How do existing cultural values and practices inform the encounters between the Finns and the Beninoise?
