The University of Pretoria (UP) and Sustainable Development Solutions Network South Africa (SDSN SA) recently hosted a transcultural student research group from Zeppelin University in Germany. The group brought together international students and supervisors to research transcultural perspectives on sustainable futures, seeking diverse perspectives on contemporary challenges across the globe.

The aim is to use the combined knowledge and expertise to address a range of major obstacles, producing innovative solutions that will ultimately be published in an international academic book.

The collaboration is part of the Transcultural Caravan Network (TCN) at the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin and is conducted by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung under the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM programme for university collaborations. These groups offer participants the chance to deepen their understanding of specific research topics while experiencing a truly transcultural environment.

Over the past seven years, more than 100 participants from more than 10 countries have participated, with a different regional and thematic focus explored each year.

The energetic meeting of students and supervisors was opened by Professor Themba Mosia, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria and Chair of the SDSN SA, which is the local network affiliated to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). In his welcoming address, Prof Mosia said intensified efforts are needed to address contemporary social and economic challenges worldwide.

"We are facing numerous global challenges, and it seems they're only getting worse," he said. "When we were younger, there were challenges, but they were not as overwhelming as they are now. If you look at climate change and its impacts on the world, it's mind-blowing."

A radically different approach is needed for a more sustainable future, he emphasised. "Issues that we, as human beings, could address have become massive enterprises focused more on wealth and profit than on sustaining the world for future generations.

"The future is in your hands; go and make a difference, because our generation has left a mess for you to clean up."

Prof Mosia with transcultural student research group from Zeppelin University in Germany.

The TCN holds that the increasing complexity of global value creation, climate change, pandemics, wars, and many other factors drastically challenge ways of living, cooperating, and leading. They undermine traditional visions of the future that humans have relied on to plan, feel secure, and gain the confidence to invest in tomorrow.

Transcultural leadership and cooperation must therefore take on the challenges of a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world, and actively shape the future by establishing new connections and developing commonalities across different cultures.

This year's thematic focus built on the wealth of collaborative insight achieved in preceding years through this lens.

In 2017, the focus was on ‘Hybridity and Transculturality’ in Hong Kong. In 2018, it shifted to ‘Transculturality and Community’ in Uganda, followed by ‘Relational Leadership’ in Brazil in 2019. The theme for 2020 was ‘Civil Society Cooperation in Europe’, while 2021 examined ‘Impacts of the BRI on Europe’.

In 2022, the focus was on ‘Partnerships for the SDGs in Southeast Asia’, and in 2023 the network explored ‘The Future(s) of Transcultural Leadership’ in Berlin, Germany. In 2024, the emphasis is on ‘Transcultural Perspectives on Sustainable Future(s)’.

The 2024 programme included a variety of theoretical sessions, such as workshops, lectures and joint feedback discussions, which covered topics like environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and sustainability in Africa.

These academic sessions were complemented by local experiences, including cultural activities such as visits to significant historical sites and museums. The group toured notable locations such as the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, and the Apartheid Museum.

Students delved into social entrepreneurship, with a visit to the Mamelodi Business Hub in the Mamelodi township, where they were exposed to various strategies for integrating social, economic, and environmental sustainability to ensure long-term success.

They also took a trip to the Javett Art Centre at UP and explored various Pretoria neighbourhoods, where participants sampled local dishes and explored South African culture.