Photo by Keshawve Jeewon via ALU
Whether you are a student, employer or investor at ALU, you are part of a revolution. This is exactly what Fred Swaniker, founder and CEO of African Leadership University wanted to instil, when he paralleled the inaugural campus in Mauritius to 1969's moonshot, in his speech at the Grand Opening on the 17th of March.
I met up with a few of the spaceship's 176 crew members -- the ALU students -- to discuss the values and principles of learning, diversity, leadership and power. But above and beyond, I wanted to hear about the future of Africa in the 21st century, as inspired by them -- the next generation of ethical and entrepreneurial African leaders.
Hellen Brahane, Sandile Dlamini and Amani Naburi have just woken up, when they join me for breakfast at the residence diner in Trou aux Biches. Where we sit, we get a glimpse of the Indian Ocean's turquoise waters and the horizon -- as deep as our conversation.
Hellen takes the lead, while Sandile and Amani are biting into their omelette:
"My ALU application asked for previous leadership engagement. I was in my second year of Economics at the Moi University in Kenya, and I was one of the three ladies in the Student Government. The Government is divided into tribes, but I hated it because it's not about the tribe -- it's about what we do. My parents are from Eritrea, so I could only fit into a small tribe from the coast -- 100 people in the whole university out of 5000. But I had to hold onto it because as an independent, people wouldn't listen to me. The Student Government was a bad leadership experience, but its operations have driven me to speak out and make a change. So, here I am."
I ask about their first impressions of ALU, and they all agree with Sandile: "As human beings we tend to complain. But ALU is brand new and in progress. I need to be more flexible because if I am complaining, the learner's mind-set switches off."
The chat is lively and the thoughts are ebulliently flowing to all directions. These young adults know exactly where they want to be and what they want to achieve after graduation. Amani wants to become an expert in education and technology, and to start his own business. Hellen will apply for a Master's in International Relations and make her way to the United Nations. Sandile will attend an intensive international program at Tsinghua University for a better understanding of China's success story, and how it can be customised to Africa's circumstances.
Amani, an attentive listener and absorbent learner, explains: "In one of our readings by Peter Thiel, I learned that getting from A to B is a process, not an accident. Achievement requires careful planning."
Does this percipience and observation come as a result of ALU, or is it the cause for being at ALU?
I get my answer the following evening, when I meet with Given Edward from Tanzania, and we talk about the sense of responsibility towards Africa. "Students who came to ALU have already vowed to stay within Africa. And that's why we are here and nowhere else. It's not the opposite -- that ALU has convinced us to stay in Africa. We already had this within us. It's surprising though how we all feel the same."
Given will become a technocrat leader with knowledge of emotional intelligence, and will apply technology into education. We laugh when he admits that he isn't very fond of books: "I read articles but I am not comfortable with reading the thoughts of just one person" he explains.
ALU welcomes its students to unleash their potential through an engaging learning experience, where lectures are banned, but critical thinking, team work, quantitative reasoning and debates are facilitated instead. The vision of ALU isn't simply to see its alumni progress academically, but to challenge them to declare a mission for their life.
Part of ALU's approach is to mix two worlds -- the university and the corporate. In the ReImagine Talent Symposium in March, it was uplifting for Hellen to see the high interest top organisations, such as McKinsey & Co. and Coca-Cola, showed towards the students. "I came out of the Symposium with one message: 'With education, I have options'".
Mpumalanga Zwane from Swaziland experienced the Symposium differently. She didn't feel comfortable having to go through training on how to present herself. "I am still trying to find out who I am. But they told us: 'Here are the expectations from the corporate world', and I had to sell myself as the X person. How does this person connect to the person they will hire?"
Mpumalanga was already admitted at the University of Witwatersrand, when ALU offered her a place. Three months into ALU, she is an active member of The Voice -- ALU's debate club -- and The Poetry Society. "2016 is my year of growth, self-discovery and exploration" she confides, and her eyes glow. Her favourite ALU experience so far has been the Seminal Readings course that invites students to intensive reading and discussion sessions.
The mention of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her article African "Authenticity" and the Biafran Experience, shifts the conversation to identity. "I felt more Swazi in South Africa than in Swaziland because in Swaziland, I didn't have to think about it. Context shapes the person you are. If I decide to be Pan-African, I may lose on the beauty of Swaziland and vice versa. I choose to have multiple voices''.
Mpumalanga recites her favourite lines from the poem she performed on the Cocktail Mixer -- the night before the Grand Opening:
"Oh my dear people, the power that exists within you.
Because this is your life, it is in your hands
And you can either crush it or make it beautiful..."
Everyone at ALU has a leader in their mind they admire, they learn from and they believe in. Peter Atupele Mzungu from Malawi is also sketching them -- Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam are hanging on the walls in his room. "My message to Malawi's leaders is: 'Consider people's needs before yours'. We cannot afford more cashgate scandals".
Mauritius, one of the world's most famous honeymoon destinations, has turned into a pan-African hub of intelligence and enterprise. If I had to take three things only about ALU, these would be: At ALU you are sad to miss class. You are part of a creative education system that creates opportunities. You have to leave your preconceptions behind, if you want to get the best out of people.
Fred Swaniker's goal is to nurture three million entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators and scientists from all Africa over the next five decades, who will reform Africa forever. For that, he and the ALU team have designed a system based on an abundant resource -- brilliant students, who think upon real African problems. Mama Graça Machel, ALU's Chancellor, words fall into place: "embrace all the innovation that the world has to offer but be uncompromising in remaining deeply African."