When Passable Maremudze took part in the Danish Students’ Union’s political conference in Aarhus as part of We See the Same Sky, she noticed something that differed significantly from the student congresses she knew from Zimbabwe.
At the conference, it was not only about electing new leaders. The students discussed political resolutions, proposed amendments and helped shape the direction of their organisation.
“Democracy is not only about voting, but also about participation, debate and accountability,”
says Passable Maremudze.
The experience made her think about how the student organisations she is involved with in Zimbabwe could develop their own congresses. There, electing new leaders is often the main focus, while according to Passable Maremudze, there is less room for political debate and for collectively shaping the organisation’s direction and the rights of students.
“I thought about Zimbabwean students and how we are often forced to choose between our education and our activism. Our challenges are met with repression rather than dialogue,” she says.
We See the Same Sky
Passable Maremudze’s experience at the political conference is part of We See the Same Sky, a collaboration between the Danish Students’ Union (DSF) and student organisations in countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia and Cuba.
The project gives students an opportunity to meet across borders, exchange experiences and draw inspiration from each other’s approaches to student politics and organising.
As part of the project, international partners visit Denmark, while Danish students also travel to partner organisations. When Passable Maremudze and the other international students visited Denmark, they took part in DSF’s political conference in Aarhus and met with Danish students and volunteers.
Passable also took part in activities where she shared his experiences of student life in Zimbabwe and talked about her own work for human rights and student rights.
The international project groups consist of student volunteers who run the collaboration together with their partners. Activities can include visits to each other’s countries, workshops, political discussions and exchanges of experiences on student politics and organising.
Different circumstances, but the same hopes
There are many significant differences between student life in Denmark and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, Passable Maremudze explains, high tuition fees and difficult conditions for student activists are among the key issues.
Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch reported that attacks on student activists like Passable Maremudze are intensifying in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean authorities have harassed, abducted and arbitrarily detained student activists protesting a proposal to extend the president’s term in office. Danish students face very different challenges, but questions around education, student rights and political engagement also play an important role here.
-Students in Zimbabwe, Denmark and everywhere else simply want the same things: access to education, dignity and a future free from fear.
The meeting between these different experiences made a strong impression on Passable Maremudze.
-Despite our different countries and contexts, we share the same challenges and hopes, she says. -Students in Zimbabwe, Denmark and everywhere else simply want the same things: access to education, dignity and a future free from fear, Passable Maremudze elaborates.
For her, the visit was also a confirmation that international collaboration can be about more than exchanging knowledge. It can create new ideas and encourage people to look at their own work in new ways.
-Solidarity transcends borders, she says.
After the visit, she was left with a stronger belief in international collaboration and in young people’s ability to create change together.
An opportunity to get involved
With the We See the Same Sky campaign, DSF is highlighting the international volunteer groups and partnerships that make the collaboration possible. The campaign also aims to show Danish students how they can become involved in international work themselves.
For volunteers, getting involved does not necessarily require a large time commitment. The project groups are already established, allowing students to engage in the work together with other volunteers and the international partner organisation.
In this way, We See the Same Sky is not only a collaboration between organisations. It is also a space where students can gain experience with international collaboration, encounter different approaches to organising and bring new ideas back home.
That is precisely the exchange Passable Maremudze takes with him from Denmark. Not a ready-made recipe for how student democracy should work, but a concrete experience of what it can look like.
We See the Same Sky is part of the Students Set the Agenda project, which is supported by CISU’s fund for education and engagement projects under the EU-funded Connect for Global Change project.