Patrick Awuah: Educating a new generation of African leaders

Prevoditelj: Igor Pureta Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Like many of you here, I am trying to contribute

Kao i mnogi od vas ovdje, pokušavam doprinijeti

towards a renaissance in Africa.

afričkoj renesansi.

The question of transformation in Africa

Pitanje transformacije Afrike

really is a question of leadership.

je zapravo pitanje rukovodstva.

Africa can only be transformed by enlightened leaders.

Afrika može biti transformirana jedino uz prosvijetljene vođe.

And it is my contention that the manner in which

I tvrdim da je način na koji

we educate our leaders is fundamental

obrazujemo naše vođe temeljan

to progress on this continent.

za napredak na ovom kontinentu.

I want to tell you some stories that explain my view.

Želim vam ispričati nekoliko priča koje objašnjavaju moje stajalište.

We all heard about the importance of stories yesterday.

Jučer smo svi čuli za važnost priča.

An American friend of mine this year volunteered as a nurse in Ghana,

Moja američka prijateljica je volontirala kao medicinska sestra u Gani.

and in a period of three months she came to a conclusion

i u razdoblju od tri mjeseca došla do zaključka

about the state of leadership in Africa

u vezi stanja rukovodstva u Africi

that had taken me over a decade to reach.

za koji je meni trebalo preko desetljeća.

Twice she was involved in surgeries

Dva puta je prisustvovala operacijama

where they lost power at the hospital.

tijekom kojih je bolnica ostala bez struje.

The emergency generators did not start.

Pomoćni generatori nisu radili.

There was not a flashlight, not a lantern, not a candle --

Nije bilo svjetiljke, lampe, čak ni svijeće --

pitch black.

potpuni mrak.

The patient's cut open, twice.

Pacijenti otvoreni, dvaput.

The first time it was a C-section.

Prvi put je bio carski rez.

Thankfully, baby was out -- mother and child survived.

Srećom, beba je izašla -- majka i dijete su preživjeli.

The second time was a procedure that involved local anesthesia.

Drugi put je bila operacija koja je uključivala lokalnu anesteziju.

Anesthetic wears off. The patient feels pain.

Anestezija se istroši. Pacijent osjeća bol.

He's crying. He's screaming. He's praying.

Plače. Vrišti. Moli se.

Pitch black. Not a candle, not a flashlight.

Potpuni mrak. Ni svijeće, ni svjetiljke.

And that hospital could have afforded flashlights.

Bolnica si je mogla priuštiti svjetiljke.

They could have afforded to purchase these things, but they didn't.

Mogli su si priuštiti da nabave ove stvari, no nisu.

And it happened twice.

I to se dogodilo dvaput.

Another time, she watched in horror as nurses watched a patient die

Sljedeći put, gledala je u užasu sestre kako gledaju dok pacijentica umire,

because they refused to give her oxygen that they had.

jer su joj odbili dati kisik, iako su ga imali.

And so three months later,

I dakle, tri mjeseca poslije,

just before she returned to the United States,

upravo prije povratka u SAD,

nurses in Accra go on strike.

sestre u Accri su pokrenule štrajk.

And her recommendation is

Preporuka koju je dobila je da

take this opportunity to fire everyone, start all over again.

iskoristi štrajk kao priliku i otpusti sve, počne iznova.

Start all over again.

Počne iznova.

Now what does this have to do with leadership?

Kakve to veze ima s rukovodstvom?

You see, the folks at the ministry of health,

Vidite, ljudi u ministarstvu zdravlja,

the hospital administrators, the doctors, the nurses --

bolnički administratori, liječnici, sestre,

they are among just five percent of their peers

su među samo pet posto svojih vršnjaka

who get an education after secondary school.

koji dobiju obrazovanje nakon srednje škole.

They are the elite. They are our leaders.

Oni su elita. Oni su naši vođe.

Their decisions, their actions matter.

Njihove odluke, njihova djela su važna.

And when they fail, a nation literally suffers.

Kada ne uspiju, nacija doslovno pati.

So when I speak of leadership,

Dakle, kada pričam o rukovodstvu,

I'm not talking about just political leaders.

ne govorim samo o političkim vođama.

We've heard a lot about that.

O tome smo puno čuli.

I'm talking about the elite.

Govorim o eliti.

Those who've been trained,

Onima koji su trenirani,

whose job it is to be the guardians of their society.

čiji je posao biti čuvari društva.

The lawyers, the judges, the policemen, the doctors,

Odvjetnici, suci, policajci, liječnici,

the engineers, the civil servants --

inženjeri, javni službenici --

those are the leaders.

oni su vođe.

And we need to train them right.

I moramo ih dobro trenirati.

Now, my first pointed and memorable experience with leadership in Ghana

Moje prvo pamtljivo iskustvo s rukovodstvom u Gani

occurred when I was 16 years old.

se dogodilo kada sam imao 16.

We had just had a military coup,

Dogodio se vojni udar,

and soldiers were pervasive in our society.

vojnici su preuzeli društvo.

They were a pervasive presence.

Bilo ih je posvuda.

And one day I go to the airport to meet my father,

Jednog dana idem u zračnu luku susresti oca,

and as I walk up this grassy slope from the car park

i kako hodam travnatom padinom od parkirališta

to the terminal building,

do terminala,

I'm stopped by two soldiers wielding AK-47 assault weapons.

zaustavljaju me dva vojnika naoružana AK-47 jurišnim puškama.

And they asked me to join a crowd of people

Rekli su mi da se pridružim grupi ljudi

that were running up and down this embankment.

koji su trčali gore - dolje po toj padini.

Why? Because the path I had taken was considered out of bounds.

Zašto? Jer su put koji sam odabrao smatrali prekoračenjem dopuštenih granica.

No sign to this effect.

Bez ikakvog znaka za to.

Now, I was 16. I was very worried about

Imao sam 16 i bio sam jako zabrinut

what my peers at school might think

što će mi vršnjaci reći u školi ako me

if they saw me running up and down this hill.

vide da trčim gore - dolje po tom brdu.

I was especially concerned of what the girls might think.

Posebno sam bio zabrinut što će djevojke misliti o tome.

And so I started to argue with these men.

Pa sam se počeo prepirati s ovim ljudima.

It was a little reckless, but you know, I was 16.

Bilo je nepromišljeno, no, imao sam 16.

I got lucky.

Posrećilo mi se.

A Ghana Airways pilot falls into the same predicament.

Pilot Ghana Airwaysa upadne u istu nepriliku.

Because of his uniform they speak to him differently,

Zbog njegove uniforme, obraćali su mu se

and they explain to him that they're just following orders.

drugačije i pojasnili da samo slijede naredbe.

So he takes their radio, talks to their boss,

Uzme njihov radio, razgovara s njihovim šefom,

and gets us all released.

i svima nam omogući odlazak.

What lessons would you take from an experience like this?

Kakve lekcije biste izvukli iz ovakvog iskustva?

Several, for me.

Ja sam ih izvukao nekoliko.

Leadership matters. Those men are following

Rukovodstvo je važno. Ti ljudi su pratili

the orders of a superior officer.

naredbe nadređenog.

I learned something about courage.

Naučio sam nešto o hrabrosti.

It was important not to look at those guns.

Bilo je važno ne gledati u puške.

And I also learned that it can be helpful to think about girls.

Također sam naučio da pomaže ako razmišljate o djevojkama.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So a few years after this event, I leave Ghana on a scholarship

Nekoliko godina nakon ovog događaja, napustio sam Ganu sa stipendijom

to go to Swarthmore College for my education.

za moje obrazovanje na Swarthmore College.

It was a breath of fresh air.

Bio je to dašak svježeg zraka.

You know, the faculty there didn't want us to memorize information

Profesori nas nisu tražili da pamtimo informacije

and repeat back to them as I was used to back in Ghana.

i ponavljamo ih njima kao kad sam bio u Gani.

They wanted us to think critically.

Htjeli su da razmišljamo kritički.

They wanted us to be analytical.

Htjeli su da budemo analitični.

They wanted us to be concerned about social issues.

Htjeli su da nas zabrinjavaju socijalna pitanja.

In my economics classes I got high marks

Iz ekonomije sam imao visoke ocjene

for my understanding of basic economics.

za moje razumijevanje osnova ekonomije.

But I learned something more profound than that,

No naučio sam nešto važnije od toga,

which is that the leaders -- the managers of Ghana's economy --

a to je da su vođe, upravitelji ganskom ekonomijom,

were making breathtakingly bad decisions

donosili neizmjerno loše odluke

that had brought our economy to the brink of collapse.

koje su dovele našu ekonomiju na rub kolapsa.

And so here was this lesson again -- leadership matters.

I tu je ista pouka - rukovodstvo je važno.

It matters a great deal.

Jako važno.

But I didn't really fully understand what had happened to me at Swarthmore.

Nisam u potpunosti razumio što mi se dogodilo u Swarthmoreu.

I had an inkling,

Imao sam nagovještaj,

but I didn't fully realize it until I went out into the workplace

no nisam u potpunosti shvatio dok nisam počeo raditi,

and I went to work at Microsoft Corporation.

a radio sam u Microsoftu.

And I was part of this team -- this thinking, learning team

Bio sam dio tima -- tima koji uči i razmišlja,

whose job it was to design and implement new software

čiji je posao bio dizajnirati i implementirati novi softver

that created value in the world.

koji je stvarao vrijednost u svijetu.

And it was brilliant to be part of this team.

Bilo je briljantno biti dio ovog tima.

It was brilliant.

Briljantno.

And I realized just what had happened to me at Swarthmore,

I shvatio sam što mi se točno dogodilo u Swarthmoreu,

this transformation --

ova transformacija --

the ability to confront problems, complex problems,

sposobnost suočavanja s problemima, kompleksnim problemima.

and to design solutions to those problems.

i dizajniranje rješenja za te probleme.

The ability to create is the most empowering thing

Sposobnost stvaranja je najmoćnija stvar

that can happen to an individual.

koja se može dogoditi pojedincu,

And I was part of that.

a ja sam bio dio toga.

Now, while I was at Microsoft, the annual revenues of that company

Dok sam bio u Microsoftu, godišnji prihodi tog poduzeća

grew larger than the GDP of the Republic of Ghana.

su bili veći od BDP-a Republike Gane.

And by the way, it's continued to.

I usput, nastavili su rasti.

The gap has widened since I left.

Razmak se povećao otkad sam otišao.

Now, I've already spoken about one of the reasons why this has occurred.

Već sam pričao o jednom od razloga zašto se ovo dogodilo.

I mean, it's the people there who are so hardworking,

Ljudi su tamo jako marljivi,

persistent, creative, empowered.

uporni, kreativni, osposobljeni.

But there were also some external factors:

No, bilo je i vanjskih faktora:

free markets, the rule of law, infrastructure.

slobodno tržište, pravilo zakona, infrastruktura.

These things were provided by institutions

Ove stvari su omogućene od institucija

run by the people that I call leaders.

koje vode ljudi koje zovem vođama.

And those leaders did not emerge spontaneously.

I ti vođe se nisu pojavili spontano.

Somebody trained them to do the work that they do.

Netko ih je trenirao da rade posao koji rade.

Now, while I was at Microsoft, this funny thing happened.

Dok sam bio u Microsoftu, smiješna stvar

I became a parent.

se dogodila. Postao sam roditelj.

And for the first time, Africa mattered more to me than ever before.

I po prvi put, Afrika mi je bila važnija nego ikad.

Because I realized that the state of the African continent

Jer sam shvatio da će stanje afričkog kontinenta

would matter to my children and their children.

biti važno mojoj djeci i njihovoj djeci.

That the state of the world -- the state of the world

Da stanje svijeta -- stanje svijeta

depends on what's happening to Africa,

ovisi o onome što se događa u Africi,

as far as my kids would be concerned.

ako se pita moju djecu.

And at this time, when I was going through

U to vrijeme, kada sam prolazio kroz

what I call my "pre-mid-life crisis,"

ono što ja zovem "pred-krizom srednjih godina",

Africa was a mess.

Afrika je bila u neredu.

Somalia had disintegrated into anarchy.

Somalija se raspala u anarhiju,

Rwanda was in the throes of this genocidal war.

Rwanda je bila u boli genocidnog rata.

And it seemed to me that that was the wrong direction,

Činilo mi se kako je to pogrešan put,

and I needed to be back helping.

i da sam tamo potreban radi pomoći.

I couldn't just stay in Seattle and raise my kids

Nisam mogao ostati u Seattleu i odgajati svoju djecu

in an upper-middle class neighborhood and feel good about it.

u susjedstvu višeg srednjeg sloja i osjećati se dobro zbog toga.

This was not the world that I'd want my children to grow up in.

To nije svijet u kakvom želim da mi djeca odrastaju.

So I decided to get engaged, and the first thing that I did

Odlučio sam se angažirati, a prva stvar koju sam napravio

was to come back to Ghana and talk with a lot of people

nakon povratka u Ganu je bio razgovor s mnogo ljudi,

and really try to understand what the real issues were.

i stvarno sam pokušao shvatiti što su bili pravi problemi.

And three things kept coming up for every problem:

Tri stvari su dolazile sa svakim problemom

corruption, weak institutions

korupcija, slabe institucije,

and the people who run them -- the leaders.

i ljudi koji ih vode - vođe.

Now, I was a little scared

Bilo me malo strah

because when you see those three problems,

jer kada vidite ta tri problema,

they seem really hard to deal with.

čine se jako teškima za rješavanje.

And they might say, "Look, don't even try."

Ljudi bi mogli reći: "Nemoj ni pokušati."

But, for me, I asked the question,

No, ja sam upitao,

"Well, where are these leaders coming from?

"Odakle dolaze ovi vođe?

What is it about Ghana that produces leaders

Što je to u vezi s Ganom da proizvodi vođe

that are unethical or unable to solve problems?"

koji nisu etični i nisu sposobni rješavati probleme?"

So I went to look at what was happening in our educational system.

Pogledao sam što se događa s našim obrazovnim sustavom.

And it was the same -- learning by rote --

I ostalo je isto -- učenje napamet --

from primary school through graduate school.

od osnovne do kraja fakulteta.

Very little emphasis on ethics,

Vrlo malo naglaska na etici,

and the typical graduate

i tipični diplomac

from a university in Ghana has a stronger sense

sa sveučilišta u Gani ima jači osjećaj

of entitlement than a sense of responsibility.

prava nego odgovornosti.

This is wrong.

To je pogrešno.

So I decided to engage this particular problem.

Odlučio sam pristupiti tom određenom problemu

Because it seems to me that every society, every society,

jer mi se činilo da svako društvo, svako društvo,

must be very intentional about how it trains its leaders.

mora imati namjeru u vezi toga kako trenira svoje vođe.

And Ghana was not paying enough attention.

Gana nije obraćala dovoljno pozornosti.

And this is true across sub-Saharan Africa, actually.

Ovo je, zapravo, istina posvuda u sub-Saharskoj Africi.

So this is what I'm doing now.

To je ono što trenutačno radim.

I'm trying to bring the experience that I had at Swarthmore to Africa.

Pokušavam donijeti iskustvo koje sam imao iz Swarthmoreu u Afriku.

I wish there was a liberal arts college in every African country.

Volio bih da postoji fakultet društvenih znanosti u svakoj afričkoj državi.

I think it would make a huge difference.

Mislim da bi to činilo veliku razliku.

And what Ashesi University is trying to do

Ono što Sveučilište Ashesi pokušava učiniti je

is to train a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders.

trenirati novu generaciju etičkih, poduzetnih vođa.

We're trying to train leaders of exceptional integrity,

Pokušavamo trenirati vođe iznimnog integriteta,

who have the ability to confront the complex problems,

koji imaju sposobnost suočavanja s kompleksnim problemima,

ask the right questions, and come up with workable solutions.

koji pitaju prava pitanja i pronalaze realna rješenja.

I'll admit that there are times when it seems like "Mission: Impossible,"

Priznat ću da postoje trenuci kada se to čini kao nemoguća misija,

but we must believe that these kids are smart.

ali moramo vjerovati da su ova djeca pametna.

That if we involve them in their education,

Da, ako se uključimo u njihovo obrazovanje,

if we have them discuss the real issues that they confront --

ako postignemo da raspravljaju o pravim problemima s kojima se suočavaju,

that our whole society confronts --

s kojima se suočava cijelo društvo,

and if we give them skills that enable them to engage the real world,

i ako im damo sposobnosti koje će im omogućiti suočavanje sa stvarnim svijetom,

that magic will happen.

dogodit će se magija.

Now, a month into this project, we'd just started classes.

Projekt traje mjesec dana, tek smo počeli s nastavom.

And a month into it, I come to the office,

Mjesec dana je prošlo, dolazim u svoj ured,

and I have this email from one of our students.

i vidim e-mail od jednog studenta.

And it said, very simply, "I am thinking now."

Pisalo je, vrlo jednostavno, "Ja sada mislim."

And he signs off, "Thank you."

i potpis, "Hvala Vam."

It's such a simple statement.

Vrlo jednostavna tvrdnja.

But I was moved almost to tears

No mene je ganula gotovo do suza

because I understood what was happening to this young man.

jer sam razumio što se događa tom mladom čovjeku.

And it is an awesome thing to be a part

Zakon je biti dio

of empowering someone in this way.

osposobljavanja nekoga na ovaj način.

I am thinking now.

"Ja sada mislim."

This year we challenged our students

Ove godine smo pozvali studente

to craft an honor code themselves.

da samostalno izrade kod časti.

There's a very vibrant debate going on on campus now

Trenutačno je vrlo živa rasprava na kampusu

over whether they should have an honor code,

trebaju li imati kod časti ili ne ,

and if so, what it should look like.

i ako da, kako bi izgledao.

One of the students asked a question that just warmed my heart.

Jedna od studentica je postavila pitanje koje mi je zagrijalo srce.

Can we create a perfect society?

"Možemo li stvoriti savršeno društvo?"

Her understanding that a student-crafted honor code

Čudesno je njeno razumijevanje da bi kod časti kojeg bi studenti napravili

constitutes a reach towards perfection is incredible.

temeljni korak prema savršenstvu.

Now, we cannot achieve perfection,

Ne možemo dostići savršenstvo,

but if we reach for it, then we can achieve excellence.

no ako možemo krenuti prema njemu, možemo dostići izvrsnost.

I don't know ultimately what they will do.

Ne znam što će iz toga na kraju biti.

I don't know whether they will decide to have this honor code.

Ne znam hoće li odlučiti imati kod časti.

But the conversation they're having now --

No, razgovor koji trenutno imaju je o tome

about what their good society should look like,

kako bi njihovo dobro društvo izgledalo,

what their excellent society should look like,

kako bi njihovo izvrsno društvo izgledalo,

is a really good thing.

i to je stvarno dobra stvar.

Am I out of time? OK.

Nemam više vremena? OK.

Now, I just wanted to leave that slide up

Htio sam samo ostaviti ovaj slajd gore

because it's important that we think about it.

jer je važno da razmislimo o njemu.

I'm very excited about the fact

Vrlo sam uzbuđen činjenicom

that every student at Ashesi University does community service before they graduate.

da svaki student na Sveučilištu Ashesi obavlja društveni rad prije diplome.

That for many of them, it has been a life-altering experience.

To je, za mnogo njih, bilo iskustvo koje mijenja život.

These young future leaders are beginning to understand

Ovi mladi, budući vođe počinju shvaćati

the real business of leadership,

pravi posao rukovodstva,

the real privilege of leadership,

pravu privilegiju rukovodstva,

which is after all to serve humanity.

koja je, na kraju krajeva, da služi čovječanstvu.

I am even more thrilled by the fact that least year

Još sam i više uzbuđen činjenicom da je prošle godine

our student body elected a woman

naš studentski zbor izabrao ženu

to be the head of Student Government.

kao predsjednicu Studentske vlade.

It's the first time in the history of Ghana

To je prvi put u povijesti Gane

that a woman has been elected head of Student Government

da je žena izabrana kao predsjednica Studentske vlade

at any university.

na bilo kojem sveučilištu.

It says a lot about her.

To puno govori o njoj.

It says a lot about the culture that's forming on campus.

Govori puno i o kulturi koja se formira na kampusu.

It says a lot about her peers who elected her.

Govori puno o njenim vršnjacima koji su je odabrali.

She won with 75 percent of the vote.

Pobijedila je sa 75% glasova.

And it gives me a lot of hope.

To mi daje puno nade.

It turns out that corporate West Africa

Čini se da korporativna zapadna Afrika

also appreciates what's happening with our students.

također prepoznaje što se događa s našim studentima.

We've graduated two classes of students to date.

Do danas su diplomirale dvije generacije studenata.

And every single one of them has been placed.

I svaki od njih je našao posao.

And we're getting great reports back

Dobivamo sjajne izvještaje

from corporate Ghana, corporate West Africa,

od korporativne Gane, korporativne Zapadne Afrike,

and the things that they're most impressed about is work ethic.

i najviše su impresionirani radnom etikom.

You know, that passion for what they're doing.

Znate, strast za ono što rade.

The persistence, their ability to deal with ambiguity,

Ustrajnost, sposobnost da se nose s dvosmislenošću,

their ability to tackle problems that they haven't seen before.

sposobnost da se uhvate u koštac s problemom koji nikada nisu vidjeli.

This is good because

To je dobro,

over the past five years, there have been times

jer kroz proteklih 5 godina, postojala su vremena

when I've felt this is "Mission: Impossible."

kada sam pomislio da je ovo nemoguća misija.

And it's just wonderful to see these glimmers

I predivno je vidjeti ovaj sjaj

of the promise of what can happen if we train our kids right.

obećanja onoga što se može dogoditi ako pravilno treniramo djecu.

I think that the current and future leaders of Africa

Mislim da trenutačni i budući afrički vođe

have an incredible opportunity

imaju nevjerojatnu priliku

to drive a major renaissance on the continent.

predvoditi veliku renesansu na kontinentu.

It's an incredible opportunity.

Nevjerojatna prilika.

There aren't very many more opportunities like this in the world.

Nema više puno ovakvih prilika u svijetu.

I believe that Africa has reached an inflection point

Vjerujem da je Afrika došla do točke promjene

with a march of democracy and free markets across the continent.

sa dolaskom demokracije i slobodne trgovine na cijelom kontinentu.

We have reached a moment from which can emerge

Došli smo do trenutka iz kojega možemo izrasti

a great society within one generation.

u veliko društvo u jednoj generaciji.

It will depend on inspired leadership.

Ovisiti će o nadahnutom rukovodstvu.

And it is my contention that the manner in which we train our leaders

Moja tvrdnja je da način na koji treniramo naše vođe će

will make all the difference.

učiniti svu razliku.

Thank you, and God bless.

Hvala i Bog vas blagoslovio.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)