Motivation

Motivation:

My interest in Africa began when I was in Grade 9. I was on a Christmas break and a new Leonardio DiCaprio movie, Blood Diamond, had just been released in theaters. To be honest, I went to see it because it seemed like a fun action movie.

After watching the movie, my mind exploded with questions. Is that what Africa is actually like? What factors drive the poverty and wealth of different nations? How can poor, war-ravaged countries improve the lives of their citizens? While these questions were important, one particular question became lodged into my consciousness and has stayed there ever since: Why does the accident of birth play such a large role in a person’s life?

The accident of birth question remains particularly relevant to me even today. I am convinced that I have not earned the gifts of a strong education, financial security, and a healthy body. I was born into the right family, raised in the right country, and any success that I have achieved is mostly the result of fortunate circumstances. The question I ask myself now is: what if I had been born poor in Africa, without the protection of a wealthy family and a wealthy government? What path to happiness and success would I have followed then? What would my definition of success even be?

I joined this course because I am seeking answers to these questions. I may not receive an answer by the end of these next 6 weeks – in fact, it is more than likely that I will be more confused than before. But I believe that if I expose myself to people from vastly different backgrounds, and make an active effort to understand their struggles and triumphs, I will become a wiser and more humble person. At the very least, I will begin to view the world with softer eyes.

Teaching:

It is an old truism that teaching is the best way to learn. The mental processes involved in making a concept interesting, understandable, and challenging for a student necessitates deep understanding of the concept by the teacher. Therefore, teaching business concepts using the case method to my African peers accomplishes two of my goals: I will understand business concepts more thoroughly, while interacting with real Africans every day. By teaching, I will understand their world-view more intimately than I could any other way.

Furthermore, I believe that the key to solving Africa’s problems is business and the free market. Profitable businesses can provide jobs, training, and a sense of purpose, while dramatically improving the standard of living for the average citizen. Businesses can also create the incentives for innovation and risk-taking that are the foundation of long-term prosperity. The case method develops the critical analytical and communication skills needed to solve business problems. It is also the best way to learn how to embrace ambiguity. Too often, traditional learning encourages shallow understanding of concepts and provides the false comfort of a “right” answer. While this is efficient for evaluation purposes, the real world is draped in ambiguity and complexity that cannot be wished away with simplified assumptions. The case method, while imperfect in multiple ways, teaches students to tolerate ambiguity without letting it paralyze their decision-making process. I hope that exposure to the case method will improve my African students’ business acumen, and by extension, improve their ability to lift their society into higher standards of living.

Course:

The pre-departure classes were incredibly helpful. My first observation is how comfortable my fellow students were at leading case discussions at the front of the classrooms. I found that my peers’ teaching styles flowed directly from their personality, and that the diversity of teaching styles actually enhanced the learning process. Some teachers allowed the class discussion to develop organically, while others forcefully directed the flow of the discussion towards the central learning goals.

My own teaching style was described as intense, and I think this definitely reflects my personality. I have very little tolerance for illogical arguments and assertions that are not backed by facts. There is a fine line, however, between intensity and intimidation. I believe students must be comfortable asking challenging questions of the instructor, and the classroom environment should encourage differing points of view. I will therefore consciously reduce the aggressiveness of my questioning when teaching.

Conclusion:

I am currently suspended in mid-air somewhere over Europe, hurling at 800 miles per hour towards the center of Africa. I have no idea who is meeting us at the airport in Kigali, or who I will be teaching, or even where I will be staying for the next 6 weeks. It is frightening.

When leaving Toronto this morning, I felt a little like Frodo Baggins leaving the comfort of the Shire for adventure and the unknown. I could have easily just stayed in Toronto for the summer, eating my mother’s wonderful food and reading good books. But my understanding of human nature would have remained largely the same. And the questions that have been circulating in my head since I first saw Blood Diamond almost 8 years ago would have remained questions.

I am choosing to go to Africa because I am choosing to pursue answers, regardless of the form these answers may arrive in. Stay tuned for future reflections.