URL: http://www.bpb.de/veranstaltungen/format/studienreise/76289/opportunities-for-the-future

Opportunities for the Future

The Go Africa...Go Germany program was initiated by the former Federal President of the Republic of Germany, Horst Kohler, as part of his partnership for Africa. He had a vision to see young students and academics in diverse fields such as political science, social sciences, law and business from Germany and Africa; form a meaningful, long-term partnership.
To ensure the formation and implementation of such a partnership, the young individuals who go through the program are expected to become multiplicators in their countries and networks and thus drive its course. Towards this, President Kohler has stressed regarding the program: "Investing in an exchange between our young people is an investment in the partnership between our two continents."

The German Federal Agency for Civic Education took up the challenge to develop the program´s curriculum and ensure that President Köhler´s vision culminated in a tangible exchange program. Through interaction, dialogue and a chance to share diverse country and life experiences, the young academics meet, first in Germany and later either East, West or South Africa over a total period of five intensive weeks. Starting in 2007 the program has seen the successful completion of 2 exchanges between German students and students from Southern Africa and East Africa. The third exchange with West Africa is currently under way, with the second part of the programme taking place in March 2010. Plans to organise a fourth exchange, to take place in the latter half of 2010, between students from Germany and Southern Africa are ongoing. Each exchange involves 12 students from Germany and 12 from Africa, making a total of 24. From the four exchange programs, it is thus expected that at a minimum 96 young person´s will be impacted.

Given this rich background, what steps have been and continue to be made towards forming the envisaged partnership?

As a 2nd generation participant in the programme, I had the opportunity in 2008 of travelling to Germany for the first time with 11 other students from East Africa. During the programme, I had the chance to learn about the political, economic and socio-cultural aspects of German life. Through lectures, discussion groups, field trips and even free time; the entire experience for me involved lots of learning and exchange with my fellow participants. The personal exchange especially enabled me understand more about young people in Germany and their approach towards life, work and their future. Admittedly, on both sides, the German and African, there were a number of stereotypes that were discussed and debunked.

With such a start, there was even greater enthusiasm for the second part of the program which took us to Tanzania and Uganda. For many German participants, this was their first time in East Africa and a great opportunity to understand different facets of social, political and cultural issues within the African context. During the programme, the participants also worked on a paper together over a nine month period, which was eventually handed over to political decision makers and opinion leaders. In 2007, the common paper focussed on education, while in 2008, the scholarship holders focussed on how to establish a partnership with Africa. In 2009, the Paper this time is on Youth Culture in Germany and Africa. With input from 24 people, working together for almost a year, the views exchanged are diverse and adds to the richness of the paper.

The programme beyond its formal scope also triggered something on the personal level; a greater interest in either Germany or Africa and personal friendships. People who previously may not have had the opportunity to cross each other´s paths, have established bonds that enable networking across the divide to continue. This in itself has taken its own dynamics in a variety of spheres; many participants have since undertaken internships in Africa or gone on to Germany to continue their studies. Others have been motivated to engage professionally on issues that were discussed during the programme. While others yet, have used the contacts gained from the programme to pursue new opportunities and continue learning and researching. Upon the completion of the second part of the program, the overwhelming feedback from many if not all participants was that the cooperation and lines of communication between the participants, not only from our generation but all the generations had to be kept open. But how were the participants to do this? A brainstorming session between the organisers and the scholarship holders at the end of the programme provided a number of avenues and suggestions for future cooperation.

One idea that was put forward was the establishment of a partnership between the Go Africa alumni and a village which second generation participants had visited, known as Lukodi. The visit to Lukodi was an emotional as well as eye opening experience for the participants. Lukodi consists of 5 villages whose inhabitants were all severely affected by the conflict in Northern Uganda between Joseph Kony and his Lord´s Resistance Army on the one hand and the Ugandan government on the other. The conflict which raged for more than 20 years in Northern Uganda not only had a human toll in terms of those who lost their lives but also affected the livelihoods of thousands of others who were rendered homeless and placed in Internally displaced Persons (IDP) Camps. Men, women and children were abducted and forced to participate in the war, many bear not only the physical scars but also emotional wounds of their experience. Children who participated as soldiers, or were married off as wives, have to now find a way to pick up the pieces and continue with their lives. Entire communities are now grappling with weighty issues such as reconciliation and providing for their families. Lukodi is one such IDP camp which was meant to be a temporary home for many affected by the conflict. But years later, not all the inhabitants have been able to leave and return to their homes or re-integrate into their communities. As such there are still a significant number of families and individuals who have remained in Lukodi. Upon visiting the village in March 2009, and hearing of the people´s experiences, many of the participants felt that we as a group should help the village in some way.