The Africa in the New World minor is leading a new "study tour" to Ghana this winter, tour leaders Professors Edward Kutsoati and Pearl Robinson said at a meeting Monday.
The tour, entitled "Ghana Gold: A Corporate Social Responsibility Study Tour," will take up to sixteen students this winter break on a two-week research trip through the West African nation. The goal is to "expose kids to as many different elements of Ghana as possible," while motivating them to help the developing nation, Robinson said.
Kutsoati, a Ghanaian, and Robinson, an American, emphasized that this trip will not be a vacation. Each participant will choose one particular element of Ghana to research while traveling together and visiting sites of historical and contemporary importance.
The tour will be divided into six blocks, each lasting for one or more days and focusing on a different facet of the nation. Block subjects include modern urban Ghana, history, mining, politics, the slave trade, and art.
The roughly 25 students that attended the meeting cited varied interests, such as human rights, African politics, studying abroad in Ghana, and environmental engineering as the reasons for their attendance.
This diversity is exactly what Kutsoati and Robinson want. "We need a new generation of people with all different [kinds of] expertise because [political instability in Africa] is a multifaceted problem," said Kutsoati, an economics professor.
"But the common thing they would have is [an] interest in improving the continent."
Kutsoati and Robinson hope that the tour will inspire some students to devote their studies, and eventually their lives, to learning about and improving Africa. "I want to see students go to Africa, pick one thing that they want to work on, come back, and work on it," Kutsoati said.
Robinson, a Political Science professor, said she plans to develop a class for the upcoming spring semester for students who go on the tour. The class will be mandatory, and will expand on what the group studies during the tour, Robinson said.
The fourteen-day excursion will depart on Jan. 2. The trip will include visits to the capital city of Accra, where students will visit former President Kwame Nkrumah's tomb and meet with Ghanaian government officials. Students will also visit an industrial gold mine in Obuasi.
Kutsoati began last night's meeting by screening a five-minute video clip from a BBC documentary. The film depicted the exploitation native Africans have undergone at the hands of World Bank supported European gold-mining companies.
"I'll definitely apply," said freshman Megan Kearns. "I was really impressed. It seems like [the tour] covers a wide spectrum...It's not just a touristy look at Ghana. It gets you right in there."
The cost of the tour will be around $3600, which covers plane tickets and accommodations. Though financial aid may be available, it has not yet been guaranteed.
Kustsoati is hopeful for the program's success. "I'm cautiously optimistic for this year. I think if we can get at least eight students, we'll be good to go," he said.
He foresees this winter's tour as the possible beginning of a long-term program. He would like to repeat the tour annually, he said.
Another meeting about the Study Tour program will be held tonight at 9:30 in the Hill Hall Lounge.
