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A view of the participants (Photo: Yacouba Soro/U.S Embassy)

Cross-Cultural Dialogue – A Conversation with American Students

On May 28, 2008, visiting students from Oral Roberts University and the University of Virginia had a lively information sharing conversation with English speaking students from the universities of Bouake and Cocody in Côte d’Ivoire.

The 20 visiting students, who had arrived in Cote d’Ivoire two days earlier from Mali, were warmly welcomed by 15 Ivoirian university students, who had been anxiously waiting in the Information Resources Center at Embassy Abidjan for the rare opportunity to engage American students in a face-to-face conversation. The conversation, which began with the traditional Ivoirian welcome - the lead of the Ivoirian students’ group first consulting with his "adviser" and then asking the visitors for the "news" - was followed by self introductions. The topics of the conversation included campus life, the role of student unions, how students can effect change in their countries, diversity, American values, security, war, reasons for studying English, presidential elections, freedom and, patriotism.

The highlight of the conversation was the presidential elections in both countries. The visiting students asked about the noted keen interest of Africans/Ivoirians in the ongoing US presidential election primaries as well as the Ivoirian student’s views on the presidential elections, which are scheduled for November 30 in Cote d’Ivoire. The overwhelming response from the hosting students on the keen interest on US elections was the support for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama for his African ancestry. On the presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire, the hosting students expressed optimism and vowed to do their part to ensure that "war does not come to Cote d’Ivoire again."

At the end of the program the visiting students gave IIP publication "This is America" to their new Ivoirian friends and exchanged contact information.