Pitfalls and opportunities – A wealth of learning about fair partnerships Between Leiden and Africa
A whole week was dedicated to fair partnerships and equitable exchange in Leiden-African education and research. From 17 to 21 March, African and Leiden scholars engaged in mutual learning during the workshop week Leiden/Africa Partners: Fair Partnerships and Equitable Exchange in Education. "This is a great time to collaborate together internationally"
What if one partner institution awards all its participating students top marks? What if one of the partners suddenly withdraws from the collaboration? Team RIJM – Rianne-Inge-Joeri-Musyimi – attempts to poke holes in Team Up!'s collaboration plan. To no avail: they turn out to be unbeatable!.
Worst case scenario’s
In just an hour, six teams sketched a collaboration plan for an collaborative course. They then tested their plans by imagining as many worst-case scenarios as possible. ‘What if the law changes in one of the participating countries, making collaboration more difficult?’ Team RIJM had ‘cities in distress’ in mind. Team member Musyimi Mbathi, who travelled from his home city of Nairobi to participate in the workships this week, works in urban planning—as a lecturer at the university, in a think tank, and formerly within the Kenyan government. Each team included a scholar who had arrived just before the workshop from Kenya, Nigeria, or Ghana.
Unique: a whole week on fair partnerships
Monday, 17 March, marked the start of the week-long programme, organised by Caroline Archambault and David Ehrhardt of Leiden University College as part of their Learning Mindset project. Their partners from Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana were also present. Archambault noted: ‘It is unique to spend an entire week focusing on fair partnerships and equitable exchange, both in research and education. It is also crucial: online technology now offers so many opportunities. This is an excellent time for international collaboration.’
Start playfully
But how do you ensure that all partners truly learn from each other and avoid misunderstandings? Archambault and Ehrhardt’s answer: start in a playful way. To this end, they developed a game-based teaching method: The Big Partnership Prize. In a short amount of time, participants create and learn exponentially. Each team ‘seals’ its collaboration agreement with a paperclip—no changes can be made in the next game phase.
In the arena
Team Up! successfully counters all the worst-case scenarios that RIJM throws at them. Their greatest asset: an independent advisory committee which oversees aspects like equality, and mediates in conflicts. Team RIJM had not considered this, despite their well-thought-out plan involving collaboration partners from across society. In the ‘arena’ phase, where they must compete against three different teams in succession, their token, which starts with ten points, repeatedly moves backwards. Enthusiastic player Mbathi reluctantly accepts this setback—he and his team had hoped to win the fictional twenty million Euro's to bring their plan to life. Ultimately, no one wins: each team had an equal number of pitfalls identified by their opponents. As a consolation prize, they receive sweets.
LUMC and LDE also joined
The rest of the week included discussions on how to teach wicked problems effectively—issues such as climate change, poverty, gender equality, urban renewal, and pandemics. Additionally, participants explored the idea of an Africa-Europe network for educational innovation and the potential of gamification in higher education. This was partly facilitated by the African Studies Centre Leiden and included participants from all Leiden-Delft-Erasmus universities. LUMC was also involved in the study week. On Tuesday, 18 March, LUMC Global presented a full programme showcasing its partnerships in research and education with African institutions. Fair partnership remained the guiding principle
How to practise equality in reality?
A recurring dilemma in these projects: how can a partnership be truly equal when the European partner always has easier access to funding? And when funding agencies require that the entire budget be managed in Europe? Sascha Wanna (Head of International Office) and Tienke Vermeiden (Project Manager AFRICARhE) provided practical solutions. For instance, the free online Power Awareness Tool from Partos can help partners examine and shift power dynamics in their collaboration.
A book such as The Culture Map by Erin Meyer can help prevent misunderstandings stemming from cultural differences. Wanna explained: ‘When a Dutch person reiterates their point for emphasis, a Kenyan partner may perceive this as patronising. Once might be overlooked, but if it happens repeatedly, it can become a serious obstacle to a strong working relationship.’
A growing community
From tackling complex global problems and shrinking budgets to student motivation, generative AI, and the necessity of knowledge in a demanding job market—the discussions covered a broad spectrum. Sitting on a sunlit terrace in Leiden, all participants agreed: there is a world to gain from open and fair collaboration.
Interested in joining? Caroline and David would love to hear from you.
This week was made possible with support from Learning Mindset, Erasmus+ ICM, LUC, African Studies Centre Leiden, LUMC, and SEA.