Between April 1, 2009 and May 30, 2009, The Africa Society descended upon the cities of Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles to implement Phase Three of our flagship program, Teach Africa™. Teach Africa™ is a multiphase program designed to address the lack of Africa education in America by providing administrators, educators and students with a deeper understanding and appreciation of Africa and its role in the global community. The shining faces shown above are just a few of the more than 3,200 middle and high school students who recently attended the Teach Africa™ Youth Forums held in Atlanta on April 1 at the Georgia International Convention Center, in Houston on May 11 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and in Los Angeles at UCLA’s Royce Hall. These mammoth Africa immersion events, executed in partnership with Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and our regional partners, and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, provided students with the unique opportunity to hear from and interact with diplomats, policymakers, and Africa experts while experiencing the vibrancy of the continent of Africa.
Each Teach Africa™ Youth Forum began with a panel of keynote speakers. Students were asked to participate and received prizes for being able to correctly answer questions about African countries, capitals, and heads of state. Featured speakers included Bernadette Paolo, President and CEO of The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa; Ambassador Andrew Young, Chair Emeritus of The Africa Society Board and Co-Chairman of GoodWorks International LLC; His Excellency Amadou Lamine Ba, Ambassador of Senegal to the U.S.; Her Excellency Josefina Diakite, Ambassador of the Republic of Angola to the U.S.; and His Excellency Cyrille Oguin, Ambassador of Benin to the U.S. In Los Angeles, actor Isaiah Washington also spoke passionately to the students about his own connection and commitment to the continent of Africa.
Students in each city attended workshops on topics such as African Entrepreneurship, Energy, Democracy, USA-Africa Policy, and Oral Traditions. Members of The Africa Society staff also conducted interactive workshops on Youth Leadership in Africa. The Teach Africa™ Youth Forums also included cultural performances. In Houston, African drummers and Senegalese hip hop artists, Democracy in Dakar energized the crowd and invited students to perform with them on stage. Students were also given gift bags full of dynamic Africa focused materials, including T-shirts, DVD’s, board games, The Africa Society Resource Book, and the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
Many students worked diligently to prepare elaborate Africa focussed projects, posters, pamphlets and even websites for the Teach Africa™ Youth Forums. Through our programs, we strive to arouse curiosity and create a long term interest in the rich continent of Africa. If the sea of student work displayed is any indication, we are surely on the right path. We ask students the question “What does Africa mean to you?” We challenge you to find your own answers.
