Insider Insights: Decolonising intercultural exchange, Intern Abroad HQ

Decolonising Internships Abroad and interning in Africa sounds like a radical extreme - but it is not! Help ensure that internships and intern opportunities abroad contribute to sustainable, equitable development, rather than reinforcing the inequalities of the past.

Internships and interning programs abroad, particularly in Africa, have become increasingly popular among young people seeking meaningful work experience and a chance to contribute to global development. Because this is a cultural exchange which engages bridging work, it’s important to consider, these programs are often embedded in a complex history of colonialism and power imbalances, making the discussion of “decolonising” these experiences vital. This needs to be examined.

Insider Insights: Decolonising intercultural exchange, Intern Abroad HQ

The Colonial Legacy of Missionary Work

The concept of interning in Africa is historically rooted in missionary work, deeply intertwined with the colonial past, where the continent was often seen as a place that needed “saving” or “civilising” by the “West”. Even today, there is still an existence of framing Africa as a monolithic entity, characterised by poverty and helplessness, waiting for Western aid. However, African people are not homogenous and its nations are the most diverse on Earth both culturally and economically. This mindset risks reinforcing harmful stereotypes, reducing African communities to passive recipients of charity rather than partners with agency and expertise.

There is also a risk of perpetuating inequalities by privileging foreign interns over local professionals. We must aim to avoid granting foreign intern positions in sectors such as healthcare, education, or development, without appropriate qualifications or without the contextual knowledge required to make meaningful contributions. This not only undermines local workers but also perpetuates the idea that outside expertise is superior. This is at the core of work being done by local staff offering Internships in Tanzania, which matches skills and expertise to placements and emphasises mutual knowledge exchange. This is arguably the better approach and more readily accepted by local stakeholders.

Intern abroad in Tanzania with Intern Abroad HQ

The Need for Decolonization

Decolonizing internships and interning in Africa means rethinking these programs to dismantle the power imbalances rooted in the colonial past. It involves shifting the narrative from one of “charity” or “saviorism” to one of collaboration, mutual learning, and respect for local expertise.

Here are some key aspects of this process:

1. Shifting the Power Dynamic:

Are we recognising the power imbalance? Reconfiguration requires that African communities be in the driver’s seat of any intern or internship initiative. This means being community led and that local organisations should define their own needs and priorities. Also, that foreign interns should come with the understanding that they are there to learn and support, not to lead. interns should see themselves as guests who are contributing to locally led projects rather than rescuing communities.

Insider Insights: Decolonising intercultural exchange, Intern Abroad HQ

2. Building Reciprocal Relationships:

What can we share? Rather than focusing solely or only on what interns can give, internships should be structured around mutual exchange. The community-intern relation should be symbiotic. Programs should create space for knowledge sharing, where interns can learn from local professionals who have a deep understanding of their community’s needs. This can also include offering learning opportunities for local interns or students to work alongside international interns, fostering a spirit of partnership. This too, is repeatedly echoed by local stakeholders and readily accepted within the community.

Intern abroad in Tanzania with Intern Abroad HQ

3. Cultural Sensitivity and Preparation:

Are we defining culture shock - and what is culture shock exactly? interns should receive rigorous training that goes beyond basic cultural awareness. They should be educated about the historical and political contexts of the places they are working, including the legacy of colonialism and its ongoing effects. This can help prevent the reproduction of colonial mindsets and ensure that interns approach their work with humility, understanding the limitations of their role.

Insider Insights: Decolonising intercultural exchange, Intern Abroad HQ

4. Supporting Local Economies:

Creating competition with local labour forces should be avoided at all costs as it will risk harming the local ecosystem. Internships and intern programs should be designed in ways that directly support local economies. The supportive position of the intern/intern should be unambiguous. This means ensuring that internships do not take away opportunities from local workers or create dependencies on foreign labour in any way. Instead, foreign interns should contribute to long-term capacity building by supporting self sustaining, locally driven development projects. This also means allowing the projects to make their own choices, whatever they may be, as experts of their own needs.

Intern abroad in Tanzania with Intern Abroad HQ

5. Reevaluating Program Design and Marketing:

Many intern programs are marketed in ways that emphasise the intern’s “experience”, highlighting how “helpful” or “transformative” it will be for the intern, rather than the impact on the community. This requires reframing the goals of these programs to prioritize the needs and agency of the host communities. Program descriptions should challenge the notion of Africa as a place of perpetual crisis and instead highlight the diversity, resilience, and strengths of local communities. This is easily done by emphasising where the intern/intern fits into the frame of what is already being done and that they are supernumerary, there to help enhance the work already being done by locals. This will also avoid many interns walking away feeling they didn’t really help anything due to what was perceived as promised for their experience. In essence, giving them the true reality of their positioning in the local community.

Intern abroad in Tanzania with Intern Abroad HQ

Ethical Considerations

Decolonizing internships abroad is not just about changing mindsets - it’s about confronting the structural inequalities that make it easier for people from wealthier nations to participate in these programs in the first place. Internships in Africa often come with fees, which can further exacerbate the problematic dynamic of transactional relationships between the Global North and South. By removing the framing of providing charity to people in need, this aspect is easily navigated by emphasising that local services should be paid for fairly and that things should be “cheap” because it’s in Africa should be dismissed. If people are truly concerned about Africa’s development, fair and equitable economic empowerment should be amongst their considerations.

Interns must be prepared to engage with local communities in ways that respect their autonomy and avoid imposing outside solutions. Decolonizing also means being conscious of how interning can sometimes create dependencies, where communities may become reliant on foreign charity rather than developing their own systems of exchange.

Insider Insights: My Journey to Arusha, Tanzania as an Intern Abroad Program Manager, Intern Abroad HQ

Conclusion

Decolonizing internships and interning in Africa is about transforming the way we think about global exchange. It requires us to question the narratives and structures that have historically shaped these programs and to authentically commit to creating partnerships that respect the autonomy and expertise of local communities. By shifting the focus from charity to partnership, from aid to economic empowerment, we can help ensure that internships and intern opportunities abroad contribute to sustainable, equitable development, rather than reinforcing the inequalities of the past.

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