Why on earth would you go to Rwanda? (And where is it, anyway?)

We've been getting these questions a lot.

Fair enough: a landlocked African nation, about the size of Vermont, known mostly (exclusively?) for its terrible genocide, Rwanda doesn't exactly scream "visit me!" So of all the places in the world, why choose Rwanda for a faculty development program? What could that country have to teach us that warrants the long flight and expense?

It wasn't a whim. There's good reason to visit Africa in general, and Rwanda in particular.

First, let's talk about Africa. The Economist published an article in 2011 that showed that in the first decade of the new millennium, six of the ten fastest-growing economies belonged to nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nick Kristof cited the these numbers in a recent piece before going on to write,

One of the problems with journalism is that we focus on disasters. We cover planes that crash, not those that take off. In Africa, that means we cover famine in Somalia and genocide in Sudan, terrorism in Nigeria and warlords in Congo. Those are important stories — deserving more attention, not less — but they can also leave a casual reader convinced that all of Africa is lurching between genocide and famine.

It's probably fair to say that in this country, Africa is the least studied and least understood major world region. Civil war, famine, and exotic animals make up only part of Africa's complex story. I think as teachers we have a responsibility to learn about - and share with our students - what Nigerian author Chinua Achebe calls "a balance of stories." I think it's a moral responsibility - we must always strive to correct distortions where we see them - as well as a practical one.  If demographers are right, by 2050 Africa's population will hit 2 billion. And if Africa's economies continue to grow, that means more - and more varied - interaction between the United States and the African continent. In his article, Kristof points out that China is investing heavily in Africa, and when I travel there, I see the evidence. I was struck on a recent transit through Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport how many East Asian business travelers were awaiting flights. In this country, few secondary schools offer courses on Africa. (Berkeley Carroll offers two: African History and African Literature.) The imperative to learn about the continent's rich diversity is about long-term economic strategy, but it's also about global politics, environment, natural resources, urban planning, art, literature, culture and so many other things. In other words, we have to start treating Africa like it's important, because it very much is.

Fine, Africa. But why Rwanda? Why a tiny, resource-poor, landlocked country with a violent recent past? Because what's happening in Rwanda is unique on the African continent, and may serve as a model not just for Africa, but developing nations all over the world. After the 1994 genocide, Paul Kagame, the newly elected president, looked to his country's neighbors and saw few examples of success, and none in countries without considerable claims to oil or minerals. Instead, he saw dependence on foreign aid choking all attempts at meaningful and long-lasting development. So Kagame cast his gaze beyond Africa and found an unlikely model in Singapore, another small nation without any natural resources of note. Today, Rwanda is investing heavily in infrastructure. It is building its banking and technology sectors, and attracting investment to replace aid. It has national healthcare, a parliament with as many female representatives as male, and a ban on the single-use plastic bags that wind up strewn about, lending a dirty, sad appearance to economically depressed areas from the South Bronx to Naples to Nairobi.

Rwanda is has also adopted English as its official second language, replacing French, arguing that English is the lingua franca of the modern world.

In Rwanda we're going to visit NGO's and local craft cooperatives. We're going to tour an environmentally sustainable, free trade-certified tea plantation. We're going to meet with local leaders in the western part of the country, and learn about strategies for educating the Batwa minority. And we're going to work with teachers at two schools - Kabwende Primary School and Kampanga Secondary School - to collaborate on teaching methodologies that are being encouraged in Rwanda and with which we have some experience.

Can a country reinvent itself? Does Rwanda offer a viable model for how? We have many more questions than answers at this point, and that's what's so exciting. That's what makes Rwanda so ideal for a faculty development program. We're going to explore, discuss, debate, reflect. And though we may not return with clear answers, there's no doubt we will return better teachers.