2 1/2 Weeks in Francophone Africa

What a whirlwind! Here was my itinerary during the past few weeks (including layover cities): Colorado Springs – Atlanta – Amsterdam – Cape Town – Johannesburg – Lubumbashi – Nairobi – Yaounde – Nairobi – Johannesburg – Cape Town – Paris – Atlanta – HOME!

I began my trip with one day in Cape Town on my way to West Africa, and a ½ day on the way back. I filled that time seeing old friends Mark St. Pol, Fritz van der Lecq, Mawethu and Lisa Ncaca, and Heather Lane. If you have followed our blog since we started it – when we moved to South Africa in 2007 for my two years of studies at the University of Cape Town – then these will be familiar faces.

Next stop: four days with Dr. Jean-Marie Nkonge and his family in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. It was a privilege to be a guest in his home and to enjoy the warm hospitality of his wife and two daughters as well as the sights, sounds, and flavors of the DR Congo’s second largest city. Dr. Nkonge is the Francophone Programs Director for our Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program and a wonderful man to work with. We talked for hours and hours about all aspects of our program – what is working, what needs improvement, and how we can be more effective.

From there, Dr. Nkonge and I traveled to Yaounde, Cameroon, where we convened a gathering of the presidents and program coordinators of our eight academic partners in Francophone Africa. The Masters program was created ten years ago by DAI and is administered globally by me and my team of seven others. Although it is “our” program, our purpose is to create academic partnerships with local Christian academic institutions in the developing world who accredit the program and assist us in administering it on their campuses.

The program began 10 years ago with three partners, one of those in French-speaking Africa. We now have 17 partners in 18 countries throughout Asia and Africa. In French-speaking Africa, the program is now taking place in the following countries: Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Chad, Senegal, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.

We had a wonderful meeting with the presidents and program coordinators of our Francophone partners. Organized by Dr. Nkonge, the meeting was a wonderful time for relationship-building and fellowship, as well as to examine the program in these contexts in order to share what’s working, what’s not, and to discover how we can provide a stronger program in these countries. It was a wonderful time to connect with these amazing men and women. They are doing much with very little. I have great respect for each one of them, and am grateful to be partnering with them.

What would be a visit to Cape Town without time with these guys?! Mark St. Pol and Fritz van der Lecq.

Mawethu and Lisa Ncaca, dear friends of ours from our Cape Town days (2007-09).

Another close friend Heather Lane, with Hannah.

Jean-Marie and his daughters brought me to a local game park to see the animals.

We stopped on the way home from the game park to buy sugar cane from a little girl who was selling it alongside the road. My first time trying it - fibrous but sweet!

Jean-Marie and Esperance with two of their four children, Rachel and Laura. They were wonderful hosts during my four-day stay in their home in Lubumbashi, DR Congo.

Game park pix.

From DRC to Yaounde, Cameroon, for a three-day meeting with the presidents and local program administrators of our 8 French-speaking academic partners. 

Dr. Jean-Marie Nkonge, our Francophone Programs Director, on the left; I'm on the right. Two attendees/academic partner presidents in the middle.

Many of the taxis had messages on their rear bumpers, such as this one. Others included "Love Jesus," "Prudence," or Bible verses.

A typical roadside shop in Yaounde, Cameroon.