Hope Is a Universal Language: What 25 African Leaders Taught Me About the Future
This week, a group of 25 African leaders descended upon Nashville as part of the Mandela-Washington Fellowship. Representing 19 African nations, the Fellows are being hosted by Tennessee State University for the next two weeks. I’ve been honored to help curate their Nashville experience.
Nations represented: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
I met the Fellows at the welcome dinner, and during our conversations, one powerful thread stood out. While each person spoke candidly about the unique challenges facing their home country, every single one of them radiated hope when discussing the future they’re helping to build.
Despite our different native languages (African dialects, English, French, Portuguese) we were all fluent in something more profound: hope as the fuel for our dreams.
That night reminded me that hope is more than just a feeling. It’s a force. It’s a shared belief that things can get better, and that we each have a role to play in making it so.
In every corner of the globe, hope speaks to the heart. It’s the universal language of change-makers.
Moments like this affirm my purpose: to build bridges across the African Diaspora.
To connect leaders, cultures, and communities in meaningful ways.
To help people of African ancestry rediscover their power, together.
This is the work. This is the mission. And hope will continue to light the way.