While many Emory students were studying abroad in romantic European cities or networking with prominent names on Wall Street, 14 students gained hands-on experience working with government leaders from 30 different countries.

The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation sponsored the students to attend an inter-African and American conference in Tanzania, where they worked with presidents, prime ministers and delegates from around the world.

Led by Sam Cherribi, director of the Emory Development Institute (EDI) and sociology professor, the students were given various jobs during the week-long trip, including taking minutes during the conference, serving as translators, checking in ambassadors at their five-star hotels and shadowing VIPs such as former presidents and prime ministers of Nigeria and Jamaica, former U.S. presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, primatologist Jane Goodall and actor Chris Tucker.

The experience proved to be something beyond what could be taught through books or class, Cherribi said. He said the purpose is twofold: first, it allows Americans to have hands-on experience in low-income countries where they find and create projects with a business angle. Secondly, it gives ownership of the profits to the people as part of a formal economic project.

“In EDI, the student is the creator, the capital we have to invest in,” Cherribi said. “Students find theories of development and failures, then are literally confronted to find solutions where theory and practice meet.”

For College senior Jonathan Schaff, it was more than a business opportunity.

“Every time you see Africa on TV, it’s depicted as this impoverished [region] where people are suffering, but it’s not like that at all,” Schaff said. “People are happy to work with you, deal with you, and you feel safe. It is such a different mindset than in America.”

He also noticed that many traditions were the same as in the United States. A little boy Schaff met in a restaurant was celebrating his birthday with a candle atop a cupcake. After Schaff helped sing “Happy Birthday” he asked, “What did you wish for?”

The boy grinned and replied, “I can’t tell you that or it won’t come true!”

The days were structured around the African leaders speaking pragmatically about what to do to be competitive in the global market, said College senior Julia Thayne, an official with the Student Coalition Empowering Emerging Nations. About 1,500 people, from bee-keepers selling honey to investment bankers, gathered in a delegation room similar to that of the United Nations.

Thayne said the purpose of the developmental conference was to connect the African diaspora and get the West involved with Africa.

The students were able to meet the leaders at formal gatherings and socialize with them at traditional African dance parties.

“Where else do you see eight presidents dancing together?” Thayne asked.

The trip was not just about work. When the 14 Emory students arrived, they were greeted with bouquets of flowers, dancers and various entertainments. They stayed at a five-star hotel where they enjoyed gourmet meals. During their free time, the students also went sightseeing at some of the biggest tourist attractions: Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar Island, and a safari.

College junior Saji Girvan said making the right selection of students was crucial to the representation of EDI because the institute is not very well-known.

“We choose people from different backgrounds with a basic understanding of development so we can invest in different forms of development,” Girvan said.

Though a frequent visitor to many developing countries, Girvan said his visit to Tanzania was almost surreal.

“It didn’t feel real until we were there,” he said. “But the thing I loved the most was that I learned why these big-name people were big names. They have such eloquence and oratory that it keeps you entranced in what they have to say and make you understand their positions.”

The trip is held every other year, and the Sullivan Foundation is now preparing for the next visit to Rwanda.

“We have a template now,” Cherribi said. “We have a vision, created a standard, and are now engaged in development.”

— Contact Anum Mohammad at
amoham5@emory.edu