ROTTERDAM, March 6, 2007—AIESEC International has been recognized as one of 34 companies in the “Worldwide Award for the Most Democratic Workplaces” sponsored by WorldBlu, Inc., a Washington, DC-based business specializing in organizational democracy. The announcement came as part of the first Democracy in the Workplace Day, sponsored by the WorldBlu, Inc. organization. Businesses and non-profits from the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Russia made the premiere list, representing industries such as technology, telecommunications, media, manufacturing, and retail with a combined total of nearly $3 billion in annual sales.

AIESEC International sits on the list with organizations such as Great Harvest Bread Company, GE Aviation’s Durham Engine Facility, Honest Tea, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Equal Exchange, Linden Lab (makers of the Second Facility Life virtual reality world), Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, SRC Holdings Corporation, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, i-Free, and Threadless.

Organizations from the for-profit, non-profit, non-governmental and government sectors with five or more employees that have been in operation for a minimum of three years could apply for the WorldBlu award. Employees completed a survey evaluating their organization’s practice of ten democratic principles such as decentralization, accountability, choice and integrity on a leadership level, individual level and systems and processes level.

AIESEC International scored high on practices such as accountability & individual and collective, demonstrated by their weekly Monday morning meetings that bring together the entire office, physically or virtually, to share their priorities for the week and hold themselves accountable to the rest of the team if they are unfulfilled. Fairness and dignity was another practice AIESEC International naturally scored high on—their leadership team of 21 people is made of up 16 different nationalities from across four continents and equal in gender representation. There are also systems and budgets in place to support the diversity of applicants, which is often challenged by lengthy visa procedures and expensive travel.

WorldBlu has also declared March 6 “Democracy in the Workplace Day” to celebrate these organizations and the positive ripple effect their workplace practices are having on increasing freedom and peace in the world. Individuals are invited to use this day to examine how their workplaces can adopt and further mature their practice of democracy.

Please click here to see the complete list of WorldBlu Most Democratic Workplaces 2007.

About AIESEC
AIESEC is the international student platform for young people to discover and develop their potential. Present in over 800 universities and encompassing over 22,000 members, AIESEC is one of the world’s largest student organizations. Focusing on leadership development, AIESEC offers over 5000 leadership opportunities each year to facilitate the Global Internship Program, which sees the exchange of over 4000 students each year to live and work in another country. AIESEC is an organization that activates leaders, creating a network of global change agents that have a positive impact on society.

Last week in Cairo, with a group of young people and other colleagues, we went for a movie in one of the fanciest places in the city, Stars city. The movie that was displayed was the last king of Scotland, featuring Idi Amin Dada in a grotesque but inhumanly bestial and violent movie.

Almost the only black and proud African in the movie room, I could imagine what was going on in peoples’ minds as the scenes where passing on, negating all basic universal values: love, science, honestly, friendship, equality, human dignity to the benefit of a ridiculous understanding of leadership.

At the end of the movie, I was so shocked that my friends felt the need to comfort me, though they couldn’t clearly understand the reason for my emotion. I am grateful for the sincere support they gave me, but as I analyzed my feeling, I realized it was a mix of rage, frustration but deep hope:

ü Rage for the undisclosed information: When it comes to Africa, only misfortunes sell. How many people will know that Idi Amin Dada had almost no education and could barely read? How many people would know that he was put in command of the Uganda by the colonial power knowing very well how cruel he could be? That he was previously arrested for Barbary when serving as a sergeant to repress the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya? That he was exempted from a well deserved trial by the colonial power and appointed leader of the army and then head of State just to prevent the communists from taking over the country?

ü Frustration for the unperceived sunshine that filtered through the movie: scenes of rare beauty and authenticity appear throughout the movie, but how many people have prepared eyes to see them? The trust and confidence given by the whole population at the beginning, the smiles and games of kids in the sun, the happiness of people dancing and singing in the streets? Everyone who has traveled across African villages knows what I’m talking about. My colleague is right, African don’t understand sarcasm, they are those pure people that daydream everyone is good intended and lovely. This is a root of the leadership and governance problems Africa has. People are happy with their life and finds reasons to even love those who destroy them. Murder hundreds of people, do good to two people, you can still be a good leader in Africa. There are dozens of Amin Dada ruling Africa today as “democratically” elected Heads of State.

ü And finally hope for the unachieved future: this was the most overwhelming feeling. I don’t really care about the image people have of Africa, though I find it revolting to see people put their “We are the World” face when approaching Africa. I don’t care if people live their entire life with a rational steering wheel and discover late that their emotional steering wheel is what brings meaning and purpose. Africans live this all their life, but tend to forget to beauty that lies in them. I do care about how responsible Africans feel about their responsibility towards the world. How many of them will watch the last king of Scotland, feel enraged, frustrated, not engaged? Very few. How many people will go to their work in the morning thinking that they are not teacher, doctor, policeman, businessman, writer, student, but engaged in building Africa and the world at large? How many people will feel responsible for what happens in Beyrouth or Bogota? Being African is about rediscovering the forgotten purpose and bringing it forth to enlighten the world.

The message of the king of Scotland is for me a message of hope and a call for engagement. Africans need to rediscover the kingdom in their hearts and invite the world to see it.