Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Convene in South Africa

A group of people smile for the camera — Assistant Secretary of State Lee Satterfield (center) meets Fellowship and Reciprocal Exchange Alumni during a networking reception at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.

Boksburg, South Africa – Hundreds of young African leaders convened in Boksburg, South Africa, from March 12-18 for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Symposium. This group of select Fellowship Alumni gathered to discuss critical topics impacting U.S.-African relations and exchange ideas with leaders from both Africa and the United States.

“Being young, although there are challenges and people will underestimate you, it is also a superpower,” said U.S. Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues Abby Finkenauer. “Remember that you are in that position or in that place to do the work that needs to be done, and to do it well, and with integrity.”

A woman speaks at a podium, clasping her hands as she makes remarks — Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues Abby Finkenauer addresses the audience at the Alumni Symposium.

The event was funded by the U.S. Department of State as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and administered by IREX. The Symposium offered Alumni the chance to build on their virtual Fellowship experience in 2021 with in-person leadership training, networking, and volunteer opportunities.

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship has catalyzed action and inspired change and empowered individuals,” said Assistant Secretary of State Lee Satterfield. “Not only will young people across Africa address the issues of our time… You, the Mandela Washington Fellow or the Young African Leader, will be at the forefront.”

Left: a group of people holds a large ring in the air; right: people sit around a table in discussion with large posters in the background — Left: Fellowship Alumni participate in a Common Leadership Curriculum exercise during a teambuilding session.
Right: participants make requests for and offers of help during a Reciprocity Ring exercise.

During breakout groups, Alumni connected with members of the Fellowship Network to collaborate on 21^st-century challenges facing Africa and the United States, including business, climate change, democracy and peace, and youth and education. Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, delivered the keynote address.

Two pictures, both candid photos showing women speaking on stage — Left: Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, delivers the keynote address on changing the African narrative at the Alumni Symposium.
Right: Chido Cleopatra Mpemba, African Union Commission Special Envoy on Youth and 2016 Fellowship Alumna, speaks to participants during a plenary session.

“It’s the stories people hear that help shape how they view the world,” said Ms. Makura. “That’s why the Fellowship is so important – you’re meeting each other and talking across country lines and changing the African narrative together.”

Offsite activities on Thursday included a workshop at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, an experiential day at the African Leadership Academy, volunteering at local schools, such as Zandspruit School, and more.

3 photos: a man paints a floor, a man holds up a document, a man in a scooter poses in front of a mural — Left: Fellows painted sports playing courts and helped area schools with improvements during volunteer activites.
Center: Fellowship Alumni view Nelson Mandela’s Nobel Peace Prize in the archives of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Right: 2021 Fellowship Alumnus Emmanuel Samu poses with a mural at Zandspruit School.

The Alumni Symposium included the following program highlights:

Remarks from 2016 Fellowship Alumna Chido Cleopatra Mpemba, African Union Commission Special Envoy on Youth, and Abby Finkenauer, U.S. Department of State Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues
A networking reception at Constitution Hill co-hosted by Heather Merritt, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to South Africa, and Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
A fireside chat on Africa’s creative economy with Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director of Spotify, Sub-Saharan Africa
Closing remarks from Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs

Check out photos on the Fellowship’s Flickr and watch videos of the sessions.

Two photos: left is a man sitting in a chair on a stage; right is a woman sitting in a chair on a stage in the foreground with a man next to her in the background — Adama Sanneh, Co-Founder and CEO of the Moleskine Foundation (left), and Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director of Spotify Africa (right), addressed participants during plenary sessions.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.