Final Reflection

Participating in the Decolonizing the Mind: Racial and Environmental Justice Program has been one of the defining experiences of my life. I arrived unsure of what to expect, but intentional about taking full advantage of every opportunity, and I truly did. Iā€™ve never experienced such rapid growth in myself academically, mentally, spiritually, and as a developing actor in the social-justice sphere. This program has been an almost uncannily perfect fit for who I am and who Iā€™m becoming.

What made the program especially powerful was its well-roundedness. We engaged with people from a wide range of identities, ideologies, and lived experiences; some I liked more than others. But even in moments of disagreement, I found myself growing. The space for open dialogue allowed me to sharpen my thinking, challenge my assumptions, and recognize the value in perspectives that complicate my own. The staff also was crucial to fostering a productive and respectful dialogue. They always provided further insights, understanding, and let us form our own conclusions.

The experiential learning transformed the way I understand knowledge. Instead of memorizing facts Iā€™d likely forget after an exam, which I now know is rooted in colonialism, I engaged directly with the people whose lives are intertwined with the histories we studied, and incorporated more indigenous knowledge systems. Meeting liberation fighters, lawyers, politicians, historians, and resilient survivors made the material feel real and urgent. Asking them questions helped me situate what we learned within my own context and pushed me intellectually far beyond what traditional academic spaces allow.

There was also a thoughtful balance between academic rigor and fun. The excursions werenā€™t just touristy explorations, they also gave our learning emotional texture, grounding the heaviness of the subject matter with shared experiences, laughter, and community.

This program confronted many of the assumptions I had absorbed from the colonial systems that shaped my upbringing. The two lessons struck the deepest: colonialism robs authenticity from everyone, and true commitment requires sacrifice, a question I now continually ask myself.

In this environment, I found space for genuine self-discovery, and for that, I am profoundly grateful.

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The Augsburg community is invited to join CGEE in welcoming Pinias Kashedi, Global Faculty from Namibia, on campus! He will be hosting a talk about the marginalization of youth in Southern Africa, titled, “Education Capture and Youth Marginalization in Namibia.” A brief description is below:

• When: Wednesday, September 20th
• Time: 3:40 p.m.
• Where: OGC 100

ALL are welcome to attend!

Pinias Kashedi is the Study Abroad Program Coordinator and Global Faculty in Namibia. Pinias is the instructor for the course “Political and Social Change in Southern Africa.” He holds a Masterā€™s of Philosophy in Education and Training for Lifelong Learning from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. He further holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration and a Bachelors of Education from the University of Namibia.

Pinias worked for the Namibian Government as a Voter Education as well as leading Adult and Continuing Education programs at district level. Prior to joining the Augsburg CGEE team in Namibia in the fall of 2021, he worked for the US Embassy as the Cultural Affairs assistant and EducationUSA adviser managing and coordinating youth and professional exchange programs and educational advising for international students planning to study in the US. He worked to increase the number of Namibians studying in the US by 80% in the last 5 years of his tenure. He also continues to teach Development Studies and Adult Learning at the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) on a part-time basis.

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While looking for a project to work on during her time with HISA, Ella witnessed a local mother remove her childā€™s disposable diaper, ring it out, and put it back on. Without jumping to conclusions about why the mother was doing this, Ella held a meeting with local mothers to assess the diaper needs in this community. What was proposed as a meeting with 10 mothers, turned into a lively discussion where 34 women helped Ella understand the complexity of the diaper issue. Ella says, ā€œI asked the mother’s how many diapers they have currently and more than 50 percent said less than two, and a few of them said they are using the diaper currently on the kid until they can afford more, which might be days.ā€Ģż

This sparked the idea of something practical that Ella hoped could help the local families and mothers struggling with the affordability of basic childrenā€™s necessities. Diapers are an issue financially, hygienically, and environmentally. In Namibia, diapers are taxed at a luxury rate of 15 percent and are the second highest threat to rural water sources because they take 500 years to decompose.Ģż

Ella, in conjunction with HISA and the local mothers brainstormed how to address this need and landed on an idea of a reusable diaper library. Ellaā€™s job was to find a way to get hundreds of reusable diapers to mothers in need, and through various networks she did just that. Ella got 144 diapers and 324 liners donated on facebook marketplace and had them shipped from Boston to Windhoek with the help of many hands from all over New England.Ģż

This diaper library provides families with a bundle of reusable diapers and liners for when they can not afford disposable ones. Ella also understands that while these reusable diapers may help mothers in one department, it also puts an inequitable burden on the mothers that often do the laundry, which is what these cloth diapers require to stay clean.

ā€œInterning in Namibia taught me the complexities of poverty and that working directly with the community is the only way to effectively address an issue, because an outsider will never know the whole story.ā€ – Ella

In addition to beginning the diaper loan program, Ella notes that ā€œTo ensure this project makes a significant impact and is sustainable, our intentions are to teach mothers how to make cloth diapers and sell them to generate income.ā€ The goal of this being to address the gender wealth gap by giving mothers a tool to have autonomy over their finances.Ģż While Ella has since returned home, the project has only continued to grow. Shange, a friend of Ella’s, offered to take over the program and is currently working on collecting materials to provide mothers a chance to make these cloth diapers. Shange also plans to bring this workshop to eight different regions throughout Namibia.ĢżĢż

Photos, courtesy of Ella:

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Dr Jill Biden and the United States Embassy in Namibia hosted a life changing event on Youth Empowerment and Democracy in Namibia. Such powerful women including Namibiaā€™s own First Lady, honorable Monica Geingos. The event was hosted by our studentsā€™ internship organization, Namibia Institute for Democracy () and Dr Biden paid a visit to one of our students internship organization, Hope Initiatives of Southern Africa ().

Ella Fontaine has graciously agreed to share her reflections after the visit and listening to Dr. Bidenā€™s speech. Thank you, Ella, for your thoughtful reflections and words! Read below for more (photos courtesy of our Resident Assistant in Namibia, Wilikka Absalom):

As I sat only meters away listening to Dr. Jill Biden’s promise that America supports the youth of Namibia, I still had the words of Deputy Junior Mayor of Windhoek, Fenn Paulus, ringing in my ears. Fenn, whose top knot bun was the only thing visible above the podium, boomed ā€œYouth empowerment is not a threat to democracy, it is a threat to poverty, barriers, and corruption.ā€

In the Windhoek city government, 4 advisory positions are reserved for ā€˜juniorsā€™ to ensure that youth have a voice in policy that directly affects their future. This is a result of Namibiaā€™s commitment to representation in government. The current elected junior counsel is dedicated to mental health awareness, HIV prevention, and clean-up projects which are important topics to the youth of Namibia.

So why was Jill Biden involved? To create a platform for youth to ā€œengage and plan for our future,ā€ as a spokesperson from the student representative council of the international school of management said to his fellow youth. Not only did the youth engage with this platform, they claimed it as their own, having an impromptu dance battle that lifted spirits, and made me forget that the first lady was even in attendance.

After a morning of beautiful spoken word poetry, powerful speeches like that of Miss Namibia, and moving dance routines to acknowledge gender-based violence, both the first lady of Namibia and the US took the stage. What felt like average levels of security guided them, but I later found out that even the president of Namibia goes to church with only one bodyguard – so a team of 30 escorting the first lady was anything but normal.Ģż

In her introductory speech for Dr. Biden, First Lady of Namibia, Madam Monica Geingos acknowledged the information gap and assumptions people have about Namibia when she visits the states. She also empowered young girls by saying ā€œWhen young girls come to me and say ā€˜oh I want to be a first lady, I want to be just like youā€™ I say ā€˜NO, you must want to be a president!ā€ Her speech was the perfect balance between speaking relevantly about youth and women empowerment, while also recognizing the complexities of US-Namibia relations. Dr. Biden’s speech on the other hand was far from that.

Dr. Biden began her speech by addressing apartheid, acknowledging the importance of African voices at world tables, and telling youth to harness the power of their potential. However, she also spent a while explaining the positive relationship between the US and Namibia and the respect her husband has for this country. As a reminder, this event was supposed to be about youth empowerment in Namibia, so the consistent mention of America and political relations missed the mark completely. With these words, she implied that the relationship between America and Namibia is equitable when in reality, the US aid money here has the influence to achieve any political goal while hiding behind the face of ā€˜helping.ā€™

The United States Embassy in Namibia also has a large hand in this neo-colonialism. The embassy alleges to ā€œenhance the lives of Namibians through the framework of our bilateral relationship.ā€ However, claiming the work that multiple local NGOs did to set up this event as your own and not giving credit seems to directly counteract that statement, which I noticed to be a trend. The US Embassy of Namibia also refused to feed the youth at this event, even though they were asked to skip their school lunch; the actions here speak louder than words.Ģż

So while I was disappointed by the US Embassy of Namibia and Dr. Bidenā€™s speech, I was proud to be sitting amongst the leaders of today but more importantly, the leaders of tomorrow. One of my friends, Matjituavi Jezunda Kao Katjatenja said ā€œThey really did inspire me to be out there, making a differenceā€ as a direct result of powerful youth speakers at the event. I learned from the young people of Namibia about what it means to be an activist, a leader, and how to care about each and every member of the community, a value I do not think is shared in The States.

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Monday, September 26th: A Typical Day Interning at Goethe Institut Namibia

Since September 19th, I have been working each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings as a teacher’s assistant for the B1 German Level evening classes. I am the assistant to Frau Christine, a German teacher from Nairobi, Kenya who like me, had the opportunity to live and study in Germany when she was young.

I thoroughly enjoy interning as a German teacher leading lessons from the supplied textbook because I have learned of the positive power the German language can have on Namibians, even with imperial Germany’s dark past in the country. Similarly to the American Cultural Center, the German language and the Goethe Institut provide Namibians the qualifications of a B2 certificate to obtain a German visa to work or study in Europe, an opportunity I myself was fortunate to experience.

It feels great to bond with students who are my age or just slightly older by sharing my optimism and my experiences of living in Germany. I believe it is an example of positive cultural diplomacy.

Friday, October 7th: Class at UNAM (The University of Namibia) and a Tour of the Windhoek Islamic Centre with Professor Namushinga. A close second for my favorite day excursion is the dual trip to UNAM and to the Islamic Centre in Windhoek West.

Professor Namushinga pulled a genius move by moving our class to Friday this one time, which allowed him to combine our class with his official UNAM course on Islam. After his class lecture, we piled into the CGEE van and went to the Islamic Centre.

While in many ways the experience was a gratuity tour in an effort to convert us, it really did feel like a welcoming space although the female students could have and likely felt differently. Nevertheless, I really appreciated it when they showed us the washing ritual before going to pray as well as the centre’s library. Truthfully, it filled me with a special joy to see their library because it is a combination of golden Quran books in the original language of Arabic, Islamic literature in all world languages (such as a German-translated Quran they let me take), and even secular books (i.e. Harry Potter). They also had many pamphlets explaining misconceptions of Islam based on fear, which although at a closer look is just tailored propaganda produced by the Gulf States, still is useful and necessary to break down many Westerners’ xenophobic and false beliefs about how Islam is nefarious.

Thanks again to Jack for sharing his blog with the wider Augsburg and CGEE community!

The post A Snapshot of Life in the City of Windhoek appeared first on Center for Global Education and Experience.

From the article:

ā€œNamibia is a nation teeming with opportunities. EverywhereĢżyou look, people are hungry for success. A country built on free market principles, with a people questing for equal economic participation in its development. Namibia has many commonly known successes; it remains one of the only countries in the world with a robust environmental policy enshrined in its constitution combined with a strong governmental investment that could lead to a direct betterment for all citizens.ā€

Read the full article text .

Internships are a great way student can contribute towards social change in Namibia! All students on the semester program, ā€œā€ have the option to take part in an internship during their time abroad in Namibia. One of these internship possibilities is with the ā€œNamibia Institute of Democracyā€ ā€“ an organization that implements a range of civic education, civil society development, socio-political survey and research and anti-corruption programs in Namibia.

Congratulations once again, Aaron, on being published in the local Namibian newspaper!

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Since departing from our two-week seminar in South Africa in late August, I have officially been in Namibia for a month and 15 days now and have truly come to understand and appreciate the culture here! After adjusting to my initial culture shock, I have learned how to face challenges that have taught me about not only Namibian society, but about myself and my own values.Ģż

One of my favorite things about the program is that we get to take classes entirely focused on Namibian society, while also acclimating to the new environment as residents. It is a truly unforgettable gift to be studying multiple different angles into what life is like in Namibia, while also experiencing it first-hand! This semester, I am taking four classes: History of Racism and Resistance, Environment & Sustainability, Political and Social Change, and an Internship Seminar, all having to do with the region of Southern Africa and Namibia. These are the focused angles that Iā€™ve been studying to understand Namibian life, but there are also two other classes offered that cover aspects of Religion and Development in Namibia, which I am able to sit in on and learn from even without needing to take the classes for credit. The guest speakers, class excursions, and in-person experiences weā€™ve been having for class sessions have left such a lasting impact on me that have immeasurably impacted my overall experience in amazing ways!Ģż

As part of the CGEE program, I am taking the Internship Seminar class that is offered and have been partnered with Hope Initiatives Southern Africa – Namibia (HISA) to work as an Education Intern and Teaching Assistant. The main part of the class is to complete direct service hours with the organization, and I have been learning so much from working there and working in their classrooms, especially about what life is like for young children who live in the settlements! The non-governmental organization provides daily meals to local children, classes for young students K-8, after school tutoring, parental training for families, gender-based violence workshops for the community, and even gardening classes at an on-site garden that they take care of; they truly serve as an all-around community center for one of the informal settlement villages located outside of the city of Windhoek.Ģż

A particular memory that has really stayed with me, and has become one of my most cherished since arriving in Namibia, was from a recent event at my internship! To celebrate the National Day of the Namibian Child, HISA organized a full-day event of activities for youth in the area. In the morning, children from around the settlement came to HISAā€™s center to play games, spend time with each other, and share a meal! In the afternoon, HISA organized a fundraising modeling event that young girls had been preparing and rehearsing for, for weeks. After having seen all the work they had put in, it was so exciting to see them walk confidently in front of their friends and speak up about the issues that they care about. It was a really special event that I got to be a part of and share with the kids in the community. The experience made me feel so welcomed here and also brought me much closer to my coworkers and students at HISA, making it truly unforgettable and special!

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Pinias Kashedi is the new Study Abroad Program Coordinator and Instructor for Political and Social Change. He just completed a Masterā€™s of Philosophy in Education and Training for Lifelong Learning from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. He further holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration and a Bachelors of Education from the University of Namibia.

Pinias worked for the Namibian Government in Voter Education as well as leading Adult and Continuing Education programs at district level. For the past six (6) years he worked for the US Embassy as the Cultural Affairs assistant and EducationUSA adviser managing and coordinating youth and professional exchange programs and educational advising for international students planning to study in the US. He worked to increase the number of Namibians studying in the US by 80% in the last 5 years . He also continues to teach Development Studies and Adult Learning at the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) on a Part-time basis.

Pinias is married and is a father of two children; John (15) and Mathilde (9 months). Pinias says ā€œI love teaching and researching and I am a strong advocate for Experiential Education. The opportunity to join the CGEE team could not have come at a better time and I am ready to assist in giving our students an excellentĢżSouthern AfricaĢżexperienceā€.

The post Welcome New Study Abroad Coordinator & Instructor in Namibia! appeared first on Center for Global Education and Experience.

Global Movements for Racial Justice was created in response to the racially motivated murder of George Floyd in our home city of Minneapolis. With much of CGEEā€™s work typically focusing on global settings, it became clear in the summer of 2020 that we should use our pedagogy and unique programming style to shed light on the inequities and injustices within our own backyard and in communities across the United States.

The coming together of CGEE Southern Africa with Augsburgā€™s Pan-Afrikan Center, will educate students to compare and contrast the U.S. civil rights movement with the South Africans’ struggle to overturn apartheid.Ģż Students will then take this historical context and apply it, with a critical lens, to contemporary movements for racial justice.Ģż Minneapolis, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, will be the focal point of their examination.Ģż

This program would not have been possible without the tremendous effort and work put into it by the instructors, Azania Tripp, Director of Pan-Afrikan Student Services and Albertina Shifotoka, Director of CGEE Southern Africa, in addition to Peggy Johnson, Director of Customized Education Abroad & Study Away Programs. We thank them all for their dedication to rising to the moment to create bold programming for Augsburgā€™s next generation of leaders.

Interested students should apply by March 25. A brief program description is included below, for more details on application, cost, and itinerary.ĢżĢż

Program participants will critically analyze the global racial unrest movements of the Southern Africa Anti-Apartheid system, and the racially motivated murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This 2-week program experience will introduce students to the understanding of how these movements became historical events and impacted policy and the visibilities on racial inequities that impact the Pan-Afrikan diaspora and all BIPOC communities.

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Memories with CGEE in Namibia & South Africa

I knew I wanted to study abroad since before I even applied to college. I knew I wanted to travel to a place most of my peers would not. I wanted to be challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone. While in Namibia and South Africa, I met some of the greatest people and had experiences I will never forget.Ģż

Landing in Johannesburg was a relief. My journey to South Africa had not been smooth. A blizzard canceled my flight in Chicago and I was on the phone with multiple airlines trying to get on the next flight to Johannesburg. At the moment I was extremely stressed out and filled with self-doubt since I was completely alone in an airport for the first time in my life. All my previous travels I had been with friends or family. But now, I look back and smile. It made stepping off that plane at OR Tambo Airport so much sweeter.

I did not really know what to expect at the airport, but it was a feeling of excitement and anticipation. Not nervousness or apprehension. I had ended up on the same flight as my classmate, Imani, so we were able to experience our first moments in Johannesburg together. I remember meeting Sarah and Alex for the first time, and we greeted each other like we had already met. While Namibia and South Africa are amazing places in themselves, I believe the people I spent my time with there made the experience so much more meaningful. Everyone at CGEE are incredible. All my classmates and I really clicked from the beginning. Especially my two amazing roommates, Tiffani and Sienna, and I got along super well. Every Tuesday and Thursday was hot breakfast day so the three of us would grab our breakfast and sit our on the balcony and enjoy the morning.

Something I did not expect to learn in Namibia was how to relax and enjoy life. I have always been so focused on what is next and so uptight about everything I do being perfect that I realize I have not taken the time to enjoy the present.ĢżWhile in Soweto, my host sister, Zama, took myself and my classmates who were staying with her family on a walk around Pimville. I remember I kept walking too fast and she kept telling me to slow down and enjoy where we were walking. We would get to our destination. As someone who is not accustomed to mentally

slowing down for anything, it was a little difficult. It might sound strange but learning to slow down was a big step for me. I do not think Zama even knows the effect her words had on me, but I believe I got more out of this study abroad experience because of her lesson.

I knew this program was based on experiential learning and less on conventional education methods, but what I did not know is quickly and freely learning would come. Almost every class involved talking to a speaker who was an expert on the topic of the class or traveling on a field trip. One development class stands out to me. My teacher, Freddy, casually tells the class of four that we will be going to the United Nations Development Program. I thought I misheard him because there is no way that we are going to the actual United Nations! We went to the United Nations!ĢżIt is one thing to read about the UN Sustainable Development Goals online; read news articles about clean energy in Southern Africa or something. But it is completely different to sit down at the UNDP and learn exactly how the UN and Namibian government are working together to implement the SDGs from the Deputy Representative in Namibia. To experience is to learn in the most absolute way because you attach memory and emotions to facts, at least thatā€™s how I look at it.

The experience of studying abroad is like nothing I have ever felt. I think what I will remember most about Namibia will be the little things. The feel of the sun in the morning or the smell of the ocean at Diaz Point in LĆ¼deritz. The movie nights with my friends, yoga with Suzi and the kittens on Fridays, and the conversations in the car home with my host dad in Windhoek. Studying abroad was exciting but it was also peaceful. I felt completely at home being so far away from the US and in a constant state of change. I had no idea what the next day would bring, but it was the unknown that I earned to embrace and be comfortable with. I learned to go with the flow and enjoy the process. Relax and enjoy the little moments in life as well as the big picture.

Having to leave Namibia sooner than intended was heartbreaking. I feel I have unfinished business there. But I believe I will return because of this incomplete feeling. I made so many memories during the time I spent there with some of the greatest people and I fell in love with the country. I would not change any of it for the world!

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