1. africaatlanta.org
IVAN ALLEN COLLEGE MOVING FORWARD:
Africa Atlanta 2014 becomes the Global Nexus Initiative

2. 1
Africa Atlanta 2014 in Review
From October 2013 through December 2014, the Ivan Allen College
of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology coordinated an
ambitious city-wide project, Africa Atlanta 2014, designed to showcase the
capacities of metropolitan Atlanta as a vibrant international nexus within
the trans-Atlantic triangle of Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The anchor
for the showcase was a distinctive art exhibition, Kongo across the Waters,
curated by the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, and
the Harn Museum at the University of Florida. The project resulted in a
remarkable collaboration that linked more than 50 partners across the
metropolitan area and beyond and that permitted the project to engage
multiple audiences in a sparkling array of innovative and inspiring activities that were clustered
in four general areas: arts and culture, education, global affairs, and business and innovation.
Now that these exciting activities are completed, we are creating a new framework to sustain
the quality of action and engagement set in motion by this amazing collaboration. Initiatives are
emerging, still, that are very exciting and compelling. Before we go full speed ahead, however,
we present this report to mark a moment of reflection as we consider how best to manage and
sustain momentum. The goal of the report is to take into account: the outcomes and impact
our collective efforts, sorting through what actually happened under the Africa Atlanta 2014
umbrella over its fifteen-month window; what operational assets we have managed to establish
via this work; what sorts of lessons we have learned; and what sorts of values, practices, and
even cautionary tales we can take forward as we launch a phase two initiative that promises to
be, perhaps, even more ambitious.
In this report, we reflect on the quality and impact of the project and its ongoing potential. First,
we bring together some quantitative and qualitative metrics that document the scope, nature,
and values added by the collaboration. Second, we identify operational strengths that became
evident in carrying out the project and confirmed our logistical expertise in facilitating broadly-
based collaborative engagement. Third, we set forth a new initiative for sustaining the
momentum generated by the project, and, last but not least, we offer a quick look ahead at how
the Ivan Allen College will be directing energy in continuing to demonstrate our view that Atlanta
is a nexus for international action and engagement and that a collaborative model for garnering
and sustaining positive impact enables success. We look back, then, to look ahead.
Jacqueline J. Royster
Ivan Allen Jr. Chair in Liberal Arts and Technology and
Dean, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts | Georgia Institute of Technology
*Note that the cover image is a photograph a work by Saya Woolfalk in the Brides of Anansi: Fiber and Contemporary Art
exhibition presented at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, September 4 – December 6, 2014.

3. 2
Ambitious, Serendipitous, Collaborative…These words and
many more have been used to describe Africa Atlanta 2014. This
transformative citywide initiative was born of an opportunity to bring a
magnificent art collection to Atlanta. The Ivan Allen College of Liberal
Arts initiated this effort by collaborating with organizations throughout
the city and in Belgium to develop and promote several weeks of
Africa related programming around an art exhibit. From that seed plan
grew a phenomenon beyond expectations.
Interest was so strong that our collaboration expanded to include
more than 50 partners from metropolitan Atlanta, the southeastern
region, Europe, Africa, and South America. Together, we created a platform that delivered 15
months of programming. Even though the art exhibition remained a major component of the
Africa-Atlanta 2014 initiative, and the centerpiece for the activities organized by Ivan Allen
College, its function evolved from that of being the primary centerpiece to becoming a major
catalyst for uncovering, convening, communicating, and collaborating on a remarkable range of
Africa related issues, events and enterprises happening in and beyond the city.
Africa-Atlanta 2014 programs and partners helped to build a strong brand for the College, as well
as a collective movement that demonstrates creativity, innovation, diversity, and expertise. That
momentum continues post 2014. We continue to collaborate with and support partners on a
wide range of initiatives as we move beyond the borders of Africa and Atlanta towards a nexus
that is truly global.
DeShawn Dominique Jenkins
Managing Director, Africa Atlanta

4. 3
Setting Ambitious Goals
Africa Atlanta 2014 was designed with five inter-related goals in mind, to:
Showcase in a dramatic way holdings from magnificent collections of art, artifacts, and
special exhibits from the Royal Museum of Central Africa and collections in the southern
United States.
Build around the exhibition an array of activities with a capacity to:
a. Bring the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, and technology
together in a richly textured and dynamic way in support of research, education,
and public engagement.
b. Build a local, national, and international network of active stakeholders who are
interested in exploring innovative ways to engage the arts, in increasing cross-
cultural understanding, not only of the world’s past but our present and future
challenges and opportunities, and in using human-centered knowledge and
experience more dynamically to address local and global challenges.
Build an evidence-based model for cross-sector collaborative action, anchored by the
humanities and social sciences, in support of the future of cities, demonstrating the
logistical strength of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech.
Serve as a springboard for creating a higher visibility for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal
Arts at Georgia Tech as a dynamic leader in interdisciplinary research, education, and
community engagement.
Serve as a catalytic device for corralling and bringing clearer coherence to the remarkable
strengths of the Ivan Allen College and for using this distinctiveness to greater effect in
support of our commitments to excellence in research, education, and public
engagement.

5. 4
A Summary of Survey Results
Responses to Audience Survey Questions
What were the strengths of the Africa Atlanta initiative?
Ongoing leadership and support provided by the IAC
New learning about the African culture, i.e., sheer diversity of Continental
Africa
Local government and business impact, i.e., Mayor’s Office, City Council,
Fulton County, Chamber of Commerce
Expansion of art appreciation across the state
Recognition of African communities in Atlanta
Created a dynamic interconnectedness across Atlanta, a new set of partners
IAC served as the official representative of the engagement
Where and what value did the Africa Atlanta initiative add?
Liberal Arts facilitated openness
Leadership provided by IAC, i.e., effectively coordinated the initiative with
aplomb
Community-wide collaboration
We felt like and we were a part of something ‘large’
Leadership created an atmosphere of permission to perform
Looking forward, what other possibilities does this initiative suggest?
Looking forward to connecting those disconnected parts of the community
Provide the coordination of community and partnerships where there is an
interest in maintaining a relationship with Africa
Identify what is needed to nurture and grow the ‘seed’ that has been planted
Outreach initiatives to other African communities facilitating crossover
benefits
Providing funding to facilitate engagement (seed monies)
Identify full cost and provide not only real dollars but in-kind support as well
Provide a focus on learning for K-12 education

6. 5
General Views and Impressions
Fostered citywide collaboration unlike that which was ever experienced
Served as a catalyst for other community–based events
The setting, the University, the community, the wholeness of the endeavor
Learning through togetherness
Africa is really a part of Atlanta
Brought the awareness of Africa to a wider part of Atlanta, community
crossover
Meeting a pent-up demand for this information and learning about Africa
The focus and unexpected turnout at each of the events
Diversity and multiplicity of the events
Enhancement, promulgation, and galvanizing of other individual events by
the initiative
African influence on the American Southeast (archeological exhibit, the
theater, paper exhibit, Bearden exhibit)
Level of commitment from the community that sprang forward

7. 6
Scope of Audience Engagement
The scope of audience engagement centers in the success of our anchoring event, the hosting of
the Kongo across the Waters exhibition at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum as the program
intended for the most general audience. The table below captures the spike in attendance at
the Carter Library related to the exhibition.
The range of partners and sponsors (various educational institutions; governmental agencies at
the local, state, national, and international levels; local, national, and international non-
governmental organizations; various arts and cultural organizations; businesses of various kinds;
etc.) indicate the multiple constituencies and networks that participated in the array of programs
(For a summary of events, see pp. 16-18).
An additional measure of audience scope is basic internet data that suggest the global reach of
events and programs, as indicated by the map below.

8. 7
Africa Atlanta 2014 by the Numbers
Internet Presence: Countries where AfricaAtlanta.org was accessed
Color-coded map - representation of 18,718 internet sessions with percentages indicated below.
Country % Sessions
1. United States 88.79%
2. Brazil 1.16%
3. Belgium 0.91%
4. Nigeria 0.91%
5. United Kingdom 0.82%
6. France 0.63%
7. Canada 0.54%
8. India 0.52%
9. South Africa 0.51%
10. Italy 0.30%
11. Other 4.91%

9. 8
Other Basic Metrics
Countries frequently visiting website – 47
Total Number of Events and Programs – 52
Total Number of Partners - 38
Media Coverage
Over the course of the project, Africa Atlanta 2014 was featured in more than 25
articles and features in print and 5 television programs across the city of Atlanta,
offering additional evidence of audience and visibility. Highlights include:
 WSB-TV 2 Atlanta: coverage of KONGO across the WATERS; 3 Family2Family
showcase spots
 Fulton County Government Cable Programming – 2 showcase spots
 AJC: featured article, “Africa Atlanta 2014: Commerce, Culture, and
Heritage”
 Atlanta Business Chronicle: featured article, “Georgia Growing Business with
Africa”
 ArtsATL: featured article, “Africa Atlanta to Build, and Hopefully Mend,
Connections through Year-long Series of Events”
 Global Atlanta: featured article, “Reception for ‘KONGO across the WATERS’
Highlights Atlanta Ties to the Congo”

10. 9
Recognition, Features, & Awards
Alliance Française d’Atlanta (AFA) 2014 Global Ambassador
Jacqueline J. Royster, was selected by the Alliance Française
d’Atlanta (AFA) as its 2014 Global Ambassador. The award
recognizes local community leaders that have made a
significant contribution to Atlanta through French language
and culture or by being a global ambassador for the city.
In announcing the award, the AFA noted that Dean Royster’s
special service to Africa Atlanta 2014 and the African-
Francophone community serves to recast the negative
perceptions about Africa by promoting its beauty, people,
arts, and culture. French is spoken by more than 90 million
Africans in over 30 African countries.
AtlantaWorldShowcase&Governor'sInternational
Awards
International Education Program Finalist
Africa Atlanta Featured at TEDx Atlanta - Bold Moves
DeShawn Jenkins shared how Africa Atlanta 2014 used the
arts as a lens for understanding cultures and economic
bonds in a global context and how this ambitious initiative recast narrow perceptions about the African
continent and highlighted Atlanta as a center for action.
http://tedxatlanta.com/videos/04282015-bold-moves/deshawn-jenkins/

11. 10
Testimonials
“It was so inspiring to
be a part of Africa
Atlanta and the work
of the Ivan Allen
College through its
Social Courage
award. Both were
vivid testaments to
Martin Luther King’s
belief that we are all
wrapped in “a single
garment of destiny.” By bringing the wide
ranging exhibitions from the African continent,
as well as making it possible to hear people like
the brave and committed Zimbabwe Human
Rights Defender Beatrice Mtetwa, Jacqueline
Royster and her team ensured Atlanta
understands and appreciates its place and its
role in the Global neighborhood.”
Charlayne Hunter Gault
Award-winning Journalist and Author
“The City of Atlanta is
proud to be the host of
this citywide, year-long
series of events led by
the Ivan Allen College of
Liberal Arts at Georgia
Tech in collaboration
with organizations from across the city. The
approximately 50 events that took place
throughout the year have positioned Atlanta as
a gateway and hub for partnerships with African
nations.”
Claire Angelle
International Affairs Director, City of Atlanta,
Office of the Mayor
“Africa Atlanta 2014 has
been a resounding success in energizing the
Atlanta community to engage with Africa across
the visual and performing arts, business
opportunities and diplomacy. It put the
countries of Africa on our agenda in a very
powerful way, and could not have happened
without the support of Georgia Tech and the
leadership and coordination of Dean Jackie
Royster and DeShawn Jenkins.”
Cedric L. Suzman, D.B.A.
Executive VP & Director of Programming, World
Affairs Council of Atlanta

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"2014 Africa Atlanta
business initiatives have
provided the business
community in metro
Atlanta a much needed
focus on opportunities in
the Sub Saharan region
of Africa. These
opportunities range from
exporting goods and
services and promoting investments, to
furthering positioning Atlanta as a center for
dispute arbitration and networking that will lead
to a greater visibility for Atlanta in the African
marketplace. This has been a great partnership
between the business community, institutions of
higher learning, and organizations dedicated to
the promotion of global commerce as a means
to positively impact the region's economic
development. We definitely succeed in
expanding a global connected network between
metro Atlanta and Africa!"
Jorge Fernandez
VP Global Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber
“South African artist
Sam Nhlengethwa,
whose collages and
drawings illuminate
South Africans’ quest for
human dignity and
equal rights in ways
Americans may find
inspiring in our long
struggle for racial justice and equality, including
the role that African rooted and American
improvised jazz has played as a manifestation of
our common humanity amid enduring hardship,
was featured in two solo exhibitions hosted by
the Savannah College of Art and Design in
Savannah and Atlanta organized by Laurie Ann
Farrell.”
John Stremlau
(former) Vice President, Peace Programs
The Carter Center
“Southern Sahara Nigeria had
a most successful event on the Africa Atlanta
2014 platform, co-hosted by the Ivan Allen
College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech, The
event titled, 'What Africa Will You Build',
introduced the Community Planning & Design
Initiative Africa (CPDI Africa) to its US audience,
in a professional, Africa-centered environment.
The opportunity expanded our international
reach through the city of Atlanta, increased
awareness and participation in our design
competition for developing a modern
architectural language for Africa, and exposed
our project to global sponsors and supporters.
Thank you for making the inaugural CPDI Africa
project a memorable event in 2014, and we look
forward to more successful collaborations with
Africa Atlanta in the future!”
Nmadili Okwumabua
CEO of Southern Sahara USA / Nigeria Ltd.
The Community Planning & Design Initiative
Africa

13. 12
Highlights of Programs Organized by
Ivan Allen College
 Kongo across the Waters exhibition from
May to September 2014 at the Jimmy
Carter Library and Museum.
Opening reception with President Jimmy
Carter, H.E. Johan Verbeke, Belgian
Ambassador to U.S., Georgia Tech
President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, and Alex
Cumming EVP & CAO of the Coca-Cola
Company; Africa Atlanta Proclamation presented by City of Atlanta Councilman Kwanza
Hall. (May 15, 2014)
Mother to Mother theatrical production. Included
a talkback with celebrated South African Author
Sindiwe Magona and Charlayne Hunter Gault at
Theatrical Outfit in the historic Balzer Theater.
(November 2013)
 Africa beyond Africa: The Future of Cultural, Social & Scientific Research Conference with
international expert panelists and participants, with speakers including Johnnetta B. Cole,
Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, and Guido Grysseels,
Director of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium. (May 2014)
 Reflections on Africa Then & Now: Interview
with Haskell Sears Ward, International
Affairs Expert & SVP Government
Relations, Black Rhino Group.
Interviewed by his wife Leah Ward
Sears, Retired Chief Justice, Supreme
Court of Georgia & Partner, Schiff Hardin

14. 13
LLP at Georgia Tech Alumni House. (October 2013)
Mapping Place: Africa beyond Paper an
Exhibition at the Georgia Tech Robert C. Williams
Paper Museum.
Featured historic paper maps, a Lukasa Board
from the Luba peoples of Central Africa, and a
digital display, inspired by the Lukasa Board
created by Georgia Tech graduate students in the
Ivan Allen College School of Literature, Media,
and Communication.
(Opening, March 2014)
 Taste and Talk: South African Wine Tasting & Discussion.
Featured speakers were award-winning international
journalist Charlayne Hunter Gault & international
business expert Ron Gault. Featured wines were from
the Passages label from their vineyard in South Africa.
(November 2013)
 Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, the Atlanta
premiere of the documentary film about award-
winning author, Alice Walker at Ferst Center of
the Arts. Included a conversation between
Walker (center) and filmmaker Pratibha Parmar.
(October 2013)
KONGO across the WATERS
The inspiration and anchor for Africa Atlanta 2014, KONGO across the WATERS, explored
connections between the art and culture of the Kongo peoples of western Central Africa and
African American art and culture in the United States. A collaborative project by the Samuel P.
Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in
Tervuren, Belgium, the exhibition addressed cultural and artistic themes within Kongo culture,

15. 14
beginning with the ancient Kongo Kingdom that encompassed parts of Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Angola, Republic of the Congo and Gabon. Themes included the arts of leadership,
religion, and daily life interpreted within historical, archaeological, linguistic, musicological,
anthropological, and arts contexts.
Visiting Kongo across the Waters gave me a much deeper appreciation for Kongo culture and its
effect on American culture and inspired me to learn more about Kongo and other African regions,
as well as their effects on the world.
Anna Democko, Student at Georgia College & State University
This magnificent collection, displayed at the Carter Library and Museum from May 15 -
September 21, 2014, showcased art and artifacts from one of the world’s premier collections at
the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, and from collections across the U.S.

16. 15
Highlights from Programs Organized by Partners
from across the Africa Atlanta 2014 Network
Arts & Culture
Africa Atlanta 2014 partnered with an array of artistic and cultural organizations to present African
inspired events ranging from live musical performances to unique art exhibitions throughout the year.
Events include:
Atlanta Premiere, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (GT’s Ivan Allen
College, Spelman College, UGA)
Books for Africa: 25th
Anniversary Celebration Gala (Books for Africa)
Taste and Talk with Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Ron Gault (GT’s IAC)
Mother to Mother, Theatrical Production (GT’s IAC)
Georgia Tech’s Taste of Africa 2013
Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey, Art Exhibition (Arts at Emory)
James Pate’s KKK Series (Kin Killing Kin) (Clark Atlanta University)
African Mask/Masquerade: More Than Meets the Eye, Exhibition
(High Museum of Art)
Film Clip Screening & Conversation with Chadian Filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (BronzeLens,
France Atlanta)
Renee Stout: Tales of the Conjure Woman, Exhibition (Spelman College)
Soweto Gospel Choir: Gospel Music from South Africa (Rialto Center, GSU)
Mapping Place: Africa Beyond Paper, An Exhibition (GT’s IAC)
The Triptych, a film and discussion (GT’s IAC)
South African Author Zakes Mda’s Reading: Ways of Dying (GSU College of Arts and Sciences)
Shuffle, Shake, and Shatter by Sanford Biggers (GT’s IAC)
Africa Belle Festival 2014 (Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta)
The Art of Bernard Williams & Exhibition Opening with Artist (Booth Western Art Museum)
KONGO across the WATERS, art exhibition (GT/Jimmy Carter Library)
Half of a Yellow Sun: the Atlanta, Film Premiere (BronzeLens)
“Getting Hot but Remaining Cool: Aesthetic Traditions of the Yoruba of Nigeria,” a lecture by
Robert Farris Thompson (NEH Black Aesthetics Summer Institute)
Film Screening of Tey (Today) & Discussion (NEH Black Aesthetics Summer Institute)
Nnenna Okore: Fibers of Being, exhibition (GSU’s Welch School of Art and Design)
Rights of Passage, exhibition (Esoteric Lore)
Celebrating African in Atlanta: A Community Conference Exploring Art & Cultural Connections
(GSU’s College of Arts and Sciences)
Brides of Anansi: Fiber and Contemporary Art (Emory University)
Sam Nhlengethwa, “Life, jazz and Lots of Other Things” – An Exhibition (Savannah College of Art &
Design)
Liquid Blackness Film Series Dialogue with Kara Keeling & Screening of Wanuri Kahlu’s Pumzi (GSU
Center for Collaborative and International Arts)
My Children! My Africa by Athol Fugard, Theatrical Production (Theatrical Outfit)

17. 16
BronzeLens Film Festival 2014
Film Screening & Conversation with Senegalese Film Director Dyana Gaye (BronzeLens, France
Atlanta)
Bandits & Heroes, Poets & Saints: Popular Art from the Northeast of Brazil (Atlanta University
Center Robert W. Woodruff Library)
Afro-Panamanian Altars +Shrines (Auburn Avenue Research Library)
Business & Innovation
The business and innovation programs demonstrated a robust interest in Africa as a destination for
commercial partnerships. They identified Atlanta as a viable hub in the U.S. for doing business with
continent. Events held include:
Geeks Gone Global Africa Innovation Excursion: Journey to Sankalp
Africa
Atlanta: A Nexus of Global Business, Entrepreneurship, and Innovations
(Metro Atlanta Chamber)
Project Africa: Science, Technology, and Innovation (GT’s African
Students Association)
Globalism in Today’s Workforce: Trends in an International Market
(Auburn University Center for Governmental Services)
Beyond A Pair of TOMS: Social Entrepreneurship in Africa (World Affairs
Council’s Atlanta Young Leaders)
Enhancing Business Opportunities in Africa: The Role, Reality, and Future
of Africa-Related Arbitration (Atlanta International Arbitration Society)
Discover Global Markets: Sub-Saharan Africa (U.S. Commercial Services)
Ambassadors Forum: How to Keep Western Africa Growing (World Affairs Council of Atlanta, GSU
Architectural Exhibition – Evolutions in African Architecture: What Africa Will You Build? (Southern
Sahara Nigeria Ltd)
Education
Covering a variety of topics, educational programs aimed to inform audiences in multiple ways about
Africa and relationships between Africa and Atlanta/the United States with the goal of raising the level of
understanding regarding what is actually going on in Africa and how those of us in the United States
might connect our work and interests. Events included:
Reflections on Africa: Then and Now with Haskell Sears Ward (GT’s Ivan Allen College)
The 11th
Annual Walter Rodney Symposium (The Walter Rodney Foundation)
After Mandela: South Africa and the Culture of Human Rights (GSU’s College of Arts and
Science)
Africa Beyond Africa: The Future of Cultural, Social, and Scientific Research, an
international conference (GT’s Ivan Allen College)

18. 17
National HIV Testing Day – The AIDS Memorial Quilt Panel Display (Ivan Allen College’s
Westside Communities Alliance)
Teaching Africa Workshop (Center for African and African Diaspora Studies/Institute for
Global Initiatives, KSU)
Global Affairs
Global concerns became local concerns, and local issues were reflected on through an international lens.
Programs ranged from a discussion of the ebola crisis in West Africa to analyses of human rights, human
trafficking, the rule of law, and more. Events included:
After Mandela: South Africa and
the Culture of Human Rights
(GSU’s College of Arts and
Science)
Arts, Oppression, Protest and
Survival: A lecture by Herbert
Weiss (GT’s Ivan Allen College)
3rd
Atlanta Summit, Health in
Africa: the Unfinished Agenda
(World Affairs Council of Atlanta, GSU)
UNICEF Speaker Series featuring Ishamel Beah (UNICEF, Morehouse College)
Ebola: Challenge and Crisis for the African Union – A Briefing by Ambassador Reuben E.
Brigety, II (GT’s Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy)
The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage - Awardee: Beatrice Mtetwa; Human Rights
Symposium & Documentary Film Screening (GT’s Ivan Allen College)

19. 18
Africa Atlanta 2014 Administrative Staff
Jacqueline J. Royster
Dean, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Creator and Organizer of Africa Atlanta
2014
DeShawn Dominique Jenkins
Managing Director of Africa Atlanta
2014
Reid Tankersley
Executive Assistant to the Dean
Esther Famojure
Assistant to the Managing Director
of Africa Atlanta 2014
Rebecca Keane
Director of Communications and
Marketing
Kenneth J. Knoespel
McEver Professor of Engineering and
Liberal Arts
Coordinator of the Africa beyond
Africa Conference
Juan A. McGruder
Director of Development
Meredith Schnepp
Development Associate
Tina Lambert
Director of Finance Administration
Gregory Abrams
Financial Administrator
Joe Zima
Senior IT Support Professional
Steve Hodges
Director – IT Services
Sanat Rath
Senior Designer
La Schaffer
Designer
Beth Godfrey
Designer
Nicholas Wolaver
Public Relations

20. 19
International Advisory Board Members
Honorary Chair
Kasim Reed
Mayor of Atlanta
Yves Abrioux
Professor of English Literature
University of Paris
Haskell Ward
International Affairs Expert
David Kibler
Cultural Attaché
French Consulate in Atlanta
Cynthia Blandford Nash
Honorary Consul General
Republic of Liberia
Corrine Kratz
Professor, Institute of African Studies
and Department of Anthropology
Emory University
Emily Bourne Grigsby
Artist, Attorney, Arbitrator, Pilot
Geneviève Verbeek
Consul General of Belgium in Atlanta
Charleyne Hunter-Gault
Award-winning author and
journalist
Shelby Lewis
Emerita Professor of Political Science
Clark Atlanta University
Keith Jennings
Senior Associate and Regional
Director Southern and East Africa
National Democratic Institute
Lily Diaz–Kommonen
Head of Research, School of Art &
Design
Aalto University, Helsinki
Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears
(Retired)
Supreme Court of Georgia
Guido Gryseels
Director
Royal Museum of Central Africa
Tervuren, Belgium
Lubungi Muniania
Tabilulu Productions New York
In Memoriam
Richard Long
Atticus Haygood Professor Emeritus
Emory University

21. 20
Atlanta Advisory Board Members
Co-Chairs
Barbara Rose
New Generations Partnerships, Inc.
Buck Shamburger
Georgia Tech Athletic Association
Members
Taz Anderson
Taz Anderson Realty, Inc.
David H. Flint
Schreeder, Wheeler & Flint, LLP
Wayne Hogan
Georgia Tech Athletic Association
Seth Hopkins
Booth Western Museum
Ron Johnson
Managing Director Tennenbaum Institute of Enterprise Transformation and Professor of
Practice, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Carol Kranig, MD
James H. Terry, II
Georgia Tech Athletic Association
Jimmy Trimble
Fidelity Bank

22. 21
Planning Committee Members
Anna Alford
Project Manager Global Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Andrea Barnwell Brownlee
Spelman College Museum of Fine Arts, Director
Claire Collobert Angelle
Director, Office of International Affairs, City of Atlanta
Noah Downer
Protocol Officer, Office of International Affairs, City of Atlanta
Tina Dunkley
Director, Clark Atlanta University Galleries
Jeff Evans
Director, Information & Communication Lab. Georgia Tech Research
Sojourner Grimmett
Director of Constituent Services & Digital Strategist for Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves
Jorge Fernandez
Vice President Global Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Hashim Gibrill
Associate Professor Department of Political Science, Clark Atlanta University
Leslie Gordon
Director, Rialto Center for the Arts - Georgia State University
Marie-Helene Hoornaert
Assistant to the Consul General, Consulate General of Belgium in Atlanta
Heather Kircher Clavé
Press and Communication Attachée, French Consulate General in Atlanta
Ken Knoespel
McEver Professor of Engineering and the Liberal Arts Georgia Institute of Technology
Pearl Amelia Mchaney
Associate Dean Academics Georgia State University
Cynthia Lynn Blanford
Honorary Consul, Liberian Consulate in Atlanta
Roy Hadley
Partner, Thompson Hine, LLP
Cedric Suzman
Executive Vice President, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Tamukati & Tezo Ndongala, Educators, Democratic Republic of Congo
R. Candy Tate
Assistant Director, Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts

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Anchor Partners

24. 23
Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors

25. 24
Africa Atlanta 2014 Patrons
CARE USA
City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs
Consulate General of France in Atlanta
Georgia Tech School of Modern Languages
Georgia Humanities Council
Jacqueline Jones Royster
Kevin Daniels
Nancy Boxill
Maxine Hull
Renee Schatteman
Schiff Hardin, LLP
The Gifted Foundation

26. 25
So,
What’s Next?

27. 26
Transitions: The Global Nexus Initiative
Background
The idea of a Global Nexus Initiative at Georgia Tech began with the success of Africa
Atlanta 2014 (www.africaatlanta.org). Africa Atlanta 2014 was transformative in that it enabled
the College to gain high visibility in the metropolitan Atlanta area and beyond for:
 our academic excellence in the humanities and the social sciences, especially in terms of
our innovative strength at the crossroads of these areas with science and technology.
 our logistical expertise in creating a broadly-based multi-dimensional model for engaging
over 50 partners who joined together to present a 16 month long series of events
highlighting Atlanta as a nexus for reinventing the cultural and economic bonds among
Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
 our success in establishing a network of cross-sector relationships (in education,
business, industry, government, health, community affairs, global affairs) that
demonstrate the capacity of metropolitan Atlanta in multiple arenas to function
dynamically as a point of local-global convergence in addressing complex challenges.
In terms of Africa Atlanta 2014 serving as a springboard for the Ivan Allen College in building
visibility and reputation and leveraging coherence, the key partner relationships that came
together under the Africa Atlanta banner are continuing, and we have good momentum for
extending this group to other organizations and agencies. The project demonstrated:
 The vibrancy and prime location of the Atlanta as a hub for research and education;
business and innovation; arts and culture; transportation; regional, national and
international relations; health and medicine; etc. and the remarkable potential for impact
that these sectors generate when we work collaboratively.
 The breadth and depth of our local-global relationships and enterprises, including the
strong connections in Atlanta, especially through its diasporic communities, to Africa,
Europe, Latin America, and Asia (East, South, and Middle).
 The strengths of the academic community (including Georgia Tech and the Ivan Allen
College) in enabling and advancing the potential of Atlanta to be pace-setting as a 21st
century urban space.
From this springboard was born the commitment to find ways to build upon the strengths of
Africa Atlanta 2014. The result is the Global Nexus Initiative.

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Mission
With this aspirational framework, the core mission of the Global Nexus Initiative in Georgia
Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts is to create an ecosystem in which we enhance the
capacity of our faculty, staff, and students to build knowledge and conduct research, and to
partner with others across various sectors to address complex problems and issues, making use
of the innovative strength that we forge at the crossroads of the humanities, social sciences, and
technology. The focal points include: the Africa Office (formerly Africa Atlanta 2014), the Latin
American Studies Initiative, the Asian Studies Program and their linkages to other IAC/GT
programs (e.g., the much longer standing Center for European and Trans-Atlantic Studies). See
the concept map below.

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Basic Goals
The basic goal for the Global Nexus Initiative is to create an ecosystem that functions as a
systematic, easily accessible, interactive commons space for sharing information and ideas (via
the use of digital media, as well as through periodic face to face interactions, such as meetings,
colloquia, working groups, lectures, conferences, workshops, study abroad opportunities, etc.)
and for:
 Encouraging holistic thinking about challenges and opportunities as we bring into dynamic
interaction stakeholders from multiple intersections who share common and
complementary concerns.
 Facilitating connections between knowledge-making and action, as focused in specific
geographical regions (Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia); as focused on
specific socio-cultural challenges and their complex linkages with science, technology,
policy, etc.; and as these foci may involve teaching, research, or the forming of
partnerships for sustainable action.
 Facilitating the development of innovative action models by which to articulate
challenges, identity and develop innovative strategies and solutions, develop platforms
and tools for implementing strategic actions and assessing their value and impact
(whether the actions relate to teaching, research, or socio-economic impact).
Specifically, the Global Nexus Initiative seeks to:
 Bring visibility to the breadth and depth of engagement at Georgia Tech in human-
centered enterprises in urban settings that connect local and global interests, making use
especially of interactive digital technologies. Our intention is to start from the strengths
developed through Africa Atlanta 2014 via the relationships that we enhanced in the four
arenas that were the focus of that project (arts and culture, education, business and
innovation, and global affairs). We will use the momentum created by Africa Atlanta
2014 to connect, engage, and nurture coherent collaborations in Metropolitan Atlanta as
a dynamic internationally well connected urban area.
 Use our logistical and analytical expertise to organize and develop cross-sector
collaborations.
The first project to emerge under this comprehensive concept was the Global women’s
Entrepreneurship Institute.

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Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute:
An Inaugural Project
Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit
A legacy event of Africa Atlanta 2014 was a Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit that Ivan Allen
College organized to focus on women’s participation in business and innovation, an area in the
Africa Atlanta 2014 collaboration where the leadership and contributions were not boldly part of
the narrative. On March 5 - 6, 2015, we convened local, national, and global leaders in this
sector for high-level design thinking and strategic planning. Our intention was to structure a
robust opportunity for the group to share their perspectives and experiences and to brainstorm
about the design of a project that would focus in substantial ways on the leadership and
innovative strengths of women in the U.S. and, given the strengths that had emerged from Africa
Atlanta 2014, the global south. The summit was hosted at Georgia Tech in partnership with
Opportunity Hub/Kingonomics, taking advantage of our joint strengths in innovation,
entrepreneurship training, and technology.
With the help and expertise of participants, we considered carefully the existing landscape of
programs aimed at women entrepreneurs, interrogating benefits, challenges, and unmet needs
and opportunities. The outcome was that the group designed a compelling framework for a
women’s entrepreneurship institute, organized and hosted by the Ivan Allen College. The idea of
the institute was to create an opportunity for women engaged in the ideation and innovation of
startups and working in the early stages of building companies to have an intense and dynamic
opportunity to enhance their skills, to exchange ideas and experiences with peers, to meet
women entrepreneurial leaders, and to extend their operational networks—all with specific
attention to the ways in which technological resources function as assets.

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Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute
GWEI.GATECH.EDU
The Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute (GWEI) is designed to foster connections among
women entrepreneurs from around the globe (but particularly from the Global South) in order to
enhance their capacity to: explore innovative ideas, gain exposure to best practices in their
sectors, develop strategies for growing their businesses, link with various types of professional
groups, and build their operational networks.
The inaugural GWEI Institute was held November 1-4, 2015. Because of the existing strengths of
the Africa Atlanta 2014 network, the first cohort of sixteen international participants from five
African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia, South Africa, Kenya) were invited through our African
partnerships. This international group was brought together with a group of Atlanta-based
women entrepreneurs to form the inaugural group of about 40 attendees. We provided
participants with a platform to help them to think critically about and enhance their business
skills, explore various business practices and technological tools that might support the growth
of their companies, improve their international contacts, and facilitate their access to global
markets through opportunities to network with others and share knowledge and experiences.
Note that, while the 2015 Institute identified participants from five African countries and the City
of Atlanta, the intention with subsequent institutes is to extend invitations to various other
partners – locally, regionally, nationally, and globally, in keeping with the more comprehensive
connections available through the Global Nexus Initiative, as a globally focused enterprise.
Program Overview
The GWEI Institute partnered with leading local and international governmental and private
organizations including the City of Atlanta Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, Lionesses of
Africa, and South Africa Women’s Entrepreneurship Network to select and connect African and
Atlanta-based women entrepreneurs working in the industries of agribusiness, technology,
manufacturing, and media/entertainment. The program planning committee developed a set of
intense training sessions, offering to this select group of women opportunities: for mentorship,
to identify and discuss specific challenges and problems among peers, for hands-on explorations

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of various technological tools, for site visits at women-led business operations in the Atlanta
area, to hear engaging presentations from women experts in various sectors of business and
innovation, and to establish international contacts and exposure.
A primary feature of the Institute was its hands-on approach. The program was designed, for
example, to leverage technology as an asset for business and innovation and included both the
imbedding of digital technologies in the preparations for the Institute and within Institute
operations, as well as a session dedicated to the demonstration of various mobile applications
that participants might want to add to their technological resources. The program was designed
also to showcase women’s entrepreneurial success, including site visits (a downtown Atlanta
women-owned business crawl) and opportunities for Atlanta-based women entrepreneurs,
including Georgia Tech alumni women, to showcase their entrepreneurial endeavors and
participate in discussions. This combination of robust Institute presentations, discussions, demo
sessions, and site visits served as opportunities for participants—locally and internationally—to
forge connections with each other and to exchange knowledge and experiences.
Program Goals
The basic goal of the 2015 Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute was to offer women
entrepreneurs a distinctive professional development experience that would:
 Provide peer to peer engagement opportunities.
 Foster mentor parings between Institute participants and women (and other) business
leaders.
 Feature an innovative set of opportunities for learning, knowledge exchange, and
strategic planning enhanced by mobile and web technologies.
 Feature problems-based experiential learning as a basic developmental approach.
 Encourage participants to be agents of change within their own businesses and
communities, by sharing ideas, best practices, and innovative solutions with others and
creating and extending their own circles of professional engagement.

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Participants
We determined that the ideal participant in GWEI already exercises a significant level of
influence in her industry and community and seeks to leverage that success for higher levels of
performance and greater economic/social impact. She demonstrates the ability to benefit
immediately from high level contacts, an enhancement of her business and leadership skills, and
exposure to a broader range of information and experiences. She has travel experience, and she
possesses a general acquaintance with technology (i.e., through her use of laptop computers,
smart phones, mobile apps, etc.). The first cohort of participants in the inaugural GWEI exhibited
all of these strengths. In selecting international participants, we drew from a pool of 67
applicants from which 16 were selected. All of the participants selected were founders of their
companies. They included:
 Adekunbi Adeoye, Sesewa, Nigeria
 Adepeju Jaiyeoba, Mothers Delivery Kit, Nigeria
 Dzigbordi Kwaku-Dosoo, DKD Holdings/Allure Africa Group, Ghana
 Enitan Kuku, Marque Africa Enterprise, Nigeria
 Faith Mangope, FTA Media Communications, South Africa
 Ivy Manly-Spain, Hills Oil Marketing Company LTD, Ghana
 Lebohang Selloane, Visionary X-rays, South Africa
 Narkie Agbettor, Novan Company Limited, Ghana
 Ommo Clark, iBez, Nigeria
 Persis Ashers, afriQuest Research Centre LTD, Kenya
 Rosalyn Muthoni Nduhlu, Mastermind Africa Alliance, Kenya
 Sylvia Banda, Sylva Food Solutions, Zambia
 Sylvia Makario, Geowiz Services, Kenya
 Tania Ngima, Game Changers Media LTD, Kenya
 Tebogo Mashego, Ditsogo Projects Pty LTD, South Africa
 Yawa Hansen-Quao, Leading Ladies’ Network, Ghana

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This group intends to stay connected to GWEI, and we have great expectations that the program
will benefit going forward from their insights and experiences in the 2015 Institute and from
their advice and recommendations for Institutes to come.
Media Coverage
Media coverage for the GWEI was not a major priority. Our emphasis was more on the social
media networks of the participants who were tweeting and connecting on multiple platforms
throughout the Institute. A distinctive occurrence was that we did received media coverage:
http://www.globalatlanta.com/georgia-tech-program-seeks-to-broaden-its-reach-to-women-entrepreneurs-around-
the-world/
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/gwei-hosts-16-african-women-entrepreneurs/226210/
http://atlantadailyworld.com/2015/11/03/georgia-techs-ivan-allen-college-of-liberal-arts-launches-global-womens-
initiative-for-entrepreneurs/
Recognitions
We are grateful to Twyla Johnson, a member of the GWEI Advisory Board, for her steadfast
support and advocacy of GWEI. A special moment was when two of the participants received
he Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, presented by the Atlanta Chapter of Women of AT&T.
Women of AT&T- Atlanta Chapter present the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

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GWEI is proud to recognize the winners of the Women of AT&T-Atlanta Chapter Award, Narkie
Agbettor (Ghana) and Felicia Davis (Atlanta). These women, one from U.S. and one from Africa were
selected among their peers and the advisory board for having exuded all of the ideal characteristics of an
‘Entrepreneurial Woman who embrace the Women of AT&T – Atlanta Chapter
principles…‘GROW.INSPIRE.LEAD.SERVE’.
Africa Atlanta 2014: Moving Forward
Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute
Looking ahead, the GWEI is planning a second Institute. We anticipate GWEI becoming a bi-
annual event with network building activities of various kinds occurring in between Institutes to
expand the reach to additional geographic regions, including Latin America, Asia, and the Middle
East. One special effort going forward will be to include more student participants with
emphasis on the goal of building and supporting a larger pipeline of women entrepreneurs.
Otherwise, we will continue to refine and enhance the model that we developed for the 2015
GWEI, as described above, as a robust problems-based, experientially focused set of
opportunities for professional and leadership development.
The Leading Edge Digital Publications Series
An initiative that is closely related to the legacy of Africa Atlanta 2014 is the Ivan Allen
College’s new Leading Edge Digital Publications Series. The public launch of the series,
planned for January 2016, is made possible in large part by two publications that are an
outgrowth of Africa Atlanta 2014, with a third in production:
Africa beyond Africa: The Future of Cultural, Social, and Scientific
Research (proceedings from the conference held at Georgia Institute of Technology
May 15-17, 2014), edited by Kenneth Knoespel and Yves Abrioux.
Mapping Place: Africa beyond Paper (a catalog) from the exhibition held at the
Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, Georgia Institute of Technology,
February 26-June 15, 2014, prepared by Kenneth Knoespel, Yves Abrioux, and Teri
Williams.
In production is A Gathering of Continents (a catalog) from the exhibition held at the Robert
C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, Georgia Institute of Technology (February 27 – June
26, 2015), prepared by Kenneth Knoespel.

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The Leading Edge Series was inspired in 2013 by the 125th
anniversary of LiberalArts@Tech.
With this important anniversary, the Ivan Allen College sought to bring visibility and
recognition to the College in yet another way, i.e., through the public presentation of key
examples of our cutting edge, innovative, interdisciplinary work at the crossroads of
humanities, social sciences, and technology. We chose a digital format, which we
considered a perfect medium. The first showcase to be connected with the series was
Humanistic Perspectives in a Technological World, edited by Richard Utz.
Priorities
The priorities for inclusion in the series are the following:
Robust displays of human-centered perspectives on societal challenges.
Innovative examples of our dynamic frameworks for understanding the contexts,
patterns, impacts, and consequences of innovation, research, and policy.
Projects that highlight innovative models and paradigms for problem-posing, developing
integrative analyses, and finding sustainable solutions.
Initiatives that cast light on local challenges and opportunities and connect them over
time and space to regional and global contexts.
Projects that demonstrate our logistical expertise in bringing multiple stakeholders
together to engage and address common interests and concerns.
Explorations that suggest new frontiers for liberal arts research and education in the 21st
century.
Our intention is to blaze pathways for excellence in the liberal arts, establishing this knowledge
set (humanities, social sciences, science, and technology), expertise, and experience base as
critical assets for our highly scientific and technological 21st
century world. For a preview of
the home page (still in development) for the Leading Edge Series, see: http://leading-
edge.iac.gatech.edu/.
CODA
Africa Atlanta 2014 was an ambitious project, designed to be a transformative moment for the
Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts as a hidden jewel in the crown of the Georgia Institute of
Technology. The intention was to use this occasion to showcase the strengths of the College and
to bring visibility and recognition to the innovative and distinctive work that we do across our
units. The intended outcome was to create an occasion within which the College could clarify
and articulate defining principles and value propositions and use them to construct an enabling
coherence for existing and new projects, programs, and accomplishments. As indicated by this

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report, this project, built around the opportunity to host amazing African art in the City of
Atlanta, served its purposes well.
The far-reaching and dynamic work of Africa Atlanta 2014 has been instrumental in helping the
Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts to bring its strengths and potential impact to the table. While
Africa Atlanta 2014 has ended, quite clearly, Liberal Arts@Tech—as it reaches now 128 years of
age—has only just begun.