As educators, we engineer learning and growth through quality educational experiences. But what is the value of our work without passion? We cannot nurture what we do not love.
Think about a world where we are indifferent to nature and to each other; too indifferent to show curiosity, too indifferent to advocate for anything, too indifferent to care. In that world the future of humanity is compromised. Imagine the opposite world where we advocate and take action for fellow human beings, for our Earth, a world where we stand tall for truth, action and peace. That is a world of growth and hope. These two worlds co-exist today and have co-existed in history. In my view, passion is the key that unlocks the door that leads from indifference to relevance and meaning.
In international education, we often turn to global citizenship as our source of meaning and our north star. When I talk of global citizenship, I am thinking about making the world a better place. Other educators may lean towards preparing students for a globalized job market. Others might find that the essence of global citizenship education lies in fostering multilingualism. Nothing here is valid or invalid. But when, as schools, we do take the time to define what we mean by global citizenship, how well do we activate these definitions beyond accreditation visits and strategic plan writing?
One day after school, my son explained to me that he and his friends had to carry buckets of water on their heads and walk in balance for a long time. This exercise was meant to help students understand the hardship that children in Africa endure, having to walk long distances to fetch water. My son did not enjoy carrying that bucket because it questioned the experience he had had, carrying water from the well in Cameroon, laughing and bantering with his cousins and joyfully spilling some of the water. What my son had perceived at school and what he disagreed with, was the single story about Africa. Global citizenship education can indeed, sometimes, reduce our horizon rather than broaden it, perpetuating deficit narratives and single stories.
How do we challenge that?
We do so by blossoming where we are planted. As international educators, let's take the time to acknowledge the land our schools stand on. One way African ancestors used to do this was through libation (the pouring of beverages or food on the ground). What are, in your international schools, the rituals, events, and actions that honor the host land?
To nurture passion for global citizenship, how about jumping from B to C: from global to glocal. We start from what we can see, touch and engage with, to later extrapolate.
In glocal perspectives, there is a tension and complementarity between indigeneity and endogeneity. Indigeneity celebrates the land and the people of yesterday and today. Endogeneity looks towards the future, creating something new while respecting context and history. This may look like: using artificial intelligence (AI) to teach African languages, enriching e-algorithms with local and indigenous data, or creating pedagogical exchanges with rural African teachers via Whatsapp if that is the most relevant learning platform in their context. In West African Adinkra language, the sign “Sankofa” honors the past. On the other hand, the sign “Mmere Dane” embraces constant change. Glocal citizenship education is nested between Sankofa and Mmere Dane.
I would like to conclude by evoking the importance of partnerships with home. Without quality roots, a tree never gets to produce full size fruits. Home languages, the story of a grandmother, researching one's culture at school, all of these things support glocal citizenship. By inviting the diversity of the community into our classrooms and by learning about each other authentically, we model the respect and peace that the world needs today. And when students get it, they develop a kindness to themselves that they can spread around to impact the world.
Estelle Baroung Hughes is the Secondary Principal at the International School of Dakar (ISD) and the director of the NGO Africa Learning International (ALI). As an international school principal, Estelle's vision is about nurturing responsible global citizens and developing an inclusive education that fosters academic and personal growth for each learner. As an NGO leader, Estelle promotes education for peace through the competition “Peace You Have My Word” and develops professional development for African and international teachers through conferences and exchanges. Estelle is also a key-note speaker, a blogger, a musician and last but not least, a Cameroonian citizen who is passionate about the cultural wealth of Africa and shares it in her talks and writing.
