German-African Scholarship Exchange Programme
16th August – 3rd September 2009
An Initiative of the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany
in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic Education
2009/10
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Greeting from
the Federal President, Horst Köhler,
for the 3rd exchange
of German and African scholarship holders
issued by the
Federal Agency for Civic Education
The Go Africa – Go Germany exchange of scholarship holders is taking place for the third time this year. This is a good sign. The intensive discussions which the scholarship holders carry on after the actual programme has been completed shows that there is a huge need
for more exchanges between young Africans and Germans. They
need to have the opportunity to learn more about each other, to exchange opinions and to develop common visions. It is only natural
that Africans and Germans should sometimes see things from different perspectives. It is good to articulate these because that is the only
way we can learn from each other. I am convinced that young people
in Africa have long come to appreciate that we can only solve the
problems facing us in the 21st century together. Investing in an exchange between our young people is an investment in the partnership
between our two continents.
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Greetings from the President of the
Federal Agency for Civic Education,
Thomas Krüger
“Great things happen to those who make them happen.
He deserves it, he worked for it, shine on Germany,
shine on Africa. It is great to have him back and then
long live Partnership with Africa.” These are the enthusiastic words with which Rodgers Atuhaire* from Uganda
commented on Horst Köhler’s re-election as Federal
Thomas Krüger
President, for this will give the Partnership with Africa
time to develop. It was only in February and in March that the second group of
25 scholarship holders has been to Tanzania and Uganda with the Go Africa…
Go Germany Partnership with Africa to learn more about political, economic
and sociocultural aspects of life in the countries of Eastern Africa. Having the
opportunity to talk to and debate with each other, but also to argue, jointly assess technical discussions and presentations and develop common positions
lays the foundations for a new dimension to a partnership between Germany
and Africa. There is something very personal and uniting about partnerships
that cannot be developed in a theoretical manner across large physical distances or from the top down. Just as with friendship, partnership requires mutual understanding and communication. To this, there are at least three other
prerequisites without which it would not be possible to develop or implement
viable partnerships: first of all a common motivation, a unifying element, a
goal; secondly, a suitable context that facilitates learning and discussions and
thirdly, the possibility to exchange views and become involved in this context
in the long term.
Go Africa…Go Germany 2009/10 is the third five-week programme for scholarship holders that was developed in 2006 by the Federal Agency for Civic Education at the initiative of the Federal President and was delivered for the first
time in 2007 as part of the Partnership with Africa. Students and young academics between the ages of 21 and 28 from Germany and the various countries of the respective African regions are invited to spend five weeks travelling
through Germany and one or two African countries. In 2007, the journey took
them to Namibia and in 2009 to Tanzania and Uganda. Again this time the
participants will meet academics, journalists, politicians and media experts, will
hear a large number of presentations and will also participate in detailed
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discussions. Those journeys will give the scholarship holders an insight into
the reality of life in the host countries. For almost a year, the participants will
also work together on drawing up an academic strategy paper – a common
paper – with the joint objective of intensifying the partnership with Africa,
addressing partial aspects of an inspiring partnership and highlighting solution approaches to existing obstacles.
Within the context of Go Africa…Go Germany 2009/10, the educational journey of the scholarship holders is going at first to Germany in August 2009
(Seeon Monastery, Munich, Berlin, Potsdam, Dabergotz, Cologne, Monreal
and Belgium/EU Brussels). In March 2010, the group will travel to Ghana
and Nigeria in Western Africa. In 2012, all of the approximately 100 scholarship holders, who have a wealth of experience from Germany and from
Southern, Eastern or Western Africa, will start working on a German-African
youth education foundation that is to be set up. This will give concrete and
permanent shape to the idea of partnership in a new sub-area.
*Rodgers Atuhaire belongs to the group of so-called Young Leaders whom
the Federal President has invited to develop new and innovative ideas for a
sustainable partnership with Africa.
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About Go Africa...
Go Germany 2009/10
Dr. Katja Böhler, Project manager Go Africa...
Go Germany... on behalf of the bpb
Dr. Katja Böhler
The scholarship holders participating in the Go Africa…
Go Germany... programme in Germany in August will be
taking a comprehensive look at German history, from
Prussia to the present day, from the first shoots of democracy in the early 19th century to the seasoned democracy in the whole of Germany since reunification.
History but also the economy and social affairs, issues
relating to life in society and youth cultures in Germany,
in all their facets and with all the challenges they present for politicians, will be examined.
One could, of course, adopt a different approach and begin directly by providing information about and discussing the various development cooperation
strategies, integration problems facing African men and women in Germany,
refugees and fair trade and many other issues which are obviously directly
connected with many scholarship holders’ life-real circumstances and, indeed,
their everyday lives. Why are we instead beginning by discussing parliamentary democracy and the separation of powers, the interdependency of politics
and the media, religion and freedom in Germany and current German domestic policy issues – in other words, issues that appear to have little impact on
African scholarship holders, issues that rarely feature in their environment and,
if they do, play a subordinate role.
The answer is simple: because it is a matter of developing – with the encouragement and vigorous support of the President of the Federal Republic – a
long-term partnership with Africa. In other words, a sustainable project. To this
end, our programme involving young people who are making the transition
from university education into the professional world aims to lay one of many
joint foundations by attempting to make the following classifications in a comprehensive programme: Where do the roots of democracy in Germany lie and
what caused them to be undermined time and again?
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What conditions were crucial for the formation of the nation and for the establishment of a state governed by the rule of law? What has ensued today
from Germany’s historical responsibility since the Second World War for politics in the reunified country? On what historical foundations is our current
system of values based and how is it influencing our perception of our state
and society? The aim is to learn to understand why the control of our governments by democratically legitimated bodies on the one hand and by the
free media on the other is crucial to the understanding of democracy that we
have developed.
It is important to trace the development of the social market economy in Germany in order to be able to discuss, also in terms of its practical consequences, the complex approach of an economic system that is largely free of
state intervention but is not devoid of responsibility for public welfare, which,
in case of doubt, as is currently evident, can also be enforced by the state
for the benefit of the individual. This is the only way the general framework
for Germany’s foreign and development policy in Africa, for instance, can
ultimately be classified, not least when it comes to assessing Germany’s
policy vis-à-vis Europe in the agricultural sector, which is closely associated
with issues in relation to a fair global market that affects economic life in Africa, in particular.
By coming face to face with players from all important areas of social and
political life, and with decision-makers and people in their everyday sphere
of activity, the scholarship holders, on this basis, are to be involved in a permanent discourse that will enable them to experience modern-day Germany
in an authentic way. The surveys of scholarship holders conducted at the
beginning of the programmes each year show that this type of approach is
important for creating mutual trust and understanding. For the image we
have of ourselves does not match the image people in Africa have of us or
what is being taught about Germany in schools. Surprisingly often – not least
for historical reasons – people expect to meet mainly arrogant, unfriendly
and racist people in Germany. Many assume at the beginning of the programmes that there are insurmountable cultural differences between
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Germans and Africans and this is then also reflected in political relations. The
fact that, conversely, the image people in Germany have of Africa is also
mainly associated with negative attributes is no secret on the other side of the
Mediterranean either and in this regard it soon becomes clear that this perception is rarely called into question in our schools and media.
After visits to Namibia in the South and to Tanzania and Uganda in the East of
the continent, it seems logical to continue the journey to Ghana and Nigeria in
March of next year. There, too, it will not be a matter of rushing from one development project to another, which is what many scholarship holders expect
at the beginning of the trip. Rather, we will also explore the foundations of government activity within its historical and political constraints in Africa and will
discuss the influences of internal and external players with experts. Finally, the
scholarship holders will compare positive and negative aspects with the experiences they have had in Germany so that a multidimensional perspective of
the various areas and facets of the societies emerges.
We have highlighted the aspect of youth cultures in Germany and West Africa
that has become an integral part of the programme as a theme scholarship
holders will deal with in greater depth and on which they will present a paper
documenting the results of the exchange, on the one hand as a sign of multinational and multicultural discourse, and on the other as a joint paper offering
action and solution strategies for political decision-makers. At the same time,
the paper is intended to be the third policy framework paper of the envisaged
German-African Youth Education Foundation. The first year’s participants examined the issue of training and education of young people in Germany and
southern Africa in depth. The second group of scholarship holders from Germany and eastern Africa focused on establishing under what conditions a sustainable and equal partnership between Germany and Africa could be forged
in the first place and analysed why the strategies adopted up to now have
mostly failed. It is now a matter of finding out in what direction youth cultures in
Germany and western Africa are developing, what training and education opportunities young people have and how the demographic trend of an ageing
society in Germany and the young societies in western Africa, which are unimaginable to us, is affecting politics, the economy and society. As such, the
issue of young people taking on responsibility and participating in politics will
also be discussed and one fundamental issue is bound to be very exciting,
namely what concepts the various societies have of youth and youth cultures
and when youth ends.
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The programmes all boast high-ranking speakers of proven ability in Germany and West Africa, so that the participants are bound to acquire a huge
amount of knowledge. However, it is not the presentations and discussions
with experts that will be the most important thing the scholarship holders remember in the end but what they have experienced together, actually managing to overcome the cultural differences that were thought to be insurmountable and, in doing so, growing closer together. To put it in the words of
one of last year’s scholarship holders: “Africans and Germans have different
daily realities but have the same interests and goals”.
The programme organisers and scholarship holders are firmly convinced
that having the same interests and goals, singing from the same hymn
sheet, so to speak, is the most important prerequisite for developing a sustainable and serious partnership between Germany and Africa.
www.bpb.de/goafrica
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Programme in Germany
Sunday, 16 August
Seeon
Arrival of the participants at Seeon Monastery
10:00 am – 02:00 pm
Arrival of the participants at Seeon Abbey
05:00 pm – 06:30 pm Welcome address and introduction of the management team, the programme and the participants
Monday, 17 August
Seeon
German history since the end of the Second World
War until today, 1st study day
09:00 am – 10:30 am 1945-1989: German-German history in the post-war
era until the fall of the Berlin Wall
Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleßmann (em.), Professor of Contemporary History, University of Potsdam, former Head
of the Centre for Contemporary Historical Research
(Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung, ZZF)
10:30 am – 11:00 am Coffee break
11:00 am – 12:30 pm 1990-2009: Contemporary German History
Prof. Dr. Manfred Görtemaker, Professor of Modern History (19th/20th century), University of Potsdam
12:30 pm – 02:30 pm Lunch break
02:30 pm – 04:30 pm Germany’s Africa-policy from a historical perspective and its consequences for Africa
Prof. Dr. Rolf Hofmeier, former Director of the Institute
of African Studies, Hamburg
05:00 pm – 06:30 pm Discussion with the lecturers of the day
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Tuesday, 18 August
Seeon
The political system of Germany,
2nd study day
09:00 am – 10:15 am Political currents and parties in Germany. History
and focal points
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Heinrich Oberreuter, Professor of
Political Science, University of Passau, Director of the
Academy, Academy for Civic Education, Tutzing
10:15 am – 10:30 am
Coffee break
10:30 am – 11:15 am Parliamentary, Chancellor or media democracy.
The political system of the Federal Republic of
Germany
Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer, Professor of Political Science (Chair of Political Theory and History of Ideas),
Technical University of Dresden
11:15 am – 12:45 pm Workshop I on issues shaping the political system
in Germany
The morning’s lecturers will attend
12:45 pm – 03:00 pm
Lunch break
03:00 pm – 04:30 pm Workshop II on issues shaping the political system in Germany
The morning’s lecturers will attend
04:30 pm – 05:00 pm
Coffee break
05:00 pm – 06:30 pm Political parties and recent trends in the development of government systems in western Africa
Prof. Dr. Rolf Hofmeier, former Director of the Institute
of African Studies, Hamburg
07:00 pm
Dinner
08:00 pm – 09:30 pm Bafa-Bafa: an intercultural game
Victor Abonyo Oteku,
“Go Africa… Go Germany 2008/09”
scholarship holder
Miriam Shabafrouz,
“Go Africa… Go Germany 2007”
scholarship holder
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Wednesday, 19 August A day in Munich Munich
Bayerischer Rundfunk and Guided Tour
09:00 am
Transfer to Munich
11:00 am – 04:00 pm
Visit of the TV channel Bayerischer Rundfunk
and the television production of the
“Mittagsmagazin”
In between
Lunch in the cantine of the TV-channel
Bayerischer Rundfunk
04:30 pm – 07:00 pm
Guided Tour of Munich
Christine Haack, art historian
07:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Evening at participants’ free disposal
10:00 pm
Return to Seeon
Thursday, 20 August
Seeon
Workshop on the common paper
09:00 am – 12:30 pm
Workshop on the common paper, part I
with Miriam Shabafrouz, “Go Africa… Go Germany
2007” scholarship holder
12:30 pm – 02:00 pm
Lunch break
02:00 pm – 05:00 pm
Workshop on the common paper, part II
with Miriam Shabafrouz
06:30 pm
Departure to the Chiemsee
In the evening
Barbecue at the Chiemsee
Monastery church
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Friday, 21 August
Seeon
Current issues in the German society compared to
western Africa, 3rd study day
09:00 am – 10:30 am An ageing vs. a young society – challenges in Germany and western Africa
Prof. Dr. Charlotte Höhn, former Director of the Federal Institute for Population Research
Dr. Erwin Ebermann, University lecturer, Institute of
African Studies, Vienna/Austria
Facilitator: Josef Hien, “Go Africa... Go Germany 2007”
scholarship holder
10:30 am – 11:00 am Coffee break
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Youth culture and demographic structure in Germany and western Africa Panel with keynote speaker
Keynote speaker: Dr. Marc Calmbach, Sinus Sociovision GmbH
Panel discussion with the lecturers of the morning
Facilitator: Miriam Shabafrouz, “Go Africa... Go Germany 2007” scholarship holder
12:30 pm – 01:30 pm Lunch
02:00 pm – 04:00 pm Schooling in Germany - Discussion with teachers
Michael Beer, Gymnasium Bad Aibling,
Konstanze Helmich, Hauptschule an der Dieselstraße,
Waldkraiburg,
Claudia Neelsen, Regenbogen-Grundschule,
Berlin-Neukölln
Afterwards
Walking-tour
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Saturday, 22 August National Socialism in Germany
Seeon/Dachau
09:00 am – 10:30 am National Socialism in Germany 1933 - 1945
Dr. Christian Gudehus, Managing Director of the Center for interdisciplinary Memory Research, Institute for
Advanced studies in Humanities, Essen
10:45 am
Departure to Dachau
01:00 pm – 02:00 pm Lunch
02:00 pm – 04:00 pm Dealing with historical responsibility –
talk and Guided Tour
With a spokesperson of Dachau Concentration Camp
Memorial
04:15 pm
Return to Seeon
Former concentration camp Dachau
Sunday, 23 August
Berlin
Berlin—the centre of German politics
09:00 am
Departure for Munich Airport
12:10 pm
Flight to Berlin
02:00 pm – 04:45 pm Guided Tour of Berlin
Konstanze Deeters, tour guide
05:00 pm – 06:30 pm Visit of the German Bundestag and Guided Tour
Reichstag Building Berlin
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Monday, 24 August
Potsdam
Prussia – Relics of Power (1618—1918)
07:30 am
Departure to Potsdam
09:00 am – 12:00
Prussia – Relicts of power –
New Palais and Sanssouci Park
Guided Tour followed by presentation and discussion
Prof. Dr. Manfred Görtemaker, Professor of Modern
History (19th/20th century), University of Potsdam
12:00
Return to Berlin
Sanssouci Park, Orangery
Sanssouci Park, Chinese Teahouse
02:00 pm – 04:00 pm Discussion with the Commissioner for Africa Policy at the Federal Foreign Office and the Ambassadors of the participant countries
Matthias Mülmenstädt, Ambassador, Commissioner
for Africa Policy, Federal Foreign Office, Berlin
Venue: Federal Foreign Office
04:00 pm
Return to the hotel
06:00 pm – 07:00 pm
Dinner
07:00 pm – 09:00 pm Work on the common paper
with Miriam Shabafrouz, “Go Africa… Go Germany
2007” scholarship holder
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Tuesday, 25 August The economy in Germany and political issues of
Berlin
topical interest
09:00 am – 12:00
The current economic situation in Germany
Prof. Dr. Henrik Enderlein, Associate Dean and Professor of Applied Economics, Hertie School of Governance
12:00 – 01:00 pm
Lunch
01:00 pm
Departure for Siemens AG
01:30 pm – 04:00 pm Visit of the Siemens AG
Guided Tour of the company
Discussion with the company’s trainees
04:30 pm – 07:00 pm Afternoon at participants' free disposal
07:00 pm
Meeting point at the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation
07:30 pm – 09:00 pm Current challenges faced by German politicians
Public panel discussion: three MPs in controversial talks
Dr. Heinrich Kreft, Foreign policy advisor of the parliamentary group of CDU/CSU
Kerstin Müller, Member of the German Bundestag,
Bündnis90/Die Grünen
Marina Schuster, Member of the German Bundestag,
FDP
Facilitator: Dagmar Dehmer, Journalist of political issues, Der Tagespiegel
Venue: Heinrich-Böll-Foundation
09:30 pm
Parliament buildings Berlin
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Return to the hotel
Brandenburg Gate
Wednesday, 26 August Visit of the Federal President and
Berlin
Working life in Germany
09:30 am
Departure for Bellevue Palace
11:00 am – 11:30 am
Reception hosted by the Federal President
Horst Köhler
12:00
Return to the hotel
12:30 pm – 02:00 pm
Lunch
02:00 pm
Individual departure for
afternoon projects
Federal President Horst Köhler
02:30 am – 05:30 pm
An afternoon in the life of …
newspaper editor, radio news editor, Turkish salesman, policeman, carpenter, civil society activist,
politician, veterinarian, media expert, public transport employee etc.
05:30 pm – 07:30 pm
Afternoon at participiants’ free disposal
07:30 pm – 09:00 pm
The Federal Government’s policy on Africa –
prospects after the elections
Public panel discussion:
Matthias Mülmenstädt, Ambassador, Commissioner
for Africa Policy, Federal Foreign Office
Erich Stather, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development, Berlin
Dr. Uschi Eid, Member of the German Bundestag,
Former Parliamentarian State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Berlin
Zitto Kabwe, Member of Parliament in Tanzania
(Chadema), Chairperson Parliamentary Commission on Public Investments, Dar es Salaam
Facilitator: Ute Schaeffer, Head of the Editorial staff
“Programmes on Africa and the Middle East” of the
Department “DW-Radio”, Deutsche Welle, Köln
Venue: Heinrich-Böll-Foundation
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Thursday, 27 August Agriculture in Germany
Dabergotz/Berlin/
Cologne
08:00 am
Departure for Dabergotz
10:30 am – 12:00
Agriculture in Germany – current challenges
Visit to Dabergotzer AGRAR GmbH (Brandenburg)
Dr. Bernd Pieper, CEO, Dabergotzer AGRAR GmbH
12:00
Return to Berlin
01:30 pm – 04:30 pm
Afternoon at participants’
free disposal
04:30 pm
Departure to the Airport
06:50 pm
Departure for Cologne
Friday, 28 August
Cologne
Churches and religions in Germany
Dabergotz farm
09:00 am – 10:30 am A mosque for Cologne – Islam in Germany
Rabeya Müller, Centre for Islamic Gender Research
and Women Encouragement, Cologne
Rolf Domning, City Superintendent, Association of Protestant Churches Cologne and Region
Facilitator: Holger Ehmke, Federal Agency for Civic
Education/bpb, Head of the department for civic education dealing with young people who have a low affinity towards
politics
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Coffee break
Model of a mosque in Cologne
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11:00 am – 01:30 pm Churches and religions in Germany
Rolf Domning, City Superintendent, Association of
Protestant Churches Cologne and Region
Hans Gerd Grevelding, Deacon, Cologne Archbishopric and chairperson of “CV-Afrika-Hilfe e.V.”
Facilitator: Thomas Krüger, President of the Federal
Agency for Civic Education, Bonn
01:30 pm – 03:00 pm Lunch with the lecturers
03:00 pm – 05:00 pm The interdependence between politics and media
Prof. Dr. Andreas Dörner, Professor of Media Science,
Philipps-University Marburg
05:00 pm
Afternoon and evening at participants’ free disposal
Saturday, 29 August Art and culture
Cologne
10:00 am – 01:00 pm The Gothic and Romanesque period in Germany –
Cologne Cathedral and St. Aposteln
Carsten Schmalstieg, art historian, Cologne
01:30 pm – 03:00 pm Lunch
03:00 pm – 04:30 pm Guided Tour of Cologne
Guided Tour of Cologne - background on architecture
and the history of ideas in Germany
Carsten Schmalstieg, art historian, Cologne
04:30 pm
Afternoon and evening at participants’ free disposal
Cologne Cathedral
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Sunday, 30 August German World Heritage site
Upper Middle Rhine
Valley
07:00 am – 08:00 am Breakfast
08:00 am
Departure for Monreal
10:00 am – 10:30 am Local government constitution in Germany
Roland Bartsch, Mayor of Monreal
10:30 am – 11:30 am Guided Tour of Monreal including
tour of the castle ruin
Jörg Geisbüsch, tour guide
12:00 – 01:00 pm
Lunch
01:00 pm – 03:00 pm Walking tour around Monreal
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Eltz Castle
03:00 pm
Arrival at Monreal and departure for Eltz Castle
04:00 pm
Guided Tour of Eltz Castle
Dieter Ritzenhofen, former castellan of Eltz Castle
05:30 pm
Departure for Marienthal Monastery Wine Estate
06:30 pm
Guided Tour of Marienthal Monastery Wine Estate
07:30 pm
Dinner at the monastery wine estate
After dinner
Return to Cologne
Monday, 31 August
Brussels
Challenges faced by Germany in Europe
07:44 am – 10:01 am
Train journey from Cologne Central Railway Station to
Brussels South (Midi)
10:15 am
Transfer
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Germany’s role in Europe
Prof. Dr. Beate Neuss, Professor of
Political Science, Chair of
International Politics,
Chemnitz University of Technology
Venue: to be confirmed
12:30 am – 02:00 pm Lunch
02:00 pm – 02:30 pm Transfer to the European Parliament
03:00 pm – 03:30 pm Input on EU’s trade relations
Corinna Braun-Munzinger, “Go Africa... Go Germany
2009/10” scholarship holder
Venue: European Parliament
03:30 pm – 04:30 pm The European Union.
Current developments
Rainer Wieland, Member of the European Parliament,
CDU
04:30 pm – 06:00 pm City Tour of Brussels
06:59 pm – 09:15 pm Return to Cologne
Atomium Brussels
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Tuesday, 1 September
Cologne
Evaluation and preview of Ghana and Nigeria
09:00 am – 11:00 am
Work on the common paper
with Miriam Shabafrouz, “Go Africa… Go Germany
2007” scholarship holder
11:30 pm – 01:00 pm
Lunch
01:00 pm
Departure to the social project Jugendhaus “Treffer”
01:30 pm – 04:30 pm
Visit to the social project Jugendhaus “Treffer”
and discussion
04:00 pm – 05:00 pm
Return to the hotel
05:00 pm – 06:30 pm
Evaluation of the programme with slide show
and presentation of the programme in Ghana
and Nigeria
From 08:00 pm
Farewell club evening
Wednesday, 2 September Field study in Germany
Cologne
10:00 am – 12:00
Work on the common paper
with Miriam Shabafrouz, “Go Africa… Go Germany
2007” scholarship holder
12:30 am – 02:00 pm
Lunch
02:00 pm
Afternoon and evening at participants’ free disposal
Go Africa ...
Go Germany ...
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Thursday, 3 September
Frankfurt
Departure
subject to alterations
Scholarship holders in Opuwo/Namibia 2007
www.bpb.de
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Go Af
Go Germa
Project Team and
President of the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb
Thomas Krüger (Germany), born in Buttstädt in 1959, initially
trained as a skilled plastics and elastomer processor from
1976 to 1979, before beginning a Theology degree and, subsequently, working as a vicar. In 1989, he embarked on his
political career as one of the founding members of the Social
Democrats in the former German Democratic Republic (SDP)
and was the party’s Chairman in (East) Berlin and a member
of the “Volkskammer” (People’s Chamber) in the German Democratic Republic until 1990. From 1990 to 1991, he was first
deputy to the Mayor of East Berlin as well as city councillor
responsible for internal affairs at Berlin Municipal Council and
in the Joint State Government. Between 1994 and 1998, he
was a Member of the German Bundestag and then took two
years’ parental leave. Since July 2000, he has been President of the Federal Agency
for Civic Education/bpb. Thomas Krüger has been, and is, also actively involved in the
cultural and social sphere. Since 1995, he has been President of the child support organisation Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk e.V., since 2003, a Member of the Kommission
für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM) (Commission for Youth Media Protection) and since
April 2005, a Member of the jury of the Hauptstadtkulturfonds (Capital Cultural Fund) in
Berlin.
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rica ...
ny 2009/10
Scholarshipholders
Project Manager
Dr Katja Böhler (Germany), born in Eisenach in 1971, a
lawyer by training, studied in Berlin and Cape Town and
completed part of her mandatory legal training in Harare,
Zimbabwe. She is co-founder of the organisation Lawyers
for Development and Association. Dr Böhler was coordinator for the priority area “Fokus Afrika: Africome 2004-2006”
of the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb. She is currently serving in the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg.
Head of Department
Holger Ehmke (Germany), born in Lübeck in 1953, Germany. In 1973, he began his studies of Biology, German
Language, Social Science and Education at the universities
of Aachen and Cologne. He subsequently studied Art and
African Science in Cologne. From 1979 to 1981, he was a
member of the academic staff at the Institute for Eastern
European Studies and Education in Cologne. Between 1981
and 1983, he was the editor of the scientific journal “Aus
Politik und Zeitgeschichte”. From 1983 to 2000, he was
head of the planning staff of the Federal Agency for Civic
Education/bpb and from 2001 to 2006, head of the Cultural
Department of the bpb and different project groups of the
bpb. Since 2007, he has been head of the department for
civic education dealing with young people who have a low
affinity towards politics.
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Project Staff
Realization of the Programme
Sabine Wicher (Germany), born in Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1979,
studied Political Science, Romance Languages and Intercultural
Communication at the universities of Chemnitz and Granada/
Spain. She completed several internships in Mexico and wrote
her Master’s thesis on the EU’s relations with Mexico. Since then,
she has been working for different NGO’s and enterprises in and
outside Germany, mainly as a freelancer. In 2007, she was involved in the programme development, and in charge of the realization of the German section of “Go Africa... Go Germany...”.
Wiebke Kohl (Germany), born in Bonn in 1981, studied Political
Science, Public Law and History at the universities of Bonn and
Catania/Italy. Since 2006, she has been working for the Federal
Agency for Civic Education/bpb in the department for civic education dealing with young people who have a low affinity towards
politics. In 2007, she accompanied the "Go Africa... Go Germany…“ scholarship holders to Namibia and in 2009 to Tanzania. In
2008 and 2009, she was responsible for the local lecturer´s coordination in the programme development for the Tanzanian section of "Go Africa...Go Germany...".
Administrative Staff
Nadine Krüger (Germany), born in Frechen in 1982, completed
her training as a middle-grade civil servant in 2007. For a year
she worked for the Department for Rural Development and Real
Estate Regulations at Cologne Regional Authority. Since 2008,
she has been working for the department in charge of the education of young people with a low affinity towards politics at the
Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb.
- 26 -
Rhaban Schulze Horn (Germany), born in Bonn in 1965, completed an apprenticeship as a goldsmith in 1991 before he
started working for the federal administration as a graduate in
office management (Diplom-Verwaltungswirt). He has been
working at the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb since
2001. Meanwhile he has completed a Master study in European Administration Management and is employed as a civil
servant in the higher intermediate service at the department for
civic education dealing with young people who have a low affinity towards politics”.
Janette Vetter (Germany), born in Räckelwitz in 1981, completed her training as a middle-grade civil servant in 2001.
Since then, she has been working for the Federal Agency for
Civic Education/bpb, first in the departments for cultural media
and events and, since 2007, in the department for civic education dealing with young people who have a low affinity towards
politics.
Project Assistance
Melanie Ewert (Germany), born in Berlin in 1983, has been
studying North American Studies, Political Science and Geography at the University of Bonn since 2004, after completing
an exchange year in Toronto, Canada. She spent two semesters at Sciences Po in Grenoble, France, and completed an
internship at the Goethe Institute in Boston, USA.
- 27 -
Responsibility for the Common Paper
Miriam Shabafrouz (Germany), born in Heidelberg in 1980, is a
former scholarship holder and social scientist working for the
German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg.
She will organise the work on the common paper, which will be a
visible output of the exchange programme and one of the elements contributing to the development of an African-German
network of scholars, academics and young professionals.
Attending Physician
Dr. Klaus Schott (Germany) born in Neuwied/Rhein in 1961,
studied human medicine at the University of Cologne. Between
1990 and 2003 he passed a training for internal medicine with
specialisation in gastroenterology in several hospitals in Cologne.
Since then he has an own physician's office especially for internal medicine in Cologne-Rodenkirchen.
- 28 -
The scholarship holders
Abdulrahman Salaudeen Adeshina (Nigeria), born in Lagos
in 1986, is studying Business Administration at the University of
Ilorin, Nigeria, and is due to complete his studies this year. He
has a high level of proficiency and interest in the use of computers and information technology. He was recently nominated
as the Best Graduating Student, Department of Business Administration, University of Ilorin (2008/2009 Session).
Adam Natia James (Ghana), born in Tamale in 1983, holds a
B.A. (Integrated Development Studies) from the University for
Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. He is a specialist in
Rural Sociology and Community Development. He works as a
research assistant at ZODA, a management consultancy firm in
Ghana, where he is involved in data collection and analyses
with SPSS and epi info computer software programs and report
writing. He is currently completing his National Service at the
Metropolitan Health Directorate, Tamale, Ghana, as an Assistant Executive Officer. His hobbies are reading and writing articles, listening to gospel music and playing table tennis.
Alexander Schwartz (Germany), born in Marburg an der Lahn
in 1981, is studying Political Science at the universities of Hamburg and Vienna. He also works at the Research Department
on War, Armament, and Development (FKRE), covering the
conflict in Chad and political development in post-war societies.
Further fields of interest are resource revenue management
and international development. He also did project work in Panama.
- 29 -
Alexandra Stertz (Germany), born in Neuwied in 1984,
worked as an au pair in an American family in Seattle, USA, for
six months after finishing high school at the Rhein-WiedGymnasium in April 2003. Subsequently, she studied Political
Science and American Literature at the University of Hamburg
and at the University of Paris X Nanterre. Her Master’s thesis
dealt with the democratic development of three governing parties in Southern Africa (ANC, SWAPO and ZANU-PF) and, for
that reason, she completed a two-month internship at the German Embassy in Windhoek, Namibia. She graduated in December 2008. At the moment, she is working part-time at Airbus in Hamburg.
Chidiogo Akunyili (Nigeria), born in Enugu in 1985, is originally from Nigeria. She has lived and worked in United States,
Germany, France, Cameroon and China, where she currently
resides. Her interests lies in international affairs and politics of
developing and transitioning countries with an emphasis on the
African continent. Her background is in International Relations
and Political Science, having studied at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris. In the
past, she has held positions with the Foreign Policy Research
Institute (FPRI) in Philadelphia, where she researched the
state of think tanks and civil societies in Sub-Saharan Africa
and China, as well as with the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
(ICD) in Berlin, where she was the Program Director of the
Cultural Diplomacy in Africa (CDA) Program.
Claudia Hargarten (Germany), born in Trier in 1982. When she
spent nine months in Southern Africa after completing her
"Abitur" (senior secondary leaving certificate examination), she
discovered an interest in development policy and international
cooperation, which prompted her to begin her studies in International Development in Vienna in 2004. During her studies, she
was able to build up her practical experience by working for the
African organisation ICAP and by completing an internship at the
United Nations. She sees her professional future in international
cooperation, particularly with African countries.
- 30 -
Constanza Zähringer (Germany), born in Geilenkirchen in
1983. After completing her intermediate examination in Politics
in Cologne, she embarked on a law degree in Bonn in 2004.
That same year, she also travelled to Kenya and Tanzania,
where she stayed for an extended period. In 2007, she completed an internship at the German Embassy in Cameroon.
Coretta Maame Panyin Jonah (Ghana), born in Ghana in
1981. She has a Bachelor Degree in Economics, a Diploma in
Statistics as well as a Masters in Economics from the University of Ghana. After having worked at the Institute of Economic
Affairs in Ghana as well as for the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, she is currently a lecturer in
the Business Studies Department and a coordinator of a number of educational programmes as well as a mentor and role
model to many female students of the university. Her primary
research interest is in trade issue whilst her secondary interest
is in health economics. Coretta’s hobbies include reading, cooking, playing scrabble tennis and writing.
Corinna Braun-Munzinger (Germany), born in Ludwigshafen
in 1982, holds an M.A. in Economics and Politics from the University of Freiburg and a B.A. in Integrated Social Sciences
from International University Bremen, with an exchange semester at the Institut d’Études Politiques in Aix-en-Provence.
After completing a traineeship at the General Secretariat of the
Council of the European Union in Brussels, she is currently
working in the area of trade relations between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries at the European
Centre for Development Policy Management in Maastricht,
Netherlands. She completed internships at Germanwatch e.V.
in Bonn, Centre for Civil Society in New Delhi and Bertelsmann
Stiftung (Foundation) in Gütersloh and spent a high school
student exchange in La Paz, Bolivia.
- 31 -
Emmanuel Antwi Akoto (Ghana), born in Tema in 1983, is an
Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM),
UK, and holds a first class Marketing degree from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA),
Greenhill College. Emmanuel’s passion for international development developed when he represented Ghana at the International
Young Professionals Summit (IYPS 08) in Manchester, UK, in
August 2008. He is the Founder and President of ECA Leadership Foundation, an NGO determined to raise the next generation
of Ghanaian leaders, and he also works with Coca Cola Ghana
Limited. Emmanuel hopes to begin a Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) programme at Harvard Kennedy School in September 2010.
Fabian Kiehlmann (Germany), born in Berlin in 1984, is currently completing a semester abroad at Sciences Po Lille as part
of the ERASMUS Programme at the University of Mannheim,
where he has been studying Political Science (Bachelor of Arts)
since 2007. Following an eleven-month period of voluntary service at the Presbyterian Comprehensive High School (PCHS)
Kumbo in Cameroon, he spent a year in Paris, completing internships at “Bread for the World” (a protestant aid organisation
based in Germany) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Benin. Fabian Kiehlmann is also involved in the “Terre des
Hommes” and “Ökonomie und Ökumene” (Economy and
Ecumene) higher education initiatives.
Fatoumata Binta Diallo (Guinea), born to a Guinean father and a
Nigerian mother in Conakry in 1984, has lived in Nigeria and is
currently a second-year student in Private Law in the University of
Conakry’s Faculty of Law and Political Science. She has gained
experience in the field of communications, having worked for a
telecommunications company. International law and politics are
her main interests and she speaks French, English and two African languages, Yoruba and Fulani.
- 32 -
Isaac Owusu (Ghana), born in Accra in 1984. In 2005 he
entered the University of Ghana to obtain a Bachelor of
Arts Degree in Political Science. Through his work and excellent academic performance, he was selected by his university in 2007 to take part in an international study abroad
programme at Macquire University in Sydney, Australia.
The programme was designed to teach intercultural communication competence and led Isaac to different countries
in Asia, Europe and Africa. He plans to graduate in March
2010 and intends to pursue a Masters Degree in International Relations.
Joseph Goakai (Sierra Leone), born in Serablu-Bonthe Dis-
trict in 1985, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History
and Sociology from University of Sierra Leone Fourah Bay
College and is a postgraduate student at Njala University,
Sierra Leone. He is currently studying Peace and Development, with interests in issues around extractive resources,
identity, youth and conflict. He is a research assistant to
the Conflict, Security and Development Group (CSDG) at
King’s College London on the Youth Vulnerability and Exclusion
(YOVEX) project - Sierra Leone. He is also a volunteer with
Peacelinks Sierra Leone, a local NGO working with children and
youth.
Joseph J. Matimbwi (Tanzania), born in Ifakara in 1980,
gained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Tumaini University in
Tanzania in 2006. Since then, he has been working at the
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
(German Society for Technical Cooperation) in the Tanzanian
German Programme to Support Health as a junior legal advisor
in health. His duties mainly focus on the legal aspects of
health, on public-private partnerships and on the links between
health and human rights. Currently, he is coordinating a human
rights-based approach of the Tanzanian German Programme
to Support Health.
- 33 -
Kai Striebinger (Germany), born in Brunsbüttel in 1986. His
French-German undergraduate studies in Political Science
(Sciences Po Paris in Nancy, 2005-2008), his double Master’s
programme in International Affairs and Security Policy between
Sciences Po Paris and the Free University of Berlin (since 2008),
several exchange programmes (USA, France) and his participation in a student project in Niamey, Niger (summer 2006) have
taught him the importance of knowing about cultural peculiarities,
political and historical sensitivities, and social and economic disparities in order to create true understanding. This understanding
is possible because of our common humanity. In that respect, we
are all equal.
Keren Asante (Ghana), born in Accra in 1986 and married,
graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration
from Ashesi University (Ghana) in 2006. She currently works as a
local unit accountant with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Africa West Area. Her responsibilities include analysing local unit finances, reconciling financial data and training
clerks on basic financial record keeping. In the course of her life,
Keren has won several awards, including a scholarship to study
at the American University of Rome and the opportunity to be
Ghana’s female representative at the Summit for Africa’s Young
Business Leaders in the USA. She is actively engaged in girl
guiding.
Kristin Heinig (Germany) born in Schmölln in 1984. After her
high school graduation, she completed European Voluntary Service in a Belgian Red Cross home for asylum-seekers. Since
2004, she has been studying Cultural Studies, Politics and History and Culture of Africa at the University of Leipzig. She spent
a semester at the University Paris 7 Diderot in France and two
months in Azare, Nigeria, for a Hausa language course organised by the German Academic Exchange Service. In addition to
her studies, she is working voluntarily on different projects in the
field of migration and refugees as well as in a cultural club.
- 34 -
Liliane Uwimana (Rwanda), born in Kigali in 1982. After completing her high school education in Nursing Sciences and
working as a nurse for a year, she embarked on a Social Sciences degree in 2002. During her four years at the Université
Libre de Kigali, she had the opportunity to do various internships with different organisations involved in counselling vulnerable people, especially children, women and HIV/AIDS
positive people. One year after completion of her “Licence”
degree in Sociology, in August 2008, she started a one year
Master’s programme in Humanitarian Studies at the University
of Ibadan in Nigeria.
Lotta Mayer (Germany), born in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt in
1983, studied Sociology, Political Science and Philosophy in
Heidelberg and Madrid from 2002 to 2008. Since 2008, she
has been working on a PhD dissertation with Prof. Dr. Mathias
Bös in Marburg. Her dissertation involves developing a socialisation theory-based model of the self-perpetuation of violent
conflicts. Since 2004, she has been a Member of the Board of
Directors at the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict
Research (HIIK) and joint head of the working group “Conflicts
in sub-saharan Africa”.
Matthias Roth (Germany) born in Munich in 1981. After gaining his German high school leaving certificate and completing
basic military service, he studied Business Administration and
Engineering at Munich University of Applied Sciences. During
his academic studies, he also completed a period of vocational
training, various internships and several sojourns abroad.
Since October 2007, Mr. Roth has been working towards his
PhD in the field of Medical Engineering as part of research
cooperation between the University of Lübeck and Munich University of Applied Sciences. In his leisure time, Mr. Roth is a
keen sportsman and is also interested in languages and foreign countries.
-35 -
Nicolas Hausdorf (Germany), born in Heppenheim in 1984. After graduating from high school in southern Hesse, he moved to
Hamburg in 2005, where, a year later, he began studying for a
degree in Political Science at the University of Hamburg. He is
majoring in International Relations and Political Philosophy and
has recently worked on authoritarian regimes in transition, the
political philosophy of Carl Schmitt as well as megacities as actors in international relations. Nicolas Hausdorf has lived and
studied in the United States and in France and is currently preparing his Bachelor’s thesis.
Susanne Meltl (Germany), born in Munich in 1983, studied Political Science at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and at
Duke University, USA, graduating in August 2009. Her research
interest is in regime transition, logic of political violence, and conflict resolution. During her studies in Erlangen, she worked at the
university’s Central Office for International Affairs and was a
delegation member to the National Model United Nations
(NMUN) in New York in 2008. She completed an internship at the
Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), South Africa Office in Johannesburg and is currently engaged as an intern at the German
Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in Uganda.
Serge Otis Tokom Tchepnkep (Cameroon), born in Mbo Bandjoun 1980, graduated from Siantou Higher Institute (Yaounde,
Cameroon) in 2005 with International Business and Marketing
Management as majors. Since then, he has being working toward integrated solutions that may help enhance the development of Africa in general and of Cameroon, in particular. He initiated the web portal www.237online.com in 2008. It focuses on
information about Cameroon. Moreover, he was an observer
during the legislative and municipal elections of 2002. He is also
engaged in several community works programmes.
- 36 -
Reception at Bellevue Palace 2007
Reception at Bellevue Palace 2008
- 37 -
Notes:
- 38 -
Preparatory seminar 2009
- 39 -
Imprint:
2nd revised edition
The Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb
Adenauerallee 86
53113 Bonn
www.bpb.de
Responsible:
Dr. Katja Böhler on behalf of the bpb
Holger Ehmke, bpb
Editorial staff:
Melanie Ewert, bpb
Rhaban Schulze Horn, bpb
Sabine Wicher on behalf of the bpb
Design:
Melanie Ewert, bpb
Rhaban Schulze Horn, bpb
Printing:
In puncto druck+medien GmbH, Bonn
Bonn, August 2009
www.bpb.de/goafrica