This week on the podcast community builidng is a central theme. For twenty years, my guest, Bakajika Tshinanga, has operated at the exact intersection where culture generates economic value.

His journey started in 2004, when he founded a student-led program at the University of Georgia Atlanta. Georgia Daze still runs today and has improved enrollment yield conservatively valued at $150M+ in incremental revenue for the university. That experience shaped how he thinks about infrastructure: who builds it, who benefits, and who owns the upside.

He went on building hospitality programming delivering the cultural insight that prompted AT&T to sponsor Drake's inaugural headline tour and leading the campaign that introduced the Lyft ridesahre app to Atlanta. He’s produced work with cultural figures including Michael Jordan, and while an undergraduate he producing concerts featuring Outkast, Lauryn Hill, and Dave Chappelle. Also of note, he owns a publishing catalog featuring songs from Lil Wayne, The Neptunes, Sevyn Streeter, Pusha T, and Usher.

Coding since age 11, technology is lens he's always looking through. His latest endeavor, the lOlŌ's platform is the direct expression of technology deployed as infrastructure to close the gap between who creates cultural value and who captures it. He's lived the innovator's dilemma firsthand: operating at the riskiest part of the curve, where the work is undeniable but the capital isn't designed to find you. That experience is why lOlŌ exists—a collective ownership vehicle for cultural capital, community-capitalized, community-governed, designed to compound for generations.

Where to fine Bakajika?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Threads

What’s Bakajika reading?
The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy adn Blake Erickson

What’s Bakajika watching?
Dreaming Whilst Black on Showtime

How’s Bakijika listening to?
Who is Joy Leone?

Other topics of interest:
Kinshasa, DRC
About Georgia Daze
University of Michigan Supreme Court Affirmative Action Case
Atlanta Influences Everything
Lɔlɔ̃ means love

Special Guest: Bakajika Tshinanga.

I’m sure many of you remember the groundbreaking web series An African City. We’ve even hosted a panel featuring creator of the series Nicole Amarteifio in our writing as activism series. My guest this week launched her creative career as a cast member on the series and she hasn’t looked back since. Maame Adjei is a Ghanaian storyteller, producer, director, entrepreneur and cultural archivist.

As the founder of Sweet Roots Media, she leads a women-driven media hub dedicated to amplifying cultural narratives and preserving history through high-quality storytelling. Their work spans documentary scripted, brand storytelling, and immersive experiences, all crafted to resonate on a global scale.

Beyond media, she is the founder of Duruyeh, a bold jewelry brand celebrating heritage, beauty, and self-expression. Every piece tells a story, designed not just as an accessory but as a keepsake to be passed down.

Maame is also deeply invested in archival work and co-founded Korabea which focuses on preserving, protecting, and uplifting the stories of Ghanaian women, both past and present, through exhibitions, educational projects, and a forthcoming podcast. #NewPodcastAlert!

Where to find Maame?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Maame listening to?
Devi Brown’s Deeply Well Podcast
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
The Myleik Teele Podcast
The Emotions

Other topics of interest:
NAFTI is now UniMAC-IFT
Who is GloRilla?
The Whites of Our Eyes Trailer
On Kenneth B. Clark's Doll Study
The Sunday Mirror today
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings

Special Guest: Maame Adjei.

This week’s encore episode is a salve for my heavy heart. I’m resharing it as a reminder of life’s certainties; because it reflects some of the roots experiences that my guest, Global Ghanaian, death doula and author of Briefly Perfectly Human, Alua Arthur and I share; and because care for the aging has become a feature focus of my life story, particulary since the start of the pandemic.

On April 4th, my father, Peter Otoe Adu took his leave from the body that was the man I know as Daddy, Dad, PO, Peter and papa. He was 86.

Last week on the podcast, I mentioned the long overdue solutionscape and stretch salon series. The first topic we covered in these live sessions--the future of work in care for the aging, is an ever-timely discussion that will go live later this month. Woven into this series will be small tributes in memory of the briefly, perfectly human life dad lived and what I hope will be inspiration for us all to normalize conversations, pay attention and act in the interest of not just our elders but our inevitably aging selves.

Where to find Alua?
See the show notes for Episode 164

Special Guest: Alua Arthur.

This year our Women’s Herstory Month series has taken us for the first time to Botswana and Norway; we stopped in the UK, picked up flavors from Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia, Netherlands, Philippines, Belgium, Brazil and South Africa; went on a future forward mission in Kenya, and we’re landing home in a flashback forward conversation with fellow Ghanaian-American and early Glocal Citizen, Nana Amoako-Anin. Nana first joined us on the podcast in January 2020 in a time when wellness was often taken for granted or an afterthought for later. Then the global pandemic, COVID-19 changed everything. Wellness is now having a moment. However, as we’ll discuss in the conversation, the moment calls for depth, not trend, to sustain real mindset and lifestyle shifts on the personal and professional levels. Nana writes about this at Wellness in Black and lives and works it as a social entrepreneur and organizational leader. She is best known as the founder of Bliss Yoga Accra, Ghana’s first full-service yoga studio. With a background in law, she brings cross-sector expertise to her work, which bridges global perspectives with local impact, positioning her as a thought leader in mindful leadership, mentorship, social innovation and international executive strategy. In this conversation we catch up on evolving realities around wellness for Africans and in Ghana as well as her experience diversifying the what and how of work, guided by her enduring committment to staying people centered. And much, much more.

Where to find Nana?
https://www.nanaamoakoanin.com/
@ Bliss Yoga Accra
On Glocal Citizens
At CrowdReason

What’s Nana reading?
An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence by Zeinab Badawi

Other topics of interest:
The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic
The “official” Vicks story
Kemetic Yoga
An African History of Africa on YouTube
On Legalized Cannabis in Ghana
Indigenous vs Colonial Medicine in Ghana
Hamamat Shea Butter Museum
ishowspeed in Ghana
Jill Scott talks with Angie Martinez

Special Guest: Nana Amoako-Anin.

This week our Women’s Herstory Month series takes us back to Kenya--to a place called Area Nyaga. Our guide is futurist, artist, and creative synthesist reimagining African futures, San’aa Njeeri. Distilling over a decade of global interdisciplinary practice, she positions art as a tool for education, translating complex ideas into accessible experiences that advance African storytelling while progressing digital ecosystems and financial literacy within the context of emerging technologies.

Through Area Nyaga, her world building framework informed by the Maasci Return saga and her seminal MaaSci series, she situates Indigenous African identities within expansive futuristic landscapes through her signature visual language, A.EYE (African Eye). Working across speculative art, immersive environments, and narrative design, she develops cultural and digital infrastructures that expand how futures can be imagined, understood, and built.

Her work is guided by a defining inquiry: What becomes possible when cultural heritage informs the futures we shape and the narratives we carry forward? In this conversation we explore this question and find ourselves in depth with San’aa getting to know more about how from childhood, her Kenya has grounded the mission and vision that focus her world, and at times, interstellar view.

Where to find San’aa?
On LinkedIn
In Instagram
On Substack

What’s San’aa watching?
After Skool

Other topics of interest:
Baraza Media Lab
San People of Southern Africa
About Murang'a, Kenya
Kiambu County
Where is Kirinyaga?
Mount Kenya and Batian Peak
Other Futures Festival
Who is Blinky Bill?
Black Rhino Studios
Old Town Lamu
About my broadcast debut on the Super Six School News

Special Guest: San'aa Njeeri.

This week in our continuing Women’s Herstory Month series, we’re in another new country--from southern Africa last week we’re landing in Scandinavia on our first trip to Norway via Sudan, Zambia, The Philippines, Netherlands, Ghana and South Africa--all places my guest this week has called home. Sarah Osman is a cognitive psychologist, global development specialist, and social entrepreneur with twenty years of experience across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Born in Khartoum, Sudan, and shaped by a life lived across multiple continents, she has built her career at the intersection of applied behavioral science and international development, helping major organizations translate insights about human decision-making into programs that create lasting social change.

As the founder of Osman Advisory Services, Sarah has worked with international organizations such as the Council of Europe, World Vision, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on some of the most complex behavioral challenges in global development.

In 2024, she founded Ela, a membership community for women of color building their own consulting practices. Ela is grounded in the conviction that structural inequity in the consulting sector cannot be solved by individual effort alone: it requires community, peer accountability, and the kind of behavioral design thinking that Sarah has spent two decades applying in the field. Ela members are already experiencing tangible transformation in how they position themselves and grow with confidence.

Sarah is currently building a new platform for Africa-focused professionals who want to harness the power of behavioral and consumer insights in their work and sector.

Currently based in Oslo, Sarah is a true ‘glocal’ citizen: Sudanese by heritage, Pan-African by spirit, European by dwelling, and wholly at home in the space between local realities and global systems.

Where to find Sarah and her resource offerings?
osmanadvisoryservices.com
Join the Ela Membership
Sign up to the Pattern Recognition Newsletter
On LinkedIn
On YouTube

What’s Sarah reading?
Credit Alert by Ayo Akinola
We Are Not Consumers by Louis Seeco

What’s Sarah listening to?
The Department Podcast

Other topics of interest:
Perspectives on Black Identity in Norway
Curious about “Delulu” thinking?
Manal Sayid of Sayid Consulting

Special Guest: Sarah Osman.

If it’s March then it’s that time again for a month of conversations centering women’s stories and experiences. This week, we’re also kicking off the series with the launch of our Glocal Citizens x Black Women in Real Estate collaboration--Borderless Building. Founded in 2019, Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) is an organization that aims to bring together black women in property, creating opportunities for upcoming talent and organizing workshops for those already in the industry. Througout the year, we’re teaming up with BWRE to showcase the personal and professional journeys of Black women in the real estate industry; highlight how Black women in the industry invest and structure value in/around land/property across global markets; and offer valuable insight into the business/operational functions in the real estate industry to inspire a spirit of land stewardship. All ideas you’ll hear in this week's conversation.

Kicking off the series is BWRE Founder, Hanna Afolabi. A few years after founding BWRE, Hanna found herself furthering her entrepreneurial journey with Mood and Space (MAS), a development company supporting clients in embedding social value in their development vision and strategy as well as efficiently managing processes delivering community focused building and urban neighborhoods.

Prior to setting up MAS, Hanna was a Development Director for Balfour Beatty Investments seconded into East Wick and Sweetwater Ltd a joint venture with Places for People. She lead on the feasibility, business planning, budget, design, programming and planning of the mixed-use regeneration project of approx. 1,900 homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Her other notable projects in London, include Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town and Borough Triangle in Elephant and Castle.

Additionally, she is Vice Chair of the University of Greenwich’s Construction, Property and Surveying Practices Industry Advisory Board and is on Estates Gazette's Diversity & Inclusion Content Advisory Panel, advocating for diverse representation in property.

Where to find Hanna?
Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) and get your tix to their International Women’s Day Gala
@ Mood and Space
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Hanna watching?
All her Fault
Bridgerton on Netflix
His & Hers on Netflix

Other topics of interest:
Oke-Ila in Osun State, Nigeria
About Hackney
Estates Gazette

Special Guest: Hanna Afolabi.

This week, though Black History Month in the Americas is winding down, here on the podcast we’re consistently aiming to learn, grow and inspire our sustained consciouness around #PanAfricanProgress and we’re deep diving with a son of the country that is at the foundation of liberation across the global Black Diaspora - Haiti.

Marc Alain Boucicault is a social entrepreneur and ecosystem builder with over 15 years of experience working in international development and entrepreneurship with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, at MIT and with grassroots organizations focused on youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about leveraging the power of entrepreneurship, technology and communication to reshape socioeconomic dynamics. As the founder of Banj, Haiti’s largest coworking space and entrepreneurship hub connecting various communities to promote innovation in Haiti and the Caribbean he also supports change-makers globally. Marc Alain extends this work in service on the board of the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) addressing access to higher education in Haiti. He is a Fulbright scholar, a social media influencer and a fellow podcaster.

Where to find Marc Alain?
On the Executive Talk Podcast
On [LinkedIn](linkedin.com/in/marcalainb)
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Marc Alain watching?
Banj 4.0

Other topics of interest:
On Hispaniola and how the Haitian Revolution stirred colonialism
Haiti Tech Summit
Africa Tech Summit - Nairobi
On The Five Stakeholder Model
What’s GDP really all about?
The Assassination of Jovenel Moïse: What happened on July 7, 2021 in Haiti?
The IDB Case Study: Seeking a Recipe to Support Entrepreneurs in a Fragile Country: Banj's Approach through the Mobilization of the Innovation Ecosystem in Haiti
Haitians at Harvard
On Barbados' Inspriational Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley

Special Guest: Marc Alain Boucicault.

I met this week’s guest, Nana Asomani-Poku in Jamestown, Accra during a walking tour through featuring stories told in images by Glocal Citizen, James Barnor. It was during the James Barnor @‌95 celebration in 2024. Nana, a UK-born Ghanaian legal professional, filmmaker, and community engagement specialist based in Australia was back in Ghana for a family celebration of his own. As we chatted along the route, he mentioned his work centering social impact in Australia and my curiosity was peaked. What you’ll learn in this conversation spans how he began his career as a legal advocate for asylum seekers and refugees with the UK’s largest not-for-profit immigration law firm to community and stakeholder engagement, building bridges between public sector organisations and marginalised communities in Australia. Alongside his human rights work, he pursued his passion for filmmaking, training at the New York Film Academy and going on to make his first feature film, Drawn.

Let’s travel with Nana, to get to know more about his land down under and other stops across the globe.

Where to find Nana?
On IMDB
On Instagram

What’s Nana listening to?
Whitney Houston, Al Green, The Jacksons, to name a few.

Other topics of interest:
Visit Porkyto's in Osu, Accra
Correction about the Aquarius sun sign, an air sign not a water sign
About Leytonstone and The Bow Bells
Lifestyle in Perth vs Melbourne
Sokoto, Nigeria
Ombudsman Services in Australia
About the film, The Dish
Yoga Nidra + Sankalpa
How many countries are there across the planet?

Special Guest: Nana Asomani-Poku.

My guest this week is building the financial infrastructure that Africa deserves. As Chief Operating Officer of KoinKoin and CEO + Country Manager of KoinKoin Ghana Ltd, a leading African digital asset exchange, Mimi Kufuor is creating digital assets solutions that work for real people. She comes to this work after spending 15 years navigating the most complex corners of institutional finance - from regulatory programmes at Bank of America and Barclays to compliance frameworks at Meta, working alongside the European Central Bank and managing initiatives worth £10m+. In that span, she learned how money actually moves, how regulators operate, and how to build systems that can scale with integrity. She continues working with companies navigating African markets, building compliant exchange operations, or trying to understand how digital assets can solve actual problems.

Recognized as one of Africa’s “Top Fintech Voices,” she has shaped policy discourse at UK Parliamentary Summits, Financial Times Live events, and African Fintech Summits. Mimi champions financial inclusion, women’s leadership in fintech, and regulatory frameworks that position Africa as a pioneer in the global digital economy, building infrastructure that empowers individuals and businesses to access decentralized finance.

As another certified Glocal Citizen, Mimi and I first connected as housemates in Morocco courtesy of mutual friend that you’ll hear about in our conversation Afua Dabanka, the inspired experience curator behind A Beautiful Life Travel. Last year on our trip to Kenya, I got to know about her work with KoinKoin and it is a pleasure to be able to share her progress a year later. #Listenandlearn more!

Where to find Mimi?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Mimi reading?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Other topics of interest:
About Old Street in London
About East Legon, Accra
Recognizing Bullying in the Workplace
About INSEAD Executive Programs
Kwaku Yaro at Gallery 1957
In conversation with Edward Larbi
What is Binance?
About the evolution of African currencies
Digital Assets 101
CitiFM Breakfast Show, 26 January 2026

Special Guest: Mimi Kufuor.

For those listeners in North America, February is Black History Month. Week in and week out on this podcast, we’re all about how our Black present syncs with our history and all things forward for people of the Black diaspora worldwide. This week’s conversation zooms in on a healthcare infrastrucutre solution that has the potential to transform how emergency response services are designed and implemented with the realities of African communities in mind. My guest this week, Folake Owodunni is the co-founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa (ERA), a health tech company revolutionizing access to emergency care in Africa, beginning with Nigeria. With over 15 years of experience across healthcare, marketing, and consulting in Nigeria, the U.S., and Canada, she brings a dynamic and cross-sectoral approach to solving complex health challenges.

Under her leadership, ERA has managed over 4,500 medical emergencies, reducing response times by up to 80%, and forging partnerships with forward-thinking state governments including Edo, Ogun, and Rivers.

Also a certified First Responder with the Canadian Red Cross, she is passionate about Africa’s rising tech ecosystem and making fast, reliable emergency medical care accessible to all Africans using technology. Recognized for her innovation and impact, she has received multiple awards and development grants, including the Google Black Founders Fund, JICA’s Next Innovation with Japan Award, The Professor Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award, and most recently, the global Aurora Tech Award.

As you’ll hear in the conversation, ERA is appealing to the the Black/African Diaspora to get involved! Health is wealth so #listenandlearn how you can forward ERA’s mission to deliver fast, reliable emergency care across Africa.

Where to find Folake?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Folake reading?
Tessa Afshar’s Jewel of the Nile
Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalhi
[The CEO Only Does Three Things: Finding Your Focus in the C-Suite](link https://www.scribd.com/document/898002899/A-CEO-Only-Does-Three-Things) by Trey Taylor

What’s Folake listening to?
Diary of a CEO Podcast
[The Lazy CEO](link https://www.thelazyceo.com/)

Other topics of interest:
Ogun State, Nigeria
Kitchner - Waterloo, Canada
Meet Dr. Ola Brown of Flying Doctors Nigeria
About The Prosperity Paradox
African Journal for Emergency Medicine
About Biblical Fiction

Special Guest: Folake Owodunni.

This week on the podcast, I was thrilled to have been able to take advantage of the fact that this week’s guest and I were on the same timezone because he’s literally moving and shaking across Africa and the Middle East full time. Since he last joined us in early 2020, Oswald Osaretin Guobadia has stepped into multiple new roles on top of being an entrepreneur. This includes more roles on boards, becoming a published author--his book In Pursuit - Journeys in African Entrepreneurship, chronicles the journeys of two friends whose experiences in America shaped their approach to starting their own businesses in Nigeria; and a tireless champion for African innovation. Today, Oswald is a senior policy advisor and digital strategy leader with over 25 years building infrastructure and shaping transformative policy across Africa. He is Managing Partner at DigitA, where, since 2023 he has guided projects and policy innovations that have created impact in countries across Africa, helping to set the pace for inclusive digital development and entrepreneurial growth. Oswald’s advisory reach includes serving presidential offices, leading government agencies, collaborating with multilateral partners, and forging public–private partnerships to help build resilient infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. As Senior Special Assistant on Digital Transformation to the President of Nigeria, he steered Nigeria’s largest startup policy rollout, including the acclaimed Nigeria Startup Act—widely recognized as a benchmark for digital economies.

He has shared his insights at TEDx, the United Nations General Assembly, BBC Africa, CNBC Africa, and the Wharton Africa Business Forum, and has graced numerous influential panels and stages globally. He believes, “the next startup to impact the world will start in an African village,” and in this conversation you’ll start to understand how this belief is daily practice.

Where to find Oswald?
On Glocal Citizens
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Medium

What’s Oswald reading?
Ths Four by Scott Galloway
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan

Other topics of interest:
About the Benin Kingdom
UNDP Timbuktu Policy Approach
Digitization vs Digitalization
What is Zoho?
On Digital Estonia

Special Guest: Oswald Oseratin Guobadia.

This week’s conversation is a milestone coming to you in two parts. We're 300+1! And my guest is a return voice with serious currency in the public service media and reparatory justice movements. Born in Sierra Leone, Makmid Kamara is a human rights leader, reparatory justice advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), where he is leading the organization’s grantmaking efforts to support independent media. He is also the Founder of Reform Initiatives (LBG), an organization working with policymakers, political leaders and affected communities to advance the cause of reparatory justice for historical crimes against Africans and people of African descent. When he last joined us, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. Prior to ATJLF, Makmid worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; he served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher.

As a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow and an Obama Foundation Leader - Africa, Makmid seamlessly connects his service mindset with a level of technical expertise and professionalism that inspires and is consistently moving the dial on #PanAfricanProgress.

Where to find Makmid?
On Glocal Citizens
On LinkedIn

What’s Makmid watching?
Manchester United

Other topics of interest:
Freetown, Sierra Leone and Reparatory Justice
East Legon, Accra
About James Deane, co-founder IFPM

About Khadija Patel
Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
About the Nama People and The Landless Peoples Movement in Namibia
The [Wakati Weti Festival](link https://www.wakatiwetufestival.org/WWF2025#/aboutwakatiwetu?lang=en)
African Futures Lab
Deep South Solidarity Fund
Baraza Media Lab

Special Guest: Makmid Kamara.

This week’s conversation is a milestone coming to you in two parts. We're 300+1! And my guest is a return voice with serious currency in the public service media and reparatory justice movements. Born in Sierra Leone, Makmid Kamara is a human rights leader, reparatory justice advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), where he is leading the organization’s grantmaking efforts to support independent media. He is also the Founder of Reform Initiatives (LBG), an organization working with policymakers, political leaders and affected communities to advance the cause of reparatory justice for historical crimes against Africans and people of African descent. When he last joined us, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. Prior to ATJLF, Makmid worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; he served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher.

As a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow and an Obama Foundation Leader - Africa, Makmid seamlessly connects his service mindset with a level of technical expertise and professionalism that inspires and is consistently moving the dial on #PanAfricanProgress.

Where to find Makmid?
On Glocal Citizens
On LinkedIn

What’s Makmid watching?
Manchester United

Other topics of interest:
Freetown, Sierra Leone and Reparatory Justice
East Legon, Accra
About James Deane, co-founder IFPM

About Khadija Patel
Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
About the Nama People and The Landless Peoples Movement in Namibia
The [Wakati Weti Festival](link https://www.wakatiwetufestival.org/WWF2025#/aboutwakatiwetu?lang=en)
African Futures Lab
Deep South Solidarity Fund
Baraza Media Lab

Special Guest: Makmid Kamara.

I met this week’s guest, Derrick N. Ashong, earlier this year in Nairobi at the Charter Cities Institute, 2025 New Cities Summit. At the summit, we connected as storytellers that share Ghanaian heritage and formative years spent in Brooklyn, New York. In a glocal citizenship twist, we later came to find that we met virtually years prior through mutual connections in the media and arts spaces. Derrick’s work leverages his international upbringing which informs his company’s vision for Turning Culture into Currency for creators and fans worldwide. He does this as founder and CEO of TBTM, a media fintech that uses content to onboard global audiences to inclusive financial solutions, with partners like Mastercard. While still a student at Harvard, he played a supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, and went on to top charts with his band, winning a Billboard Songwriting Award. As a host and producer, he pioneered multi-platform interactive content with Oprah Winfrey, and major media platforms including ABC-Disney and Univision, earning three Emmy nods and a Royal Television Society Award. His original Take Back the Mic television series has won seven major international awards and achieved 1.1 Billion media impressions worldwide. He has delivered electrifying speeches on issues of Youth Culture and Tech for UK Parliament, the United Nations, and the world’s most elite business schools, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton, Cambridge and London School of Economics. He has interviewed celebrities and global luminaries ranging from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan, to Zoe Saldaña, Kevin Hart and Steven Wozniak, among others. Most recently, he has delivered keynote speeches for Mastercard, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and Kigali, as well as SuperReturn Africa--the continent’s top investment forum. In this conversation we get to know even more about the next phase of Derrick’s vision for flipping the script on creative industry infrastructure in Africa. #Listenandlearn more!

Where to find Derrick?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube

What’s Derrick reading?
Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series
Lord of the Rings by J.J.R Tolkien

Other topics of interest:
About Larteh in Ghana
Where are Dansoman and Adabraka in Accra?
What was music streaming like in the early 2000’s?
Soulfege performs Sweet Remix
About Uechi-Ryū Martial Arts

Special Guest: Derrick N. Ashong.

The final stretch of 2025 is upon us and along with winding down our year-long Glocal Citizens @5 commemoration, this flashback forward episode is right on time for many reasons. In her new book, Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden from Us, my returning guest, Anna Malaika Tubbs not only prompts readers (and listeners) to connect the many dots that encircle the systems and institutions that animate the current Administration of the United States, she also proposes a vision for how we collectively flash forward and overcome the inherent limitations to patriarchy, in the US and globally. The solution--people power.

Anna is a two-time New York Times bestselling author and multidisciplinary expert on current and historical understandings of race, gender, and equity. With a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Masters in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelors in Medical Anthropology from Stanford University, Anna translates her academic knowledge into stories that are clear and engaging. Her articles have been published by TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Guardian, and others. She first joined us to talk about her first book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, which came out in 2021. Anna’s storytelling also takes form in her talks, including her TED Talk that has been viewed 2 million times, as well as the scripted and unscripted screen projects she has in development which she hints at in our conversation. #Listenandlearn more!

Where to find Anna?
www.annamalaikatubbs.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Anna reading and watching?
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
The Amazing Race
All Her Fault

Other topics of interest:
Anna on The View
The Reecie Colbert Show
Higher Learning Podcast with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
The 19th News
About Modo Yoga
About Bikram Yoga

Special Guest: Anna Malaika Tubbs.

I met this week’s guest Patricia Lokwa Servant last November in Accra at a Forge: Harnessing Creative Arts for Reparatory Justice. The convening turned out to be a mini Glocal Citizens summit for us Accra-based peeps lead by Makmid Kamara in his new role leading Reform Initiatives, with Esther Armah and Nyamal Tutdeal participating as facilitators and storytellers Emmanual Etim and Brigitte Perenyi also took part. The program was designed to strengthen the reparations movement by fostering solidarity among artists, cultural workers, civil society, and government leaders across the African diaspora and I can say that as a group we gained much and continue to make progress amongst ourselves. This is indeed indicative of this conversation with Patricia, a program strategist, storyteller, and cultural organizer born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the Founder of http://CongoLove.org , Co-Founder of the Andrée Blouin Cultural Center in Kinshasa, and a Development Consultant with Friends of the Congo. Her work centers African knowledge, community resilience, and youth leadership across the continent and the global diaspora.

For more than a decade, she has designed and led multi-country initiatives strengthening institutions, expanding equity, and building pathways for collective empowerment. She has supported regional movements with Africans Rising, helped shape global narrative and education ecosystems with Farafina: The Black Link, and advanced gender-responsive learning programs with the African Women Development Fund.

Patricia currently serves as Fundraising and Partnerships Lead for SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana, where she strengthens donor systems and cultivates cross-border collaborations with aims of supporting young African students. She is also the former host of the radio show Congo Live, where she amplified stories of Congolese culture, history, and global engagement.

Patricia’s work bridges generations and geographies. She remains committed to building systems that honor African memory, uplift community wisdom, and support young people to lead with purpose and dignity. With Pan-Africanism at the heart of her life’s work, Patricia is making her mark as an architect of our collective #panafricanprogress mission!

Where to find Patricia?
CongoLove.org
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Patricia listening to?
Lucky Dube

Other topics of interest:
About the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1993
About Congolese Activist Kambale Musuvili
Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of Congo in his own words
On (Pan)-African Feminism
Kongo: Power and Majesty at the MET and thoughts from curator, Alisa LaGamma
About Dossier No. 77
About Ernest Wamba dia Wamba
USA for Africa + Marcia Thomas
About Emira Woods
About Coumba Toure
About Hakima Abbas and the Black Feminist Fund
About Filmmaker Thalia Mavros

Special Guest: Patricia Lokwa Servant.

I met this week’s guest Patricia Lokwa Servant last November in Accra at a Forge: Harnessing Creative Arts for Reparatory Justice. The convening turned out to be a mini Glocal Citizens summit for us Accra-based peeps lead by Makmid Kamara in his new role leading Reform Initiatives, with Esther Armah and Nyamal Tutdeal participating as facilitators and storytellers Emmanual Etim and Brigitte Perenyi also took part. The program was designed to strengthen the reparations movement by fostering solidarity among artists, cultural workers, civil society, and government leaders across the African diaspora and I can say that as a group we gained much and continue to make progress amongst ourselves. This is indeed indicative of this conversation with Patricia, a program strategist, storyteller, and cultural organizer born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the Founder of http://CongoLove.org , Co-Founder of the Andrée Blouin Cultural Center in Kinshasa, and a Development Consultant with Friends of the Congo. Her work centers African knowledge, community resilience, and youth leadership across the continent and the global diaspora.

For more than a decade, she has designed and led multi-country initiatives strengthening institutions, expanding equity, and building pathways for collective empowerment. She has supported regional movements with Africans Rising, helped shape global narrative and education ecosystems with Farafina: The Black Link, and advanced gender-responsive learning programs with the African Women Development Fund.

Patricia currently serves as Fundraising and Partnerships Lead for SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana, where she strengthens donor systems and cultivates cross-border collaborations with aims of supporting young African students. She is also the former host of the radio show Congo Live, where she amplified stories of Congolese culture, history, and global engagement.

Patricia’s work bridges generations and geographies. She remains committed to building systems that honor African memory, uplift community wisdom, and support young people to lead with purpose and dignity. With Pan-Africanism at the heart of her life’s work, Patricia is making her mark as an architect of our collective #panafricanprogress mission!

Where to find Patricia?
CongoLove.org
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Patricia listening to?
Lucky Dube

Other topics of interest:
About the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1993
About Congolese Activist Kambale Musuvili
Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of Congo in his own words
On (Pan)-African Feminism
Kongo: Power and Majesty at the MET and thoughts from curator, Alisa LaGamma
About Dossier No. 77
About Ernest Wamba dia Wamba
USA for Africa + Marcia Thomas
About Emira Woods
About Coumba Toure
About Hakima Abbas and the Black Feminist Fund
About Filmmaker Thalia Mavros

Special Guest: Patricia Lokwa Servant.

This week on the podcast returning guest, Baze Mpinja takes us nearly five years to the date on a flashback forward journey to her new now as a podcaster and Phoenician. Her new podcast, Reflections with Baze Mpinja comes at a time when she’s now calling one of her childhood hometowns home again and she’s finding a new sense of home in the work of translating and transcribing a career in beauty onto a new platform.
true to form, she describes adaptability as her superpower. She’s navigated startup-style multicultural magazines, national media powerhouses, and the creative side of theatrical advertising. Along the way, she’s honed the ability to dive into unfamiliar topics, collaborate cross-functionally, deliver clean, accurate work on tight deadlines, and tailor her writing to resonate with diverse audiences.

As a project-based writer and strategist, brands trust her to shape their voice, develop storytelling strategies, create compelling branded content, and craft executive communications. Her latest project, Reflections with Baze Mpinja is a sharp, witty podcast that holds up a mirror to beauty and society—exploring what’s beautiful, complex, and everything in between. The show goes beyond trends and product talk to unpack how beauty shows up in pop culture, sports, media, and everyday life. Listen and learn about how we’re both navigating the wide world of podcasting and more!

Where to find Baze and Reflections?
bazempinja.com
On Apple Podcasts
On Glocal Citizens

What’s Baze reading, watching and listening to?
Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff
The Diplomat on Netflix
The Pitt on HBOMax
The Agency: Central Intelligence on Showtime
In the Dark, a New Yorker podcast

Other topics of interest:
The Phoenician Resort
About Paradise Valley
About Tempe
Who is Curtis Flowers?
Revisit our conversation on AI in healthcare with David Hutchful

Special Guest: Baze Mpinja.

As part of my thought gathering and as five years of storytelling with dynamic diasporans becomes six, this week's compilation is a reflection on visionary entrepreneurs doing essential work improving food systems, as stewards of earth’s abundant resources, and by building and delivering value to communities. Each of these guests - Luther Lawoyin, founder and CEO of Pricepally in Nigeria; Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh, CEO of Grow For Me in Ghana; Wellington Baiden, CEO of Portal Forest Estates also in Ghana; and Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, founder of the One Love Community Fridge Project in the US, engages daily with the realities of the global challenges we are all facing - the availability and access to affordable, quality food; improving the livelihoods of those that deliver that food; and planning the land for the long haul.

The great thing about each of their entgerprises is that they are all growing and going strong with mission critical works, AND you can help ensure their continued success with your time, investment and/or donations.

Revist the full episodes with links to how to engage with each guest here:
A Revolution of Solutions with Luther Lawoyin
Crowdfunding African Agribusiness with Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh
Portal into Agro-Forestry with Wellington Baiden
Connecting Communities with Asmeret Berhe-Lumax

Special Guests: Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, Luther Lawoyin, Nana Opuku Agyeman-Prempeh, and Wellington Baiden.

Last week, Ghana lost another living legend, the first lady of the 4th Republic, Madam Nana Konadu Ageyman Rawlings. As we mourn this loss, I can’t help but to take note of how 2025 has been a year punctuated with transitions of many of Ghana’s cultural icons as well as civic leaders--all passionate about not only their crafts, but forward movement, Ghana’s progress. I invited my guest this week to join me in conversation particularly because of how her craft, her passion and her lineage converge in a story that is and will continue to make an impact on arts, culture and economic development in Ghana and beyond.

Ghanaian-American, Aretha Amma Sarfo-Kantanka is an accomplished global branding professional who has been instrumental in driving retail sales via innovative retail marketing and branding campaigns juxtaposing the fashion and music industry.

In 1998, Aretha launched VISIONS Entertainment & Publicity in New York City with a client roster inclusive of: fashion brands, designers, actors, artists, publications and more. She has created and managed numerous cross-promotional marketing and branding campaigns, from concept to execution, for record labels such as: Interscope, DreamWorks, Sony/Columbia, Island/Def Jam, Arista and Atlantic Records.
A decade later in 2008 she founded Global Fusion Productions Inc. promoting African culture, tourism, entertainment and news. Aretha has served as the liaison and connector for local and global businesses looking to target the vast and underserved global African market with events and projects including being a member of the team who brought Ghanaian icon, living legend and Glocal Citizen, James Barnor’s photography for exhibition in Ghana for the first time in 2012.

Aretha also served as coordinator and panelist for the launch of Fashion Forum Africa’s talk series on the business of fashion in Africa. Aretha has written for publications such as: New York based Applause Africa, MIA Magazine and Berlin, Germany based - POP Magazine covering global pop music and culture.

In 2023, Aretha curated Culture Curators: Hip Hop 50 at the National Museum of Ghana, the first of its kind exhibition at the museum that celebrated Ghana’s Diaspora connection thru music in a series of talks, films and one of a kind memorabilia items and commissioned art, along with bringing A/R technology to the museum for the first time in collaboration with The San Diego African-American Museum of Fine Art. 2024 sets the stage to honor and tell the story of Ghana’s unique modern music of Hip Life in celebrating its 30th anniversary so there is much, much more to come for this dynamic diasporan!

Where to find Aretha?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Aretha cooking?
Kontomire 101

Other topics of interest:
About Okomfo Anokye
Guan People of Ghana
About Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka
About KTA Mobile
About H.E. Nana Konadu Ageyman Rawlings
Capricorn Astrology
DollHouse Jeans
About the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Accra

Special Guest: Aretha Amma Sarfo-Kantanka.

This week’s encore episode is a timely flashbackconnection with my guest, the Soul Food Scholar, Adrian Miller. Adrian and I went to primary and secondary school in the same school district—Denver Public Schools, and we also both attended Stanford University. I selected this episode to revisit this week because it represents two locals that have been integral to my global self. I’ve just arrived in Colorado from my undergraduate homecoming reunion weekend in California at Stanford University. What a time was had! And more on that later!

Adrian, known as the Soul Food Scholar, is an award-winning food writer, attorney, and certified barbecue judge. His latest book, Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History: Cooking to the President’s Taste, is the first-ever history of the many chefs of Asian heritage who have prepared meals for the president. Two of his books, his first in 2014 Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time and his 2022 Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue are the James Beard Foundation Award for Reference, History, and Scholarship winners. His second book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas was a finalist for a 2018 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction.” He is also featured in the Netflix hit docus-eries, High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. In addition to his writing and speaking engagements, he is the executive director of the Colorado Councitl of Churches and, as such, is the first African American, and the first layperson, to hold that position.

Along with fascinating anecdotes about foods common on three sides of the Atlantic Ocean, you'll get a sense of how this lawyer by training found himself on a career path in service not only to his dreams, but to the uncovering, elevation and preservation of narratives about culture defining foods and food practices.

Where to find Adrian?
adrianemiller.com
EP135 on Glocal Citizens

Special Guest: Adrian Miller.

This week’s conversation dovetails themes that have become very present in my perspectives in the past year. Our conversation takes place in one of my locals, which happens to be a new-ish local for my guest--Brooklyn, New York. My guest, Ambassador Martin Kimani is a native of a soon-to-be local for me--Kenya. And we are both decidedly on a #PanAfricaProgress mission. Getting to this point, Ambassabor Kimani has spent his career operating at the intersection of diplomacy, security, and political legitimacy, working across national, regional, and multilateral systems to resolve conflict, build institutions, and negotiate power.

As Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, he served as president of the Security Council and the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS. His Security Council address of February 2022, delivered on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and viewed by millions, affirmed a core element of his leadership: the ability to bring moral clarity and strategic grounding to moments of international rupture. Earlier, in his career, he directed Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and served as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism advising three presidents through national and regional crises, from emergency evacuations to constitutional brinkmanship.

This year he stepped into a new role as President and CEO of The Africa Center in New York marking a new phase in his work where diplomacy, strategy, and narrative converge. At the same time his Pan-African portfolio, alongside his continued engagement with the United Nations, positions him as the current President of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

Where to find Martin?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Martin reading?
A Wreath for Udomo by Peter Abrahams

Other topics of interest:
About Mombasa, Kenya
Nyeri, Kenya
Kiambu, Kenya
About the Kikuyu People
Ambassador Kimani’s Security Council Speech
The First Pan-African Congress in London
The Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester
Who was George Padmore?
Necropolitics by Achille Mbembe
African Nationalism

Special Guest: Martin Kimani.

We’re talking about the business of teaching and learning from a design thinking perspective with my guest, fellow Stanford University alum, visionary educational leader and the founder and CEO of Roundtrip Ticket Home, an organization dedicated to helping educators reimagine school systems through design thinking, Kalimah Fergus Ayele. With almost 30 years of experience in education, her journey began as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching Chemistry in East Africa. Her career has spanned five countries, enriching her global perspective on learning, and bringing a deep understanding of urban educational landscapes to her transformative work.

Most recently, she served as the Head of NYC Campus for The Winchendon School where she led an innovative educational oasis in Manhattan, guiding high school students through real-world learning and a unique city-wide field study program designed to connect them with their passions. In this conversation we truly experience the roundtrip journey of a little girl growing up in Brooklyn and St. Croix, building on Pan-African rooting from an early age, who manifested her new and now as a global citizen ready for her next adventure.

Where to find Kalimah?
@roundtrip Ticket Home
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Kalimah reading?
All the Way to the River by Eizabeth Gilbert

What’s Kalimah watching?
aka Charlie Sheen on Netflix
Orgasm Inc: The Story of One Taste on Netflix

Other topics of Interest:
About St. Croix
Sleepy Hollow, New York
About the United States Peace Corps
About Brooklyn’s African Street Fair and International African Arts Festival
Courageous Conversation + Glenn Singleton
About the American University in Cairo
On Montessori Education
On Friends or Quaker Schools

Special Guest: Kalimah Fergus Ayele.

In case you missed us last week there’s good reason. My glocal speak for the week was #UNGA80. The streets and sounds of NYC all pointed to the United Nations General Assembly and myriad sideline events. My week was about all thing #PanAfricanProgress and I look forward to sharing stories from the ground in the coming months. One thing is for sure, the giant that is Africa is awake with millions of youth and experienced diasporans ready to keep all of our eyes wide open.

Much of that story is alive and well in my guest this week. Myra Dunoyer Vahighene is a storyteller, creative entrepreneur, and founder of Eleza Masolo, a cultural platform born on YouTube in 2020 and officially launched in 2022 to amplify African voices through storytelling, fashion, and visual arts. She authored Nyuma, the Thirsty Fish, a children's book tackling water justice in Africa, and regularly speaks across the continent — from Abidjan to Nairobi — about youth empowerment, branding, and narrative sovereignty. A Harvard-trained cultural leader, Myra blends Afro fashion, social storytelling, and entrepreneurship to inspire the new generation of African creators across borders.

We meet in Nairobi at the New Cities Summit in June of this year where our common passion for elevating storytelling targeting African children forged our connection. Her most recent literary work Ceux qu’on ne sauvera pas (The Ones We Couldn’t Save), published on August 10, 2025 is a powerful book blending real-life testimonies, allegory, and prophetic narrative to recount thirty years of war and suffering in her homeland, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Through this work is a moving tribute and a lasting call to remember the forgotten victims of ongoing conflict.

Where to find Myra?
Eleza Masolo
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

Who is Myra listening to?
Slimane

Other topics of interest:
Congo, Kinshasa
What’s happening in Goma?
Kivu and the ongoig conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Great Congo River
About DRC’s many ethnic groups
What is an ISBN
France’s AFNIL platform
Teraanga
Lâche and Faiblesse in English
About The First Pyramid of King Djoser

Special Guest: Myra Dunoyer Vahighene .

This week we continue to reflect on GlocalCitizens@5 and we’re flashing back to our Womens' Herstory series in March 202. Ghana-based, London-born international award-winning journalist, playwright, global public speaker and entrepreneur, Esther Armah – a self-described ‘global black chick’ – has lived, worked, loved, and created across three cities in three countries on three continents – London, New York, and Accra. She is the Executive Director of the Esther Armah Institute of Emotional Justice and she leads a global team in Ghana, Chicago and London. Her most applauded work, which she describes as “more of a purpose than a profession” is centred on the concept of EMOTIONAL JUSTICE.

Pubilshed in 2022, her groundbreaking book Emotional Justice: A Roadmap for Racial Healing argues that the crucial missing piece to racial healing and sustainable equity is emotional justice—a new racial healing language to help us do our emotional work. She continues to build on this apparatus with complementary storytelling expressed via her breadth of creative media expertise. As part of EAIEJ’s third annual September event HEALING HARM | HEEDING HISTORY, themed WELLNESS in the face of WARFARE she’ll be hosting a screening and dialogue for her short film '...goodbye to the EMOTIONAL MAMMY' later this week.
Saturday, 20th September @ 6pm
African Film Society
East Legon, ACCRA
Tickets are SOLD OUT but be sure to follow and sign up for a screening near you!

Where to find Esther?
www.theaiej.com
On LinkedIn
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube

Other topics of interest:
Million Women March
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Steve Beko
Oliver Tambo
Women in the ANC
Truth and Reconciliation Commission South Africa
New Heritage Theatre Group
Danceworks London
www.iamadinkra.com
ICYMI - Nana Amoako-Anin's episodes - Part 1 and Part 2

Special Guest: Esther Armah.

As the season of academic studies begins in many institutions across parts of the world, including New York City where I have spent many years working with charter schools to open their doors to children and families, it’s a flashback moment for my guest and me to the days when she was first granted a charter to begin her social enterpreneurship journey as a school leader and founder. Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez is the Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of the International Leadership Charter High School, a rigorous college prep charter high school in the Bronx, New York where over 95% of its scholars graduate within four years enrolling in the college of their choice. In 2024, she expanded her vision opening a middle school in 2024.

Having worked in the field of education since 1980, over ths course of her career she has held various leadership positions in public schools and universities. In 2017, she was one of the recipients of the Distinguished Women Award (Mujeres Destacadas) presented by El Diario, the largest Spanish daily newspaper organization in the country. In 2022 as one of 100 Bronx Power Women. In 2023 she received the Educator of Excellence Award from the Black Latinx Asian Charter Coalition (BLACC). She is a founding member of the Latino Charter Leaders Roundtable and its current Chair.
Her first book, The Fight for Equity in the Bronx: Changing Lives and Transforming Communities One Scholar at a Time was published last summer and stands as a testament to years of focusing her vision as a servant leader as well as the manifestation of generations of purpose driven living and adaptating to new shores, creating home in other lands.

Where to find Dr. Ruiz Lopez and the International Leadership Charter High School?
Buy her book @ here!
Saturday (and weekends), September 13th - October 12th, 2025 at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition as part of “the art of Nuyorican Soul: A Love Letter from the Diaspora to the Island” exhibition.
International Leadership Charter Schools
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Elaine reading, watching and listening to?
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
My Grandmother’s Hands by Dr. Resmaa Menakem
Lupin on Netflix
CeCe Winans
Yolanda Adams

Other topics of interest:
About Historical Puerto Rico
On Immigrants and Migrants
The Bronx is Burning and other stories about struggle and settlement in The Bronx
What is the Jones Act?
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on PBS
Find our more about charter schoos via the New York City Charter School Center

Special Guest: Elaine Ruiz Lopez.

This week’s interview was recorded while my guest and I were on the same time zone in Western Europe--she in Portugal and the UK for me. My guest, Serene Lewis Lyles spent most of her 30-year career making complex things simple. She was on the forefront of launching technologies that, today, are foundational to our lives including digital video recording (the predecessor to streaming content), the Internet of Things (now known as “Smart tech”), and high-design vape tech (much to her embarrassment).

Fun fact, our paths crossed while we were both based in New York City in the aughts, and we share Colorado and Northern California as places we’ve also called home. After living and working in the States and the UK, she finished her career in San Francisco, as a Senior Director at Meta, leading the content design team behind Facebook and Instagram’s billion-dollar ads business. At Meta, she was also a leader of the employee resource group Black@ Design and founder of the Black@ Content Design Leads group.

Since retiring last year, She has now turned her experience of leading people in solving hard problems into a career coaching people through the challenging process of planning for retirement. Her super powers as a coach are being comfortable talking about money, being excited about other people’s dreams, and creating systems that drive action.

Where to find Serene?
serenelewis.coach
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On the Experts & Expats Podcast

What’s Serene reading and listening to?
A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Portuguese Lab Podcast
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Other topics of interest:
About Golden Visa Programs
More about international living in Uruguay
San Francisco’s de Young Art Museum
About the Forty Acres and a Mule
Blue Man Group
About Serene’s Mindset Hack @ 56:43

Special Guest: Serene Lewis Lyles.

This week on the podcast we’re flashing back to June 2020 when we first met Emmanual Agbeko Gamor while he was based in South Africa attending Wits Business School. Now glocal in his native Ghana and South Africa he continues to evolve on the personal and professional fronts. Widely known as Palmwine DJ, Emmanuel is a trailblazer in Ghana’s music scene, a digital professional, social entrepreneur, and music curator dedicated to preserving and celebrating African musical heritage. With over a decade of experience working remotely and collaboratively with local, regional, and multinational partners, he’s built a career that bridges the digital and physical worlds, creating impactful experiences through music, networking, and community building. As you’ll hear, this phase of E.A.Gamor is on the cusp of big moves in the coming year. #Listenandlearn more!

Where to find Emmanuel?
Palmwine DJ
On Glocal Citizens

What’s Emmanuel playing and listening to?
M3NSA
Kwan Pa Band
Ebo Taylor
Osibisa
Kyekyeku

Oher topics of interest:
What is Palm Wine?
On the roots of Palm-wine Music
Gome Drum
Jùjú Music
About EDM
On FutureCasting
About MTN and MTN Ghana
My iMali app

Special Guest: Emmanuel Agbeko Gamor.

This week on the podcast we have Part 1 of a two-part conversation centering a favorite topic of mine - education. The effectivenss of LinkedIn and it’s networkinng superpower facilitated our connection through common connects, Adja Maymouna Sakho and Laureen Adams.

My guest, fellow educator Kwame Sarfo-Mensah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Temple University. For nine years, he served as a middle school math teacher. Currently, he is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, a global educational consulting firm that specializes in developing K-12 teachers into identity-affirming educators. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has worked in the United States, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Zambia.

Additionally, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work, which include being honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. and being recognized as a Top Education Influencer by brightbeam, Inc. in 2021 and 2022.
His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", recently won the 2025 IPPY Award for Best Education Commentary Book and the 2024 Foreword INDIES Gold Book Award for Best Education Book.

Another dimension of Kwame’s glocal citizenship is the way that he, as a “trailing spouse” has forged forward despite the obvious challenges and has found success and expansion in his craft. I hope your listening will shed additional light on the ways that borderless mindsets are indeed manifesting a new world!

Where to find Kwame?
On Amazon
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On Youtube

What’s Kwame reading and watching?
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Untold Fall of Favre
Coach Prime

Other topics of interest:
About Mampong, Ghana
Where is Nsima, Ghana
About the Akwamu Empire
Lusaka, Zambia
A bit about Nyanja and other Zambian languages
Education past and present in Sierra Leone
Why Are All of the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Special Guest: Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.

This week on the podcast we have Part 1 of a two-part conversation centering a favorite topic of mine - education. The effectivenss of LinkedIn and it’s networkinng superpower facilitated our connection through common connects, Adja Maymouna Sakho and Laureen Adams.

My guest, fellow educator Kwame Sarfo-Mensah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Temple University. For nine years, he served as a middle school math teacher. Currently, he is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, a global educational consulting firm that specializes in developing K-12 teachers into identity-affirming educators. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has worked in the United States, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Zambia.

Additionally, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work, which include being honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. and being recognized as a Top Education Influencer by brightbeam, Inc. in 2021 and 2022.
His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", recently won the 2025 IPPY Award for Best Education Commentary Book and the 2024 Foreword INDIES Gold Book Award for Best Education Book.

Another dimension of Kwame’s glocal citizenship is the way that he, as a “trailing spouse” has forged forward despite the obvious challenges and has found success and expansion in his craft. I hope your listening will shed additional light on the ways that borderless mindsets are indeed manifesting a new world!

Where to find Kwame?
On Amazon
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On Youtube

What’s Kwame reading and watching?
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Untold Fall of Favre
Coach Prime

Other topics of interest:
About Mampong, Ghana
Where is Nsima, Ghana
About the Akwamu Empire
Lusaka, Zambia
A bit about Nyanja and other Zambian languages
Education past and present in Sierra Leone
Why Are All of the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Special Guest: Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.

The spirit of summers past visits with us this week; it’s another Glocal Citizens @‌5flashback forward episode. In 2023, my guest this week, Hawa Kombian joined us for a two part conversation while she was based in her adopted home country, Canada. Today she's back in Ghana spreading new wings as a leadership strategist, resilience coach, and organizational advisor dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations sustain their impact without sacrificing their people.

With 14+ years of experience in social impact leadership, public speaking, and organizational change, she has worked with leaders across North America, Africa, and Europe to prevent burnout, build resilient teams, and create lasting cultural shifts at both the individual and organizational levels.

And that’s where we’re picking up this week’s conversation. As a sought-after speaker and facilitator, she integrates mental resilience, emotional intelligence, and strategic leadership to help leaders navigate high-pressure environments without falling into unproductive burnout loops.

Where to find Hawa?
Hawa Kombian Consulting
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Soundcloud

What’s Hawa reading?
Dead Money by Jakob Kerr

Other topics of interest:
Gambaga, Ghana
About Najong #1
“Yaya hanya” and other beginning Hausa
P4 Pilates, Accra
Kukun Open Mic in Accra

Special Guest: Hawa Kombian.

This week on the podcast we have another gift from the Glocal Citizens community. In this two part conversation we meet Dr. Osei Alleyne. A joint PhD in Anthropology and Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and former inaugural postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Experimental Ethnography at Penn, Dr. Osei also holds an MA in Communications from Temple University. A still active internationally touring professional Canadian Hip hop artist and Spoken word poet of Trinidad & Tobago extract, his field research employs a multi-modal ethnography of Reggae, Rastafari, Afrobeat and Hip-hop performance communities and related social justice movements across the African diaspora, with an emphasis on the black Atlantic nexus between Jamaica and Ghana. We recently met while he was in Ghana working on his forthcoming book, Dancehall Diaspora: Rastafari and Rudeness in the African Postcolony, thanks to consumate connector, Muhammida el Muhajir. As Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University, his writing repertoire spans African diasporic art and philosophy movements such as afrofuturism, afropolitanism and afropessimism. In this conversation, Dr. Osei offers an insightful glimpse into the spaces he has navigated in honing this and his other crafts.

Where to find Osei?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube

What’s Osei watching?
First Peoples Documentary

Other topics of interest:
About Trinidad and Tobago
History about Carnivals in the Black Diaspora
The Book of African Names
On Africana Studies
About Liberia’s Edward Wilmot Blyden
About The Black Star Line,
Garveyism, and The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
About Ethiopianism
Alex Haley’s Roots
Association of Black Anthropologists
Zora Neale Hurston, Novelist and Anthropologist
About Cheik Anta Diop
About what was to be Akon City
Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Debate 1967
About Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall
About Author and Scholar, Paul Gilroy
Martin Bernal and Black Athena
Reggie Rockston and HipLife
About Shatta Wale
What is the Theory of Mind
Black Holes and the Macro Universe

Special Guest: Osei Alleyne.

This week on the podcast we have another gift from the Glocal Citizens community. In this two part conversation we meet Dr. Osei Alleyne. A joint PhD in Anthropology and Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and former inaugural postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Experimental Ethnography at Penn, Dr. Osei also holds an MA in Communications from Temple University. A still active internationally touring professional Canadian Hip hop artist and Spoken word poet of Trinidad & Tobago extract, his field research employs a multi-modal ethnography of Reggae, Rastafari, Afrobeat and Hip-hop performance communities and related social justice movements across the African diaspora, with an emphasis on the black Atlantic nexus between Jamaica and Ghana. We recently met while he was in Ghana working on his forthcoming book, Dancehall Diaspora: Rastafari and Rudeness in the African Postcolony, thanks to consumate connector, Muhammida el Muhajir. As Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University, his writing repertoire spans African diasporic art and philosophy movements such as afrofuturism, afropolitanism and afropessimism. In this conversation, Dr. Osei offers an insightful glimpse into the spaces he has navigated in honing this and his other crafts.

Where to find Osei?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube

What’s Osei watching?
First Peoples Documentary

Other topics of interest:
About Trinidad and Tobago
History about Carnivals in the Black Diaspora
The Book of African Names
On Africana Studies
About Liberia’s Edward Wilmot Blyden
About The Black Star Line,
Garveyism, and The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
About Ethiopianism
Alex Haley’s Roots
Association of Black Anthropologists
Zora Neale Hurston, Novelist and Anthropologist
About Cheik Anta Diop
About what was to be Akon City
Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Debate 1967
About Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall
About Author and Scholar, Paul Gilroy
Martin Bernal and Black Athena
Reggie Rockston and HipLife
About Shatta Wale
What is the Theory of Mind
Black Holes and the Macro Universe

Special Guest: Osei Alleyne.

This week’s guest, Tina Mbachu Obodozie first joined me in conversation in 2021, thanks fo the #BWiD Connect Whatsapp group. Since our first chat, she has shifted to a bi-continental lifestyle, based mostly in Nigeria as the new Exectuive Director of the Innovate Africa Foundation, while also managing her business activities in Canada. As a business and sustainable development expert specializing in business design, social impact assessment, and strategy development, her cross-sector career includes technology, natural resources, and the creative economy, where she has led teams, formed partnerships, and built development programs and incubators supporting market-creating innovations. Tina has worked with organizations like DMZ-a Toronto-based tech incubator and global startup ecosystem as well as Plan Canada, securing millions in funding and driving social and economic change. A recognized thought leader and ecosystem builder, she was named The Peak Emerging Leader 2024 in the Entrepreneurship category.

Where to find Tina?
@catalyst Venture
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Tina reading?
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Other topics of interest:
About World Product Day
What is Product Development all about?
More about Innovate Africa Foundation founder, Christian Idiodi
What is a susu?

Special Guest: Tina Mbachu Obodozie.

This week’s guest is another Glocal Citizens connection. In spring 2024, Amma Gyampo reached out to me me about connecting me with a like mind in education. That was the beginning of ongoing conversations with Laureen “Laury” Adams. With over 20 years of experience spanning both international and U.S. contexts as a classroom teacher, school leader, coach, designer, and professor, Dr. Laury possesses a unique skill set. This includes shaping innovative curricula, effectively supporting learning communities of all sizes, and coaching leaders to drive impactful change. Her design background informs her expertise in project-based learning approaches, performance assessment, and liberatory praxis. She collaborates with schools and education organizations to design critical, responsive, and loving curricula, assessments, and professional learning opportunities. Laureen is the founder and Executive Director of the Tutu Institute of Education for Liberation. As well as Senior Director of Professional Learning at ASCD Ghana.

Among her other roles on boards and consulting she is a Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor at Claremont Graduate University. She recently co-authored This Teachable Moment: Engaging Our Kids in the Joy of Learning to support parents and caregivers with providing project-based learning experiences at home. Download your free copy and #listenandlearn more about Laury’s work in session at SXSW EDU 2025.

Today, July 1st, Ghana marks its 65th Republic Day. Our conversation speaks to many of the themes we continue to work to realize as the country sheds its colonial character as a sovereign, free republic with Ghanaians leading and steering our social and economic destiny.

Where to find Laury?
https://www.liberatorylove.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Laury reading?
One Day, Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Finding Your Leadership Soul by Carlos R. Moreno

What’s Laury watching?
Forever, a new series

Other topics of interest:
About Long Beach, California
NYC Teaching Fellows Program
Envsion Academy Charter School
Teach for America
Sponsors for Educational Opportunities
'Love” in Twi

Special Guest: Laureen Adams.

I met this week's guest last month as a fellow AfroTalks 2025 speaker. Our collective charge for the event was to present our ideas about the "how" of Pan-African progress from mindset, to skills development to migration policy and the future of work. While I shared insights from the future of work salon series, our guest this week, David Hutchful participated on a panel discussing skills development. Born in Ghana, David is a passionate technologist, entrepreneur, educator, and design thinking expert dedicated to building tech-driven solutions in emerging markets. With over 25 years of experience in software development, he has led teams to create award-winning innovative platforms that drive business and social impact in Ghana and abroad.

As Co-Founder and CTO of Yemaachi Biotech (YC21), he is working to build the most diverse genomic database to advance precision oncology. Previously, he co-founded Bloom Impact, led technology innovation at Grameen Foundation, and worked at Microsoft Research. His expertise spans Fintech, Health tech, and Biotech, with a focus on leveraging technology for meaningful change--all topics we touch on in our conversation.

Where to find David?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s David watching?
Dept. Q on Netflix

What’s David riding and a few motorcycle clubs in Accra:
Yamaha XSR900
Ultimate Riders MC
Hotwheels Ghana MC
Biker Girls GH

Other topics of interest:
Apam, Ghana
Adukrom, Ghana
About Abelempke, Accra
What is the Africa Rising Movement about?
About Ahaspora
Why did nurses and midwives in Ghana go on strike?
Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in Ghana
About Kasapreko
About WACCBIP - West African Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens
GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation
+233 Jazz Bar and Grill
Empire of AI by Karen Hao

Special Guest: David Hutchful.

Well, kind of…this conversation was recorded last weekend from Nairobi on the eve of Father’s Day and a day after the opening of my guest, Michael Soi’s current group exhibition, The Print Press, an exhibit of woodcut prints by various Nairobi based artist at the Alliance Française de Nairobi 13th - 29th of June. I met Michael in his studio at The Go Down Art Centre when I first visited Kenya in February and after an inspired conversation I wanted to be sure to share his story here. As you’ll hear, he has been working in Nairobi since 1995 after completion of his fine art and art history studies. His distinctive work is inspired by contemporary life in Nairobi providing a photographic diary of Nairobi. It is also a satirical commentary of social, economic and political trends. His work explores relationships – intergenerational, interracial or generally what he calls the economics of love, commercial sex work and popular culture within the context of globalization and consumerism. A wonderful aspect of Michael’s visual storytelling craft is that he’s figured out the hacks that make his art accessible on many levels from the curious observer to the serious collector. Listen and learn more!

Where to find Michael?
On Artsy
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Michael watching?
About Planetary Parades or Syzygy

Other topics of interest:
About Machakos, Kenya
About Ancent Soi and the 1972 Munich Olympics
About the Kuona Trust Residencies
National Museums of Kenya
About Kenya’s second President Daniel arap Moi

Special Guest: Michael Soi.

We’re picking up more momentum toward African progress sharing the stories of dynamic diasporans making impact in the reparatory justice space. On the eve of Africa Day, I attended the premier screening of Omitted, a short film exploring reparatory justice and the legacies of colonialism by Lavinya Stennett, founder of The Black Curriculum. Raised in the UK with Jamaican roots, she founded The Black Curriculum in 2019 at age 22 shortly after finishing her studies at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) which included a study abroad program in New Zealand. Her learning and experience with indigenous communities in New Zealand joined with her activism as a student at SOAS are the framework for the craft of truthtelling that is at the core of The Black Curriculum.

Believing in the power of education, social impact and youth social entrepreneurship, her work has been recognised globally from Vogue and GQ to the historic Freedom of the City of London Award in 2024. She also has written on social and cultural themes throughout the African diaspora for outlets including the Guardian, Black Ballad, Quartz Africa.

Expanding her entrpreneurship journey, in 2024 Lavinya co-founded the Racial Impact Collective, an initiative supporting social entrepreneurs and seeking equity in the grant making world. The future is brighter with knowing that there is a generation fo social innovators with creative talents like Lavinya committed to justice for marginalized peoples.

Where to find Lavinya?
https://www.lavinyastennett.co.uk
TheBlackCurriculum.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Lavinya reading?
Material World by Ed Conway
Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi

Other topics of interest:
Portland and Saint Thomas, Jamaica
Barbados and the Welcome Stamp Visa - Note: the capital is Bridgetown, not Christ Church
The SOAS Walter Rodney Prize
Dream New Scholarship
Univrsity of Waikato
About the Treaty of Waitangi and the latest on the [protest haka in the New Zealand’s Parliament seen around the globe](linkhttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/5/new-zealand-parliament-suspends-maori-mps-who-performed-protest-haka)
About Omitted production partner, Transmission
About Peace First

Special Guest: Lavinya Stennett.

As we hit the halfway mark on 2025 our treat this week is a thought-provoking conversation with Wana Udobang, a multifaceted writer, poet, performer, curator, and storyteller based in Lagos, Nigeria. I met Wana last year during the Pa Gya! Literary Festival in Accra where she faciliated her own unique writing workshop - “Comfort Food” a storytelling and poetry workshop that uses food as a conduit to explore memories, history, joy, and healing which was born out of her culinary quality time during the pandemic. In this lively conversation we cover Wana's extensive body of work which encompasses her journey of becoming a creative professional in Nigeria, her spoken word albums and how she has honed her craft building a framework for entrepreneurship using various storytelling platforms.

00:00:23 Introduction and Opening Remarks
00:04:02 A Short Story About ECG
00:07:56 Introduction and Background
00:11:53 Wana's Creative Journey and Achievements
00:16:00 Life in Lagos and Cultural Insights
00:19:42 The Art of Storytelling and Poetry
00:23:38 Why the Where: Career Path and Returning to Nigeria
00:27:32 Comfort Food Workshops and Creative Collaborations
00:31:43 Glocal Speak
00:35:31 Organizing for Success: Tools and Techniques
00:39:27 Balancing Creativity and Economics
00:43:22 Mindset Hacks as an Ethos
00:47:30 The Role of Fellowships in Professional Growth
00:51:20 What's New and Next?
00:55:15 Reader, Watcher, Listener?
00:59:25 Final Thoughts

Where to find Wana?
wanaudobang.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube

What’s Wana reading?
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Lipado Manyika
All Fours by Miranda July
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

What’s Wana watching?
Conclave
The Substance

What’s Wana listening to?
Florence and the Machine

Other topics of interest:
About the Ibibio people of Nigeria
Def Poetry Jam
About Nnedi Okorafor and Akata Warrior as seen in the new Forever series on Netflix

Special Guest: Wana Udobang.

Where to find Ivy?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube
On Facebook
On Pintrest

Listen to Ivy on Farm Radio International’s Nature Answers
Get your copy of Ivy’s book Your Essential Guide to Moving to Ghana

Other topics of interest:
Tema at the Center of the Earth
Maternal Health Channel Founder Kwesi Owusu
About St. Catharine’s and the Underground Railroad
About Sambra City
About Gated Housing Estates in Ghana

Special Guest: Ivy Prosper.

This week Hélène Himmer, a French national with roots in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, now based in Portugal joins me in conversation about her current work at African Futures Lab (AfaLab) leading a project on climate reparations. I met Hélène last November at FORGE: Harnessing Creative Arts for Reparatory Justice, a convening of artists, media, cultural workers, civil society, and government leaders across Africa, Europe and the U.S. to further the movement for reparations. The event took place in Accra, Ghana and featured Glocal Citizens Esther Armah, Makmid Kamara, and Nyamal Tutdeal as facilitators. In addition to meeting so many dynamic diasporans I was introduced to organizations like AfaLab, an international non-profit organization supporting racial justice movements in Europe and Africa through conducting research and developing policy and legal strategies to empower civil society actors and public and private institutions in their fight for justice and reparations. Currently the Policy and Advocacy Officer at AfaLab, Hélène is a committed activist and professional with a diverse background in human rights law, corporate social responsibility and international development.

Her activism began in her early teens with a youth organization focused on education, youth rights and inclusion. She then spent several years working for racial justice in France. Moving to the corporate sector, Hélène worked in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in start-ups and technology companies. However, her passion for social impact led her to international organizations where she specialized in advocacy, project management and partnerships. Her work has focused on climate justice, peacebuilding, anti-corruption, women's empowerment, youth cooperation and inclusive societies across Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region.

Where to find Hélène?
AfaLab Policy Paper "Unlocking Climate Reparations: Key Obstacles in the Emergence of a Climate Reparations Framework"
Listen in on AfaLab’s Season 3 Podcast Future Perfect | futur antérieur on Climate Reparations
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Hélène reading?
REDD-Monitor

Other topics of interest:
[Brittany, France](linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany)
A bit about Guadeloupe
Who is Dr. Farhana Sultana?
About the Loss and Damage Fund
Center for International Environmental Law

Special Guest: Hélène Himmer.

This week’s guest is a dynamic activist that I had the pleasure of working with while distributing a documentary (see other topics of interest) featuring the work that has become his origin story in the world of Pan-African development. Hamzat “Hamzy!” Lawal is a global citizen, community organizer, an award-winning advocate and humanitarian who has successfully led grassroots campaigns in over 40 African countries. He specializes in practical issues associated with climate change, open data, advocacy and development policies affecting rural and deprived communities. He is the Founder of Follow The Money, a home-grown, Pan-African grassroots, data-driven initiative currently in 10 African countries. As the Chief Executive of Connected Development (CODE), an organization he also founded, CODE won the ONE Africa 2016 Award recognizing, rewards, and advances the exceptional work of African organizations; dedicated to helping the continent achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

When he is not social entrpreneuring, Hamzy sits on the Executive Board of the largest Youth Movement in Africa: African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC), and has joined his voice on different platforms and policy influencing coalitions across Africa such as the Not Too Young To Run movement which drives youth political inclusion. And also serves as an Education Champion with the Malala Fund, organization working for a world where all girls can learn for 12 years and lead without fear.

This is definitely a listening and learning opportunity with wonderful insights into the work of empowering the youth that are poised to lead the Continent.

Where to find Hamzy?
On LinkedIn
On Facebook
On Instagram

What’s Hamzy reading?
Love Does not Win Elections by Glocal Citizen Ayisha Osori

Other topics of interest:
The documentary that started it all Perspective
About Kogi State, Nigeria and the Ebira people
About #SaveBagega
Another side of Bauchi State

Special Guest: Hamzat Lawal.

This week returning guest, Yasmina Fagbemi, is flashing forward with us with an update on her latest projects and evolving glocal citizenship. Having emigrated to the United States in the 1990s, she began her career in marketing with major international corporations. Building on this experience, she developed her network to fuel her passion for cinema. She produced her first documentary, "Bigger Than Africa," a film highlighting Yoruba culture that was featured on Netflix. She went on to develop multiple projects and met Gabriel Souleyka, with whom she founded Tioleja Films to bring original projects to life that contribute to Africa's growing prominence in global cinema. The film "My Soul is a Witness" has been announced in pre-production across global media outlets. Her new feature film, "The Soul of Africa," directed by Gabriel Souleyka, will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May. As an editor and publisher, she is committed to publishing stories that others don't tell. Be sure to check out her socials for updates on where you can view or read more about African stories that are worth getting to know more about!

Where to find Yasmina?
https://tiolejafilms.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On TikTok

What’s Yasmina reading?
Tioleja Titles

What’s Yasmina watching?
Sinners

Other topics of interest:
Le Festival des Divinités Noires
About Lomé, Togo
About Aného, Togo
About Abrahamic Religions
Pavillon Afrique @ Cannes
More about the persecution of Blacks in the Nazi camp system
More about Joy-Ann Reid

Special Guest: Yasmina Fagbemi.

This week on the podcast, after the inspiring conversation in our last episode with Wesley Watkins about The Jazz & Democracy Project and more, I couldn’t resist giong back into the GC archives for an encore presentation of my conversation with Maestro Wynton Marsalis. We recorded this conversation when the podcast was just a toddler, back in the days when we were just “doing something” and not yet “manifesting a new world.” It was also on the eve of the 2020 election, however, like so many of our conversations the topics and insights remain evergreen. How far we’ve come and continue to carry on!

Check out the original show notes for more on his bio and topics of interest.

Where to find Wynton?
www.wyntonmarsalis.org
The Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra
On YouTube
On Facebook
On Instagram
On Spotify

What’s Wynton reading?
American Founders: How People of African Descent Established Freedom in the New World by Christina Proenza-Coles
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

Special Guest: Wynton Marsalis.

This week’s conversation comes in two parts. Like it’s geographical spread, northern hemisphere to southern hemisphere, think of this two part discussion as a way of engaging both hemispheres of your brain--the creative and the analytic. My guest is fellow Stanford alum and founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project® (J&D), Wesley “Dr. Wes” J. Watkins. After several years working in the education sector, Dr. Wes launched the program in November 2009 at Rosa Parks Elementary School, located in San Francisco's historic Fillmore District. J&D is a music integrated curriculum that utilizes jazz as a metaphor to bring democracy to life, enrich the study and teaching of history, government, civics and culture, and inspire youth to become active, positive contributors to their communities. He first proposed the curriculum as part of his undergraduate honors program at Stanford’s School of Education and later conducted research for his undergraduate honors thesis at Oxford University where he engaged and learned from music educators at both local elementary schools and world renowned secondary institutions. Now based in Sydney, Australia, J&D has traveled to countries all over the world and, in these times of global social transition, Dr. Wes anticipates continued opportunities to feature and further innovate using tools that will leave lasting impact on the ways that youth and educators approach building and living in their communities and beyond.

Where to find Wesley?
On LinkedIn
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube

Who’s Wesley listening to?
Joseph Solomon

Other topics of interest:
Activist Oakland, CA
Northern Beaches, Sydney Lifestyle
United States Studies Center
Crikey! or Kriky!
Flat White vs Latte
Geechi Taylor
Find Rachelle Farrell, Meshell N’Degeocello, on J&D
Ledisi
Christian McBride
Betty Carter + Ray Charles
Episode 47 featuring Wynton Marsalis
Jazz for Young People @ Lincoln Center
Check out the Chris Botti SF Show
About Robert, Bobby and Madison McFerrin

Special Guest: Wesley J. Watkins.

This week’s conversation comes in two parts. Like it’s geographical spread, northern hemisphere to southern hemisphere, think of this two part discussion as a way of engaging both hemispheres of your brain--the creative and the analytic. My guest is fellow Stanford alum and founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project® (J&D), Wesley “Dr. Wes” J. Watkins. After several years working in the education sector, Dr. Wes launched the program in November 2009 at Rosa Parks Elementary School, located in San Francisco's historic Fillmore District. J&D is a music integrated curriculum that utilizes jazz as a metaphor to bring democracy to life, enrich the study and teaching of history, government, civics and culture, and inspire youth to become active, positive contributors to their communities. He first proposed the curriculum as part of his undergraduate honors program at Stanford’s School of Education and later conducted research for his undergraduate honors thesis at Oxford University where he engaged and learned from music educators at both local elementary schools and world renowned secondary institutions. Now based in Sydney, Australia, J&D has traveled to countries all over the world and, in these times of global social transition, Dr. Wes anticipates continued opportunities to feature and further innovate using tools that will leave lasting impact on the ways that youth and educators approach building and living in their communities and beyond.

Where to find Wesley?
On LinkedIn
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube

Who’s Wesley listening to?
Joseph Solomon

Other topics of interest:
Activist Oakland, CA
Northern Beaches, Sydney Lifestyle
United States Studies Center
Crikey! or Kriky!
Flat White vs Latte
Geechi Taylor
Find Rachelle Farrell, Meshell N’Degeocello, on J&D
Ledisi
Christian McBride
Betty Carter + Ray Charles
Episode 47 featuring Wynton Marsalis
Jazz for Young People @ Lincoln Center
Check out the Chris Botti SF Show
About Robert, Bobby and Madison McFerrin

Special Guest: Wesley J. Watkins.

On this first day of April, we are trying to fool you, but just slightly. Though herstories month has just ended, we have the treat of catching up with one of featured voices from last week’s compilation episode. Returning with an update on Fourth Phase which was in the launch phase when last we caught up in 2020, is co-founder Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo. Nana is a dedicated social entrepreneur and humanitarian with a strong commitment to advocating for accessible healthcare for under-resourced women, children, and families. As the co-founder of Fourth Phase, she focuses on operations and our giving back program. She also founded non-profit, African Health Now (AHN), which is dedicated to providing vital health information and services across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior moving into entrepreneurship, Nana had a successful background in media, having worked with prominent titles such as Honey, Suede, and Essence. And also held positions at the Clinton Global Initiative Foundation and New York Mission Society. Her philanthropic efforts have been recognized globally. In 2017, she received the prestigious title of Humanitarian of the Year from the National Council of Ghanaian Associations, recognizing her impactful contributions. She was acknowledged with a New York State Senate Proclamation acknowledging her commitment to health advocacy. She has also received the Andrew Heiskell Humanitarian Award by Time Inc.

Catching up with Nana is an absolute delight, between learning all about the business of Fourth Phase to mompreneurship, I think you’ll feel welcomed into a world of innovation in a serious health area with a touch of light-heartedness. In case you missed our previous conversations, links are below.

Where to find Nana?

On Glocal Citizens
On Instagram
Fourth Phase on Instagram
Healing After Birth Podcast

What’s Nana watching?
The Golden Girls
The Cosby Show
Chicago Fire | PD | Med | Justice

What’s Nana listening to?
Beres Hammond

Other topics of interest:
Fourth Trimester in Websters Dictionary
Dr. Edward Brown in practice
About Dr. Andrew Alexis and his new program Skin of Color Savvy
Where to find Dr. Ama Alexis
About the TOMS model

Special Guest: Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo.

Every March since launching the podcast, we dedicate the month to women - it’s our Women's Herstory Month series. Closing out this year’s series are excerpts from conversations over the years with Glocal Citizens working to empower, develop, support and uplift women in Africa and beyond.

We’ll hear social development scholar, author and facilitator, Yaliwe Clarke discussing her craft and how feminism has always been native to her being. Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo shares how her NGO, African Health Now inspired the innovative fourthphase box solving for the unspoken and overlooked needs of women postpartum. Daisry Obal tells us how her work in policy informed and inspired her to build the Oyayone Foundation dedicated to transforming Namibia one mother at a time. With a passion for building solutions that matter, Tiambi Simms, co-founder of social enterprise, SheFarms shares what her guiding question, “How are we going to feed 9.7 billion people by 2050?” means in practice. And Aissata Sidibé N'dia, president and founding member of Yelenba-Women in Action shares how their concrete actions approach has been impactful in supporting African women and girls to help themselves to improve their daily lives. In case you missed the full episodes, check out the links below.
In these monumental times we are traversing, I leave you with these thoughts as you “listenandlearn:
"You are the author of your own story. Write it boldly, rewrite it fearlessly, and inspire others with every chapter."

Where to find Yaliwe?
Episode 214

Where to find Nana?
Episodes 42 and 43

Where to find Daisry?
Episode 134

Where to find Tiambi?
Episode 142

Where to find Aissata?
Episode 59

Special Guests: Aissata Sidibe N’Dia, Daisry Obal, Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, Tiambi Simms, and Yaliwe Clarke.

This week, Women’s Herstories Month takes me back to my recent journey to Nairobi, Kenya where the Glocal Citizens community came through in full effect. While in Nairobi I hosted the final session in the Glocal Citizens Future of Work Solutionscape and Stretch Salon Series--stay tuned for the full podcast series coming in May, and caught up with past guests, including meeting a few for the first time. This week’s connection comes courtesy of Episode 146 guest, Michelle Donald. Both Michelle and this week’s guest, Vuyanzi Rodman are truly living a #borderlessmindset lifestyle. And like these women, I too now hold Kenya near to my heart. Coach Vuyanzi has called Nairobi home since 2023 where she is a sought-after resource in the corporate space and at an individual level. Her client base spans medical doctors, educational leaders performance artists, business owners, ministers, politicians, C-suite executives and corporate VPs across four continents. With a focus on women leaders, Coach Vuyanzi helps her clients become more impactful leaders by conducting one-on-one coaching to clarify their goals and overcome blocks that are holding them back, such as self-limiting beliefs and fear. She empowers women leaders through her YouTube channel, Find Your Voice with Coach Vuyanzi and uses the platform to interview women from around the world and to share her own empowering stories.
As a seasoned TV presenter and radio host, she led a successful season of Rise and Shine, the popular morning show on one of Kenya’s leading Christian channels, Family Media and Family TV.

Where to find Coach Vuyanzi?
http://vuyanzi.live/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Vuyanzi reading?
I’ll Take Some Self Love with That by Cece Ojany- Bekhor
What' so Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey

What’s Vuyanzi watching?
Paradise featuring Sterling K. Brown
BritBox

Other topics of interest:
Village of Piermont, New York
About Teaneck, New Jersey
About the United African American Community Center-UAACC in Tanzania
Insights on African-American migration to East Africa, 1970s

Special Guest: Vuyanzi Rodman.

Over the week/weekend just passed, the world recognized International Women’s Day as well as Ghana’s 68th Independence Day. Both happenings inspire thoughts, reflections, and movement in my heart and mind especially as I, we sit in constant review of the world we are making, remaking and re-imagining for our now. My conversation this week, in our continued March Herstories Month series is with British-Ghanaian, Elvina Quaison, is with a diasporan working intently with and within communities engaged in this re-imagining. She's now based back in the London after relocating to Brussels since our last conversation. In her time in the EU hub, she supported diaspora and government representatives as Diaspora Engagement Specialist for the EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF), a pilot project funded by the European Commission and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Elvina recently took on the role of CEO with Shabaka, a values-driven consulting and research organization focused on diaspora and migrants' humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery. She has worked in the international development field, with a focus on African diaspora, for over 20 years; her experience spans diaspora engagement in humanitarianism, development, private and public sector as well as within civil society. She specializes in diaspora and private sector investment with a focus on the utilization of diaspora investment to enhance economic growth in countries of heritage and residence. Our conversation is a wonderful flash forward offering a hopeful persective on how #dynamicdiasporans are engaging with the concept and a #borderlessmindset, and #manifestinganewworld.

Where to find Elvina?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Elvina reading?
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Other topics of interest:
Notes on serving on boards
On Belgium’s Human Zoo
Brussel’s AfricaMuseum
On the brutality of Belgium’s King Leopold
On Onyekachi Wambu
A conversation with Sophia Stewart, creator of The Terminator and The Matrix
Shifters Play UK
About Supacell

Special Guest: Elivina Quaison.

As is our tradition, this month is all about herstories. Kicking it off is fellow Stanford Cardinal and return guest, Stacy Kirk. Stacy has over 15 years of experience helping organizations and entrepreneurs achieve their visions through technology and process optimization. She specializes in strategies that drive sustainable growth and scalability, with a passion for supporting diverse, small businesses. Stacy excels at turning visionary ideas into practical solutions, enabling success for her clients. Her dedication to innovation and inclusion continues to make a lasting impact in the business world. As the founder of QualityWorks, she empowers visionary entrepreneurs to achieve their go-to-market goals through technology, AI, and an iterative release process. Continuing to expand on her tech activism Stacy is increasingly dedicating her craft to social impact and human progress for all. She recently teamed up with another fellow Stanford Alum, Dr. Anndretta Lyle as co-founder of Thrive Culture Box which is all about empowering families and educators to change the ways that we are building knowledge in Black communities.

Where to find Stacy?
@posture
@Quality Works Consulting Group
On LinkedIn
On Instagram

What’s Stacy Reading?
Life Is a Comeback : 299 Inspiring Success Stories of Redemption, Determination, Second Chances, Forgiveness, and the Amazing Force of the Human Spirit by Daron “Dr. Comeback” Fordham

Other topics of interest:
Thrive Culture Box in Black Enterprise
Black Arts Camp
The Bionic Woman Series

Special Guest: Stacy Kirk.

This week’s episode has been in the making since Episode 122 guest, Natasha Moore. I’m joined by interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, scholar and educator, specializing in dance forms of the African Diaspora, Winston Benons, Jr. He has extensive training in Afro-Cuban, Haitian, Afro-Brazilian, and Bomba dance, complemented by studies in Horton and Dunham modern dance techniques. He has curated and led intensive programs in culture and dance techniques in both New York City and Cuba. He is the Founder and Director of tRúe Culture & Arts, an organization dedicated to facilitating cultural exchanges, workshops, and academic residencies.

His works and studies have explored the intersections between Theater and Performance Studies, Curation and Visual Culture culminating in his graduate thesis entitled Marked: The Racialization Of African Phenotypes And Creation Of An Embodied Archive. Also an educator, he served as a lecturer at Pace University and an adjunct faculty member at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He has also held guest faculty positions at Ballet Hispánico, Peridance, Djoniba Dance & Drum, and Cumbe. He is currently the US/MS IB Dance educator at Brooklyn Friends School.

Recent choreography and direction credits include Amahl and the NIght Visitors and What Lies Beneath with On Site Opera, where he also served as the cultural advocate. Most recently, he developed and performed part 1 of a series entitled Conversations with Rothko at the SMART Museum in Chicago.

Where to find Winston?

the-culturalist.com

On LinkedIn

On Instagram

On Facebook

What’s Winson watching?

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight and other works

Dianne Reeves

Other topics of interest:

From British Guiana to Guyana

The Country of Five People

Madeira Islands

What’s The Highline?

How Chemical Bank became Chase Bank

ASWAD - Assocation for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora

Wideman Davis Dance

Special Guest: Winston Benons, Jr..

As I head back to the Continent, I can’t help but to train my mind on what it takes to seed and sow solutions in Africa’s best interest. This week’s guest has been invested in these types of solutions for his entire career. A serial social entrepreneur, innovation consultant, service designer, learning scientist and startup coach, Femi Longe is passionate about helping individuals and organizations be and do their best to enable a better world. Born in the UK, raised in his Nigera and now based in Ireland, Femi currently works on the Financial Freedom team at the Human Rights Foundation as Global Bitcoin Lead, driving strategy and execution of the HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund, This is a fund dedicated to growing adoption of Bitcoin and adjacent freedom technologies especially in countries under repressive regimes. Previously, he was the CEO of QALA Africa — acquired by Btrust and transformed into Btrust Builders, which is an engineering training programme helping African software developers transition to careers in Bitcoin & Lightning development.

Prior to joining the Bitcoin ecosystem, Femi co-founded and remains a non-executive Director at Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), Africa’s leading social innovation centre and tech hub. Earlier in his career, he gained experience at the UK's foremost social innovation centre, The Young Foundation, where he established the UpRising Leadership Programme.

As the transitions between the Stone Age to Bronze Age, and various different human technologies delivered us to the Industrial Age and presently the Information Age, all contributing the imprint that is humanity today, I am exstatic to be a storyteller with the ability to share perspectives like these - stories that support and inspire a borderless mindset and are indeed manifesting a new world.

Where to find Femi?
On LinkedIn
On YouTube

What’s Femi watching?
Wicked
Emilia Pérez

What’s Femi reading?
Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Other topics of interest:
Ilesa, Nigeria
Ijesha tribe
About AIESEC
Silk Road
Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin Vision
Meme Coin Spoils
Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX
What happened to Silicon Valley Bank
About South Korean crypto currency entrepreneur Do Kwon
Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath
On Morning Pages

Special Guest: Femi Longe.

It’s the eve of the Lunar New Year - the year of the Wood Snake, which in combination represent growth, flexibility, tolerance, wisdom, intuition, mystery, and cunningness with hints of furtiveness. These themes are a fitting context for this two-part conversation with Ghanaian-Brit, Akua Ofosuhene. Akua is an active and vocal plant medicine advocate and a psychedelic guide specializing in Psyliosibin (magic mushrooms) and Ayahuasca. Advising on intentions and integration she helps her clients get the most out of the psychedelic experience by teaching them other supporting healing modalities furthering healing and growth. She has spoken at the UK's largest psychedelic conference, Breaking Convention where she is also on the management board, Oxford University, UCL, Drug Science, Psychedelic Society UK, and at many other events and podcasts. As the founder of African Spiritual Practices Events and Retreats she will be facilitating her first Ayahuasca retreat in Ghana, with plants grown locally in Ghana, February 16-22, 2025. The podcast is no stranger to this sector, listen and learn more from mental health futurist, Sara Reed and stay tuned for an upcoming conversation with writer and professor, Dr. Nicholas Powers about his newest work, Black Psychedelic Revolution.

Where to find Akua and register for the upcoming retreat?
https://www.akuao.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On TikTok
On X
On YouTube

What’s Akue reading?
Addiction Expert, Gabor Maté and his book Hold on to Your Kids
Diane Benscoter and Shoes of A Servant

What’s Akua watching?
The Real Housewives

Other topics of interest:
Who was Okomfa Anokye?
About Mampong
Gyetiase Village
Yaa Asantewaa War
A brief history of Denim Styles in the 1970s
About Camden Lock Market
About Carnaby Street
A Punk Perspective
Kirikou and the Sorceress Animated Film
Social-economic Impacts of Ebola in West Africa
EMDR - Rapid Eye Movement Therapy
EFT Tapping
African Perspectives on Igoba
Creator of eutaptics® FasterEFT™, Robert Gene Smith
Byron Katie and The Work
Ayahuasca Plant Science
The Ayahuasca Manifesto

Special Guest: Akua Ofosuhene.

It’s the eve of the Lunar New Year - the year of the Wood Snake, which in combination represent growth, flexibility, tolerance, wisdom, intuition, mystery, and cunningness with hints of furtiveness. These themes are a fitting context for this two-part conversation with Ghanaian-Brit, Akua Ofosuhene. Akua is an active and vocal plant medicine advocate and a psychedelic guide specializing in Psyliosibin (magic mushrooms) and Ayahuasca. Advising on intentions and integration she helps her clients get the most out of the psychedelic experience by teaching them other supporting healing modalities furthering healing and growth. She has spoken at the UK's largest psychedelic conference, Breaking Convention where she is also on the management board, Oxford University, UCL, Drug Science, Psychedelic Society UK, and at many other events and podcasts. As the founder of African Spiritual Practices Events and Retreats she will be facilitating her first Ayahuasca retreat in Ghana, with plants grown locally in Ghana, February 16-22, 2025. The podcast is no stranger to this sector, listen and learn more from mental health futurist, Sara Reed and stay tuned for an upcoming conversation with writer and professor, Dr. Nicholas Powers about his newest work, Black Psychedelic Revolution.

Where to find Akua and register for the upcoming retreat?
https://www.akuao.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On TikTok
On X
On YouTube

What’s Akue reading?
Addiction Expert, Gabor Maté and his book Hold on to Your Kids
Diane Benscoter and Shoes of A Servant

What’s Akua watching?
The Real Housewives

Other topics of interest:
Who was Okomfa Anokye?
About Mampong
Gyetiase Village
Yaa Asantewaa War
A brief history of Denim Styles in the 1970s
About Camden Lock Market
About Carnaby Street
A Punk Perspective
Kirikou and the Sorceress Animated Film
Social-economic Impacts of Ebola in West Africa
EMDR - Rapid Eye Movement Therapy
EFT Tapping
African Perspectives on Igoba
Creator of eutaptics® FasterEFT™, Robert Gene Smith
Byron Katie and The Work
Ayahuasca Plant Science
The Ayahuasca Manifesto

Special Guest: Akua Ofosuhene.

I had the pleasure of hosting this conversation late last year and it’s now right on time as my guest, Elizabeth Solaru and her team hosted their 2025 Diversity in Luxury Awards last week in London. Born and raised between the UK And Nigeria, Elizabeth is an author, international keynote speaker and award-winning entrepreneur. Formerly a scientist and headhunter, she honed her expertise in understanding luxury clients having successfully founded the world-renowned and multi-award-winning atelier Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium and the Luxury Business Emporium.
Author of the best-selling book, OPULENCIA, Elizabeth is the co-host of the Luxury Business Podcast and Luxury News Weekly Podcast, a humorous and informative news commentary podcast focusing on luxury news and the business of luxury. Creator of the first million-dollar cake NFT, she is considered to be a leading expert in the world of luxury selling.
As an international speaker, she has spoken in 30 cities around the world and her latest book, The LUXpreneur: How to start and build a successful luxury brand extends that global reach changing the narrative on how to build a luxury business by providing an in-depth analysis of luxury entrepreneurship and client psychology.

Where to find Elizabeth?
www.luxurybusinessemporium.com
On LinkedIn
On Facebook
On YouTube
On Instagram
On TikTok

What’s Elizabeth reading?
Clarity and books by James Clear

Other topics of interest:
About Pimlico, London
About Barnet, UK
Lady Elizabeth Anson
Bain’s Luxury in Transition Report
NFT 101
Chanakya School of Craft
Tea at The Dorchester
Tea at the Ritz
About Tea at sketch
Tea at the Shard
Tea at the Taj
Cedric Grolet at The Berkeley

Special Guest: Elizabeth Solaru.

After spending the new year chasing [Aurora Borealis aka the Northern Lights](linkhttps://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html) in the North of Ireland and communing with friends and family there and in the UK, I’m back in NYC grounding and self-caring for a bit. The not so great news is that I just missed seeing the Northern Lights live, but now I’m that much more prepared for the next time. The great news is that I was able to catch up with this week’s guest, Ghanaian actor, producer and casting director, Agbeko “Bex” Mortty before he heads to the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival representing Ghana with The B.A.T.U. Project: ADAM THE FIRST, Ghana’s first feature length science fiction film. He has stared in films and series like the Tribeca Film Festival award winning film Children of the Mountain, Shampaign, Men Don’t Cry, The Cursed Ones, and the world No. 1 Netflix Original Sci-Fi TV series AWAY, staring Hilary Swank and Josh Charles. His production titles include Children of the Mountain, Amerikafuo and The B.A.T.U Project: ADAM THE FIRST. As casting director his projects include FREETOWN, PARADISE and Children of the Mountain.
In addition, he is also an IT consultant and an enstooled chief in Ghana’s Volta Region, which Bex tells us all about in this in depth tour of his experiences as a returnee.

Where to find Bex?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Bex reading?
Producing Independent Feature Films That Make Money by Rick Jenkins

Other topics of Interest?
About Tamale, the Dagomba People and Dagbani language
The Yaa Centre in London
About Gbledi, in Hohoe, Volta Region Ghana
Ghana Inaugurates, John Dramani Mahama as President
Africa Cinema Summit
About Filmmaker M. Sayibu
About Silver Star Tower, Accra and their Corporate Run Ghana Initiative
Where did my Aurora chasing take me in Ireland?

Special Guest: Agbeko “Bex” Mortty.

This week we meet Aimée Wallin, co-director at the non-profit Ghana Food Movement. Born of Swedish and Malian heritage, since completing her studies in Ghana, she calls Ghana home and finds herself a political foodie advocating for local eating, sustainable production methods and preservation of black food cultures. Ghana Food Movement is a network for food actors in Ghana with the vision of a resilient local food system that provides jobs and nutritious food for all Ghanaians. At the end of December, they celebrated the opening of their food education hub in Accra, check out the festivities here. The kitchen is open!

Where to find Aimée?
Ghana Food Movement
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Aimée reading?
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
Jollof and Other Revolutions by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi

Other topics of interest:
About Mali
[Sweden through the Ages](linkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden)
Agricology
On Food Insecurity
Malian Cuisine
Try Fonio Flakes
The Blue Skies Story
Perspectives on Sankofa
Food Sovereignty Ghana

Special Guest: Aimée Wallin.

As we bid 2024 farewell, we have another Glocal Citizen to thank for our connection with this weeks guest. This fall in Accra, Rita Kusi and her team hosted their Global Conference on Human Resources in Africa 2024 where this week's guest was a featured panelist sharing her expertise as a leading business leader in the technology space. Ghanaian born and raised, Deborah Asmah is a trailblazing expert in digital governance and fintech, whose contributions have significantly impacted Ghana's fintech landscape. Her innovative approaches have enabled seamless access to payment tools, promoted financial inclusion, and driven digital transformation in various sectors. She is co-founder of Npontu Technologies Ltd, a tech company specialising in the use of AI for the provision of financial solutions and digital transformation. As a Certified Information Privacy Manager with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), she is also an ardent activist for Public Policy. With extensive research experience at the intersection of technology and financial inclusion she is passionate about leveraging digital tools and platforms to bridge social divides and promote financially inclusive, sustainable societies.

Where to find Deborah?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Deborah listening to?
Jubilare Group

Other topics of interest:
Winneba, Ghana
Ghana Skills and Knowledge Bank
Ghana’s Ministry of Communications and Digitization
On the Digital Financial Landscaape in Ghana
About National Service in Ghana
What are WAEC and BECE?
Stanford Seed

Special Guest: Deborah Asmah.

This week on the podcast, our first guest, Cordie Aziz is back with fresh insights from her work and life changes since our first conversation. Cordie, now a mother of three is Founder and Executive Director of Enviornment360 an NGO turned social enterprise that has successfully executed sustainable waste management projects in urban and coastal communities in Greater Accra and Kumasi. Cordie’s achievements include creating of the first successful community plastic collection program in Accra; developing the first waste picker-run sorting center in West Africa; and successfully partnering with local and national agencies as the recycling coordinator for the city of Accra, to name a few. We recorded this conversation during the ramp up to their 10th anniversary celebration at their new headquarters. In this conversation, we catch up on how Cordie is designing her work-life balance with purpose, allowing her to continue to evolve as an entreprenuer while staying rooted in her new role as a working mother.

Where to find Cordie?
Check out the show notes from her first appearance.

Other topics of interest:
Jackson State University
GhScientific
About Australian Aid
What is Verra?

Special Guest: Cordie Aziz.

We’ve been coming together nearly every week for five years!! On this day in 2019, this two-part interview with my first guest launched the podcast. In celebration and commemoration, stay tuned for episodes throughout the year revisiting past guests and catching up “Where are they now?” style. This week it’s a flashback to the very beginning with our first guest, environmentalist and social entrepreneur, Cordie Aziz. It’s delighting that this conversation stands the test of time and is as relevant then as now. Check out the show notes for Cordie’s other episodes to find out more about her then. And come back next week to catch up on Cordie’s now.

Where to find Cordie?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X

What’s Cordie reading?
Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer

Topics of interest:
On Dumsor
Kwasia!
Take a trip to Dodowa Market
What is waste picking?
About GIZ Ghana
What is PET?
A bit about the recycilng lifecycle of a plastic bottle

Special Guest: Cordie Aziz.

This week is the finale of our writing as activism series at the 2024 Pa Gya! Literary Festival. It has been such a pleasure bringing the works and words of these writers to a wider audience. It has been a wonderful multi-generational compilation of wisdom across genres. Joining us this week is Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, a Ghanaian storyteller known also by the alias, “The Spider Kid.” She is a weaver of words in many forms, including fiction, non-fiction and spoken-word poetry. Akotowaa has been nominated for various awards for her prose writing. Her work is included in the Flash Fiction Ghana anthology, Kenkey for Ewes and Other Very Short Stories, and the Writivism anthology, And Morning Will Come.

She is also included in the Africa Risen Anthology 2022 with her short story, “Exiles of Witchery”. Akotowaa’s debut novella, The Year of Return (2023) has been published in the US with Android Press and in West Africa with Smartline Publishers.

Writing aside, Akotowaa spends much of her time looking for excuses to make everything purple and this imaginative, playful spirit definitely shines through our conversation.

Where to find Akotowaa?
On the Ceiling
On Akotowaa’s Blog
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X
On Facebook

What’s Akotowaa watching?
Dr. Who
Sherlock

What’s Akotowaa reading?
The Color Purple by Alica Walker
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Saltwater Slavery by Stephanie E. Smallwood
Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie

Other topics of interest:
Black Girls Glow and the KOSHKA Sound Residency
Burma Camp, Accra
About Roald Dahl
Ananasesem
About Kente Cloth

Special Guest: Ivana Akotowaa Ofori.

We are nearing the end of our Writing As Activism series @ the 2024 Pa Gya! Literary Festival in Accra. This week, Ghanaian writer and editor winning acclaim as a children's author, poet, broadcaster and novelist, Nii Ayikwei Parkes joins the conversation. Winner of multiple international awards including the ACRAG (Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana) award, his novel Tail of the Blue Bird won France's two major prizes for translated fiction – Prix Baudelaire and Prix Laure Bataillon – in 2014. Nii Ayikwei is the founder of flipped eye publishing, a leading small press; serves on the boards of World Literature Today and the AKO Caine Prize; and was chair of judges for the 2020 Commonwealth Prize. Translated in multiple languages, he has also written for National Geographic, Financial Times, the Guardian and Lonely Planet. His most recent books are The Ga Picture Alphabet and Azúcar, a novel. Currently Producer of Literature and Talks at Brighton Festival, he is also author of two collections of poetry The Makings of You (2010) and The Geez (2020), both published by Peepal Tree Press.

In this conversation, we journey with Nii Ayikwei through his works, his entreprenuership, his love for food and rum, and much more!
See Nii in converation at Pa Gya! here.

Where to find Nii Ayikwei?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X
On YouTube
On Tik Tok
On BlueSky

What’s Nii Ayikwei listening to?
Gene Noble
Blues Man Robert Cray
The Roots
Cody Chesnutt + The Roots
and Headphone Masterpiece

Nii’s Pan-African Activism essential reading list:
Howard W. French, Born In Blackness
Mongo Beti’s, The Poor Christ of Bomba
Ama Atta Aidoo’s, No Sweetness Here
Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Mask
You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town, Zoë Wicomb
Kofi Awoonor, This Earth My Brother

Other topics of interest:
Historic Jamestown, Accra
Oto Blohum, Old Accra
North Kaneshie
Thornton Heath, UK
About Courttia Newland
Learn more about Nii’s uncle Frank Kobina Parkes
Nkyinkyim in the Adinkra
On Ghana’s Chop Bars
About Spanish-Caribbean Rum
About Rhum Agricole

Special Guest: Nii Ayikwei Parkes.

This week writing as activism is taking us to a land with a long history of activist thought ans action - Ireland. Born and raised in Nigeria, Dagogo Hart migrated to Ireland at an early age to complete his studies and now calls it home along with his young family. He is a poet, playwright, and spoken word artist whose words have wowed audiences from bar basements to electric picnic stages. He started performing in Dublin in 2016 in open mics and poetry slams, which saw him win the Slam Sunday grand slam and become an All Ireland poetry slam finalist. Since then he has performed for festivals like Electric Picnic, St. Patricks, Dublin Fringe, Drogheda literary festival, Cuirt International Poetry Festival, and First fortnight. He is one-third of the collective WeAreGriot - a poetry collective that curates art events around poetry. His personal works include, The Home Project (a series of poetry films), RedBeard Paddy (a poetry short film), Mmanwu (a play in the 2023 Dublin Fringe Festival), See True (a spoken word variety show) and Boy Child (a spoken-word play), the last two co-written with FeliSpeaks, Talkatives; a hip-hop and poetry slam as part of WeAreGriot. As you’ll learn in our conversation and glean from his works, his poetry is inspired by his hometown in Lagos, Nigeria, and his experience since moving to Ireland.
See Dagogo on stage at Pa Gya! 2024 performing his words here and in discussion about his works here.

Where else to find Dagogo?
WeAreGriot
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Dagogo watching?
Fences (film)
Shōgun (series)

What’s Dagogo listenining to?
Alice Smith sings “I Put a Spell on You”

Other topics of interest:
Surulere, Nigeria
Tralee, Ireland
Cork, Ireland
Visit Dublin, Ireland and the Clondalkin Tower
The Abbey Theatre and The Gate Theatre
Port Harcourt Tourist Beach
More on Chucky Ar la Inshallah
Where are the Irish language speaking towns in Ireland?

Special Guest: Dagogo Hart.

Click the and check out Vamba’s Pa Gya! session centering his latest book The Emperor's Son.

Where to find Vamba?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X

Vamba’s essential Pan-African activism reading list:
[The Radience of the King)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Radiance_of_the_King) by Camara Laye and excerpt to the introduction by Toni Morrison

Other topics of interest:
Who was Samori Touré?
Kolahun, Liberia
Liberia’s First Civil War
About Edward Wilmot Blyden, father of Pan-Africanism
About the Gulf War
Senegalese filmmaker, Ousmane Sembène
About Groningen
Why lekker is so sweet…
The Comet by W.E.B Dubois

Next up in our Writing as Activism series, this week’s episode, recorded at the 2024 Pa Gya! festival (in case you are wondering, this is the session taking place during our interview, features Nigerian poet and children’s book author, Aduke Gomez. Aduke embraced writing in the past decade after a career in law and finance. She now utilises her legal and advisory skills to assist in business and creative development. Commencing her career in legal practice with the law firm of Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, she later worked for many years in various leadership roles within Ecobank Nigeria Ltd and Leadway Pensure PFA. She is regularly called to speak and moderate on topics related to her interest in history and culture and these have included sessions at Cornell University; The Institute of Africa and Diaspora Studies at the University of Lagos; the Lagos State Record and Archive Bureau; the annual conference of the Lagos Studies Association; the Ake Festival; and the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) amongst others.

Her published collection of poems have featured as festival books for both the LABAF and the Ake Festival. And her children's books have also featured at previous editions of LABAF and Akada Children's Book Festival.
She is currently the Chair of the Steering Committee of Art4Life - an initiative of the Lagos State Ministry of Health established to introduce art and the practice of art into the entire healthcare process. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Open House Lagos as well as the Advisory Board of Lagos Biennial. She volunteers on the Board of Child Life Line - an NGO established for the welfare of street children.

In this conversation we not only get to know how Aduke pivoted into arts and public service, we also get to know more about her local in the context of her paternal ancestor's return from Brazil to Lagos. This speaks volume to the idea of activism as a way of being.

Where to find Aduke?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
OnX

Who is on Aduke’s essential Pan-African reading list?
Mariama Bâ, in The Paris Review and more
Ama Atta Aidoo
Buchi Emecheta
Florence “Flora” Nwapa

Other topic of interest:
Return migration: Brazilians in Nigeria
The Nigerian Brazillian Project
About the Emanicapados of Brazil
Who are Tabom peoples?
Biola Alabi Media

Special Guest: Aduke Gomez.

The first Tuesday in November represents the official US election day. As polling evolves for higher participation and greater inclusion, most states offer early voting so millions have already cast thier votes. Throughout this year of elections across the globe, the build up to the two where I have a say, the United States and Ghana, has played a critical role in inspiring my most activist self to move the dial in different ways toward manifesting a new world. Coincidentally, this week on the podcast kicks off our Writing as Activism series in coordination with the Pa Gya! Literary Festival in Accra. Recorded live at the eighth installment of the festivaland in the days that followed, starting the panel, Writing as Activism: Ghanaian Voices and Pan-African Perspectives Across Genres, the conversation starts with a distinguished voices covering works of poetry, screenwriting, and nonfiction scholarship with:

Nicole Amarteifio is an acclaimed Ghanaian-American TV/film writer, director, and producer. She successfully launched the hit web series 'An African City’ - dubbed by CNN and the BBC as Africa’s answer to ‘Sex and the City’.

Returning Glocal Citizen, Nydia A. Swaby is a Black feminist artist, researcher and curator. Her practice engages archives, autoethnography, photography, the moving image, and the imagination to explore the gendered, diasporic and affective dimensions of Black being and becoming. In addition to curating artistic programmes, she creates visual narratives, research and performance texts. Nydia's first book, Amy Ashwood Garvey and the Future of Black Feminist Archives, was published by Lawrence Wishart in October 2024 as part of LW's Radical Black Women book series. She is also developing an artist film, Amy and Me in the Archive, which will be screened at the forthcoming Singapore International Photography Festival 2024.

And Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Kwame Dawes, author of numerous books of poetry and other books of fiction, criticism, and essays. His most recent collection is Sturge Town (Peepal Tree Press, UK 2023). Dawes is Professor of Literary Arts at Brown University. He teaches in the Pacific MFA Program and is the Series Editor of the African Poetry Book Series, Director of the African Poetry Book Fund, and Artistic Director of the Calabash International Literary Festival. He is a Chancellor for the Academy of American Poets and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Kwame Dawes is the winner of the prestigious Windham/Campbell Award for Poetry and was a finalist for the 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. In 2022 Dawes was awarded the Order of Distinction Commander class by the Government of Jamaica. He is the Poet Laureate of Jamaica (2024-2027).

Click through to find out more about the Pa Gya! Literary Festival and the Writer’s Project Ghana and watch this and other festival panels at WPGTV.

Where to find Nicole?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube
On X

Where to find Kwame?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X
On Facebook

Where to find Nydia?
On Glocal Citizens
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X

Other topics of interest and the Essential Pan-African Activism reading list coming soon!

*This audio recording has been edited for clarity from the original video recording.

Special Guests: Kwame Dawes, Nicole Amarteifio, and Nydia Swaby.

This week is the final installment in our collaboration with Bisi Bright’s Livewell Initiative and the Women of Africa Post-Pandemic Empowerment and Advocacy Programme with support from Gilead Sciences USA. In a fitting conclusion, Aggrey Aluso, the Director, Africa Region and global policy lead for the Pandemic Action Network, driving strategic advocacy efforts in Africa and globally joins the conversation. Born, raised and currently based in Kenya, Aggrey also serves as the incoming Executive Director of Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA), PAN’s networked advocacy partner, where he is mobilizing advocates to champion an Africa-centric, globally-facing resilience agenda.

He brings over 15 years of experience in advancing intersectional justice, using citizen-led, rights-based approaches in Africa. Previously, he served as an Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa’s (OSIEA) Health and Rights program senior manager. He also coordinated the Open Society Africa (Pan Africa) Vaccine Justice to advance Africa’s vaccine-related research, development, and manufacturing. He served as the University of Manitoba’s Global Institute for Public Health’s East African Policy and Advocacy Manager.

Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, Aggrey offers excellent insights into the current M-pox crisis as well as a thoughtful discussion on the global policy landscape around elevating health as a human right for all.
All are invited to join this week’s program on Thursday, October 31st at 1PM WAT using this link

Where to find Aggrey?
On LinkedIn
On [Instragram](linnk https://www.instagram.com/aggreyaluso/)
On Facebook
On X

What’s Aggrey reading?
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
21 Lessons for the 21st Century and other books by Yuval Noah Harari

Whats Aggrey watching?
The Lincoln Lawyer
New Amsterdam

Other topics of interest:
Nyanza, Kenya
More on Mpox and zoonotic diseases
UN Summit of the Future
The Global Fund
Kenya Finance Bill Protests
About Wangari Maathai
About the [Mpox Joint Action Plan](https://www.afro.who.int/news/african-cdc-and-who-launch-joint-continental-plan-scale-mpox-outbreak-response#:~:text=Priority%20actions%20are%20outlined%20for,comprising%20members%20from%20key%20partners.&text=About%20Africa%20CDC-,The%20Africa%20Centres%20for%20Disease%20Control%20and%20Prevention%20(Africa%20CDC,prevention%20and%20control%20of%20diseases.)
The Man Died Film

Special Guests: Adebisi Bright and Aggrey Aluso.

I met this week’s guest in Accra at a Women Wellness Africa breakfast early this year and was happy to be able sync our travel schedules to reconnect in one of the places she calls home, London. Marielle Legair is a speaker, certified NLP and hypnotherapy Coach, LinkedIn Top Voice, and LinkedIn Learning Instructor. She's leading career empowerment through cutting-edge neurological research and behavioural science. Her expertise goes beyond coaching, focusing on arming audiences with the tools to break barriers, overcome limiting beliefs, and thrive in their careers. With a background in corporate storytelling, executive visibility, and entrepreneurship, Marielle offers unmatched guidance to individuals and companies seeking to excel and leave a lasting impact. Global giants like Amazon, BP, Diageo, EY, LinkedIn, Macquarie, Microsoft, and Yale University have sought her for inspiring talks and workshops that drive transformative change.

Before founding her company, Marielle honed her skills on both sides of the Atlantic, spearheading impactful C-suite publicity campaigns in London and New York for corporate giants such as Deloitte Global, Grant Thornton, Experian, and Golin. Her strategic acumen in elevating CEOs and senior leaders has earned acclaim in top-tier media outlets like the BBC, CNBC, Forbes, Financial Times, and Glamour.

As you’ll hear, Marielle’s roots are in St. Vincent and the Grenadines which was hard hit by Hurricane Beryl last summer. Follow the links below to connect with Marielle about continuing efforts to support those impacted.

Where to fine Marielle?
marielelegair.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On YouTube

What’s Marielle reading?
Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza
Steal the Show: From Speeches to Job Interviews to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for All the Performances in Your Life by Micheal Port

Other topics of interest:
About Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
About Nottingham, home of Robin Hood
Historic Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
30 Rock aka 30 Rockerfeller Plaza
Toastmasters
About Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé

Special Guest: Marielle Legair.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been learning more and more about the Women of Africa Post-Pandemic Empowerment and Advocacy Programme with guests from Egypt to Scotland to Nigeria with a range of business, health and well-being perspectives. This week we’re back in Nigeria with the women that started it all, Glocal Citizen, Adebisi Bright. Dr. Bisi Bright is an international award-winning scientist, social entrepreneur, health systems researcher, adjunct lecturer, consultant clinical pharmacist, and public health manager. She is 1st Vice Chairman and CEO of LiveWell Initiative LWI, a self-sustaining nonprofit healthcare social enterprise, which has impacted over two million Nigerians and thousands of Ghanaians with health literacy, improved overall health, and wellness.

She is the brain behind the Post-pandemic Womens' Empowerment Programme of Africa which is a Gilead-Sciences, Inc. USA-supported regional program empowering all women in Africa and visiting ten nations with a goal of empowering all the Women of Africa in the post-pandemic era and to equip them tools for mental health and resilience. When we last spoke with Bisi, it was during the pandemic and we got to know how LWI was doing it’s part to equip communities with necessary health supports. In this conversation you’ll learn about the impressive strides the Bisi and her colleagues have made in services and in innovation all while continuing to live well!

Where to find Bisi and more information about the PPWA program?
www.livewellng.org
On LinkedIn

What’s Bisi cooking?
Jollof rice
Ogbono soup

Other topics of interest:
Global Public Health University
Health Technology Assessment
About Value-based Healthcare
International Alliance of Patient’s Organizations
More about Block Chain technology in healthcare

Special Guest: Adebisi Bright.

Next up in our collaboration with LiveWell Initiative for the Women of Africa Post-Pandemic Empowerment and Advocacy Programme is a conversaton centering youth and partnerships with a leading management consultant in Africa, Dr. Adebowale Jeff Johnson. Born and raised in Nigeria, he is the first Youth Performance Consultant in the world. He has worked in six consulitng firms over the span of his nearly 25 years of working experience. Also working with several other organisations in capacities ranging from Human Resource Manager, GM Strategy and Innovation, Business Service Manager, Project Manager, Resource Consultant, Corporate Affairs Manager, and Training Consultant. He is a speaker on national reforms, a seasoned advisor and a human resources generalist. He is currently the Managing Director of Advisory Firm, Purple Prime Limited, with a focus on business advisory and public sector advisory practices. In this lively conversation we get to know about how his research across various sectors informs his work with youth and his public service endeavors.

Visit the LiveWell Initiative for complete event details on upcoming and events and learn more about event supports like Gilead Sciences USA.

Where to find Adebowale?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X

What’s Adebole watching?
Slingshot
300
The Bourne Series
24 TV series
The Bond Series
Mission: Impossible

Other topics of interest:
About the Ìjẹ̀bú people of Lagos
About Ogun State, Nigeria
An interesting attraction in Kano, Nigeria
About Free Education and in Nigeria and Chief Obafemi Awolowo
About Gbagada Estates, Lagos
Psychometric Testing Tools
On the Benin Empire
On the Oyo Empire
House of Ga’a film about Bashorun Ga’a
Yoruba Dialects
WWE’s nWO
Adebowale’s last thoughts…
“Wisdom is the correct application of understood knowlegde.”

Special Guests: Adebisi Bright and Adebowale Jeff Johnson.

I’m back on the road with this conversation which finds my guest and I in opposite sides of the United Kingdom--me in London, UK and my guest, Dr. Motolani Oyerinde, in Scotland.

Dr. Tolani, joins us in the next installment of our colloboration with Bisi Bright’s Livewell Initiative and the Women of Africa Post-Pandemic Empowerment and Advocacy Programme with support from Gilead Sciences USA. She is currently Managing Partner at Crystal Mental Healthcare and Health Education Services as well as Senior Family Health Officer at Livewell Initiative. Over the course of her carreer she has worked assiduously in the areas of training, peer leadership, and corporate health. She has co-facilitated as Faculty Trainer in Hepatitis, at a continental Africa regional rraining program in Hepatitis targeting delegates from 15 African countries. Under the LiveWell Initiative’s Volunteer Membership scheme, she became an award-winning Young Doctor participating in several health outreaches, health fairs and corporate health mIssions. Since the advent of the pandemic, she has been particulalry focused on proviving mental health support via LWIs Telehealth services platform.

Be sure to visit the LiveWell Initiative for up to date information about upcoming events.

Where to find Tolani?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook

What’s Tolani reading?
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Practical Optimism: The art, science, and practice of exceptional well-being by Dr. Sue Varma
Why Am I Like This? How to Break Cycles, Heal From Trauma, and Restore Your Faith by Kobe Campbell

What’s Tolani watching?
Africa Magic TV

Other topics of interest:
About Ogun State, Nigeria
Scotland, UK
The Egocentric and Sociocentric Self
Suicide Prevention Month

Special Guests: Adebisi Bright and Motolani Oyerinde.

It’s a season of transformation from the vibrancy of summer sun to the rest, retreat and make ready energy of winter. Here on the podcast we’re taking this time to explore new collaborations in conjunction with events happening in the coming months. First up is a collaboration with the Women of Africa Post-Pandemic Empowerment and Advocacy Programme which is an intitaitve of Glocal Citizen Adebisi Bright’s LiveWell Initiative based in Lagos Nigeria. This series of conversations with the practitioners partcipating in the progamme is a sneak preview of the upcoming dialogues.
My guest this week, Egyptian pharmacist and entrpreneur, Dr. Wael Ali is a distinguished leader in pharmacy and public health with nearly 25 years of experience spanning clinical research, healthcare management, and international collaboration. As the President of the PharmaHelp Foundation Inc. and the Egyptian Organization of Pharmacy, he drives pharmacy practice transformation and workforce development. His roles as Vice President of FIP’s EMROpharm Forum and Executive Committee Consultant at the University of Sharjah highlight his commitment to advancing pharmaceutical education and practice. He also has extensive pharmaceutical manufacturing experience as a CEO of American Pharmaceutical Industries based in Farifax, Virginia. His expertise spans community, hospital, military and emergency pharmacy practices as well as social and administrative pharmacy functions across Egypt, the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC, and the USA.

If you ever wondered about what goes on behind the counter in your local pharmacy, this conversation will help shine a light on the many roles and responsibilities your neighborhood pharmacist often takes on. As an added bonus, Wael give us a crash course on the ins and outs of manufacturing and exporting made in the USA products.

Where to find Wael?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

Other topics of interest:
Historic Cairo, Egypt
Gulf Cooperation Council
On [Liposome Manufacturing](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169409X20300788#:~:text=Liposomes are manufactured either by,manipulated for size (Section 2.1.)
About Medwatch
CIF vs FOP Shipping
International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)
WHO facts on Hepatitis

Special Guests: Adebisi Bright and Wael Ali.

This week it’s Part 2 of a two-part conversation with serial entrepreneur and diversity activist, Cherron Perry-Thomas. She is founder and president of Green Dandelion Marketing and Sales which grew out of a desire to introduce retailers to innovative plant based products. Since its founding, 20 years ago, Green Dandelion has helped their clients launch more than 2,000 products in grocery and health stores in the mid-Atlantic United States. Clients include manufactures of biodynamic, organic, non-gmo, vegan and fair trade products, helping to solidify their commitment to leaving a positive impact on the planet and all lives. which she further nurtures as co-owner of Plant and People, a Black women's owned boutique offering house plants, supplies, plant wellness products, services, and gifts.

A certified Social Impact Strategist, she applies these skills as the Director of Social Impact for The Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO), a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about educational, wellness, and economic opportunities in the cannabis industry and particularly through the Black Cannabis Week Initiative which takes place September 22-29, 2024. Whether you’re a “planty” person or not, there’s plenty of green gems to pick up in this conversation.

Where to find Cherron?
On LInkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Charron running in?
Hoka running shoes

Other topics of interest:
About Memphis, Tennessee
About Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
West Philadelphia History
Ever heard of Purple Hull Peas?
Walter Wallace Jr.
Who was Fred Hampton?
Black August
About to the Roots Picnic
[The New Jim Crow](linkhttps://newjimcrow.com) by Michelle Alexander
About the US Farm Bill
UN Report on Drugs 2018
Cannabis legalization around the world

Special Guest: Cherron Perry-Thomas.

This week it’s Part 1 of a two-part conversation with serial entrepreneur and diversity activist, Cherron Perry-Thomas. She is founder and president of Green Dandelion Marketing and Sales which grew out of a desire to introduce retailers to innovative plant based products. Since its founding, 20 years ago, Green Dandelion has helped their clients launch more than 2,000 products in grocery and health stores in the mid-Atlantic United States. Clients include manufactures of biodynamic, organic, non-gmo, vegan and fair trade products, helping to solidify their commitment to leaving a positive impact on the planet and all lives. which she further nurtures as co-owner of Plant and People, a Black women's owned boutique offering house plants, supplies, plant wellness products, services, and gifts.

A certified Social Impact Strategist, she applies these skills as the Director of Social Impact for The Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO), a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about educational, wellness, and economic opportunities in the cannabis industry and particularly through the Black Cannabis Week Initiative which takes place September 22-29, 2024. Whether you’re a “planty” person or not, there’s plenty of green gems to pick up in this conversation.

Where to find Cherron?
On LInkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Charron running in?
Hoka running shoes

Other topics of interest:
About Memphis, Tennessee
About Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
West Philadelphia History
Ever heard of Purple Hull Peas?
Walter Wallace Jr.
Who was Fred Hampton?
Black August
About to the Roots Picnic
[The New Jim Crow](linkhttps://newjimcrow.com) by Michelle Alexander
About the US Farm Bill
UN Report on Drugs 2018
Cannabis legalization around the world

Special Guest: Cherron Perry-Thomas.

This week Haiti, the recent Democratic National Convention (DNC), living in the now and ideas that challenge mindset boundaries are hot topic with my guest, Haitian-American, Jodine Dorcé. Jodine has been discovering, branding and promoting arts, music and culture for over a decade. Behind the scenes, she had an impressive career as an award-winning event marketer in the arts, entertainment and consumer product industries. Her achievements include developing and promoting products for Disney Consumer Electronics; leading sponsorship integrations for CurlFest and ONE Musicfest; producing the 2015 ESSENCE Festival and being responsible for the branding of Red Bull as a staple in the Atlanta cultural scene. Currently she is the VP of Live Events at WaitWhat, a media invention company, recognized for the highest quality, most genre-defining content today.
In front of an audience, Jodine has a fearless passion for hosting and being an on-air personality. From her former radio days at WBCX 89.1FM in Atlanta, GA, she was also the host of the world-renowned Apollo Theater’s Music Cafe in Harlem that spotlights emerging music artists. She now serves as a host for Capital Jazz TV while producing and assist in the programming for the Capital Jazz Fest & Supercruise. You can also find her guest hosting various events throughout the country that showcase music, empower women and bring awareness to her beloved home country, Haiti. Join us in the vibe!

Where to find Jodine?
https://www.jodinedorce.com/
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X
On YouTube

What’s Jodine listening to?
Stout
Keyon Harrold on NPR’s Tiny Desk

Other topics of interest:
Tabarre, Haiti
On Haiti’s Revolution
Perspectives on Haiti in 2024
East Flatbush and Little Haiti in Brooklyn
Some Bedford-Stuyvesant History
On [Sapiens](lin https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/)
Masters of Scale Podcast
Reid Hoffman
About DNC (Democratic Nationional Convention) Producer, Ricky Kirshner
LFG!
List of Elections in 2024
[Kat Cole](lin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kat_Cole) and the Hot Shot Rule
[Jason Orr on FunkJazz Kafe](lin https://funkatopia.com/funk-news/interview-with-funkjazz-kafe-jason-orr/)

Special Guest: Jodine Dorcé.

It’s that time of year in most of the northern hemisphere - Back to School! Students of all manner from first time learners to adult continuing educationers are migrating to a learning institution near you--Kindergartens, middle and high schools, trade colleges, university campuses and some are taking to phones, tablets or computers for online courses. ’Tis the season for getting the mind ready for a new round of training, building and expansion. So this week, in preparation for the start of classes its a review session with some glocal citizens firmly planted in the business of education. Taiye Ayoola-Adedeji, author of the innovative, educational and interactive Yoruba-English bilingual book—The Yoruba Sound Book for Children, Ayobisi Osuntusa, Executive Director of Sesame Square Nigeria Foundation, a mirror image and partner organization of Sesame Workshop; Nisha Ligon, Co-founder and Senior Advisor of Tanzania-based, UBONGO, Africa's leading kids' edutainment company and Videographer, Composer, and Musician, Farai Malianga a tenure track Professor at Florida State University with a focus on Music for dance and choreography all join us with insights on learning education, arts and people. Class is in session, let’s LEAP right in!

Special Guests: Ayobisi Osuntusa, Farai Malianga, Nisha Ligon, and Taiye Ayoola-Adedeji.

It’s Leo season and birthday week for both my guest and me as well as fellow Glocal Citizen and birthday celebrant Muhammida El Muhajir, which is how I was introduced to my guest, Ghanaian-born, Rita Kusi. Rita is a highly respected, passionate, and result-oriented strategic human resource professional with 20 years of experience as a generalist in the field. Currently, she serves as the CEO and Senior Consultant at Keeping 'U' Simply Intact (KUSI) Consulting, a boutique Digital HR and Marketing consulting firm providing HR and Marketing services to clients across Africa and the United States. She is also the Team Lead of Execution and Strategy for the Global Conference on Human Resources in Africa (GCHRA), a gathering of visionary human resource, business, and technology leaders to empower Africa’s workforce. Keep watching this space for collaborations around their upcoming conference happening October 24-25, 2024 in Accra, Ghana.
She has distinguished herself as a mentor, coach, and fervent advocate for professional development. Rita is on a mission to revolutionize the role of HR within organizations.

Her career highlights, including being the first black woman to hold a directorial position in a prominent U.S. condominium firm and recognition as one of the 50 most influential young Ghanaians in 2018, underscore her exceptional leadership. In 2023, she was voted and named “Ghana’s Most Respected CEO in HR Management” at the 6th Ghana Industry CEO Awards by The Business Executive.

Where to find Rita?
Visit http://kusiconsulting.com for more on their services.
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X
On TikTok
On Youtube

What’s Rita reading?
Unbroken by Trishia Bailey

Other topics of interest:
Where is Bolgatanga “Bolga”, Ghana
Kumasi, Capital of Ghana’s Ashanti Region
Akan Proverbs
Ghana’s Labor Laws in Transition
About the US Diversiy Visa Lottery Program
Impact Hub Accra
iSpace Accra
Who is Gary V?
About Johnny C. Taylor

Special Guest: Rita Kusi.

For this week’s episode we’re back in West Africa with Nigerian-American journalist and author, Abi Ishola-Ayodeji. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Patience is a Subtle Thief, was named one of BuzzFeed's best books of May 2022 and received a coveted Kirkus-starred review. As a journalist, she has showcased her talent across a diverse range of platforms, including http://ELLE.com, PBS, http://Ebony.com, CUNY TV, and more. Her career has seen her cover extraordinary people, communities, and events from New York City to Paris and from Nigeria to Ghana.

In 2017, Essence Magazine named her among its Woke 100 Women for launching Beyond Classically Beautiful, an acclaimed photo story and media platform celebrating women of color who defy traditional beauty standards which you’ll learn much more about in our conversation.

After years of struggling to write a complete novel, she adopted a winning plan that helped her finish her manuscript seamlessly. She landed a deal with HarperCollins upon her first submission to a publisher. As she continues to work on her second novel, she is also coaching aspiring authors on how to write and finish the novel of their dreams.

Where to find Abi?
www.aishola.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On X
On Youtube

What’s Abi watching?
The Chi
Sex Education
Game of Thrones

Other topics of interest:
Revisit EP 74 Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
All about Miami Gardens, Florida
About Ibadan, Nigeria
Why Ilesa? A visti with fellow Glocal Citizen, Funsho Ogundipe
About Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and the stolen election
More about the Center for Black Literature @ Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and the Wild Seeds Writers Retreat
About #imageactivitst, Michaela Angela Davis
About the film The Devil Wears Prada
James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and more about Abi’s Glocal Speak
About Supacel and sickle cell anemia

Special Guest: Abi Ishola-Ayodeji.

Increasingly, I am thinking thoughts about places of being that better reflect citizen-centered social, economic and built enviroments. In recent conversation with Paul Damalie and following the works of another fellow GC, Chinedu Echeruo (which happens to be how I came across this week’s guest), those thoughts are beginning to rise into a mental framework for manifesting that new world. Born and raised in Nigeria, Victor Ndukwe is an Architect that has evolved over the years straddle tech and design. He is currently a founding team member of Itana (formerly Talent City) and is positioned to change the environmental and economic landscape in Africa.

Victor developed a keen mind for technical things in his formative years and honed his creativity in architecture school. He is a T-shaped individual with strong skills in Architecture and environmental planning and secondary skills in programming - a hardcore java developer once upon a time. He has worked in architecture firms, software development firms, real estate development firms, and now city developers. He has his eyes set on developing the infrastructure in Africa by unlocking capital for development as well as solving the critical problem of energy in Africa. Victor’s optimism and committment are clear as you’ll come to understand in our conversation, and with this blueprint, his vision is looking like a present many on the Continent have been anticipating.

Where to find Victor?
Find out more about the Donacare Foundation
On LinkedIn
On X

What’s Victor listening to?
[Johann Sebastian Bach](lin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGA1v6gZj1s)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
George Frideric Handel

Other topics of interest:
Umahia or Ama Ahia in Abia State, Nigeria
About Governor Alex Otti
Discovery Channel
Charter Cities Institute
Computer Village. Ikeja Lagos
The Echelon Conspiracy Film
NIIT Nigeria
Free Trade Zones in Nigeria
What is Industry 3.0?

Special Guest: Victor Ndukwe.

This week we’re going full circle with Zimbabwean-American, Vimbo Watson. Born in Zimbabwe, Vimbo’s family relocated to the US before she spoke her first words. Nonethless, her mother tongue has remained in her heart and has been a foundational part of fullfilling a life-long passion to uplift people and especially those in need back home. After a career in education as a teacher and principal, she’s now applying her administrative talents as the Director of Development for Kuda Vana Partnership an American-Zimbabwean non-profit operating a children's home and school in Zimbabwe. A passionate speaker and professional development provider she often translates her enthusiasm for learning and education into teaching others how to make time for wellness and self-care in their daily lives.

Where to find Vimbo?
[vimbowatson.com](link https://vimbowatson.com/)
On LinkedIn
On Instragram
On Facebook
On Youtube

What’s Vimbo reading?
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends by Marisa G. Franco PhD
[Atomic Habits](lin https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits ) by James Clear
Drowning and other books by T.J. Newman
Books by Brené Brown
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

Other topics of interest:
Mutare, Zimbabwe
Clans and Totems in Zimbabwean Culture
On Trauma-focused Therapy

Special Guest: Vimbo Watson.

The beautiful thing about life is that with care and attention time refines and gives rise to the amazement that is our daily experience. I met this week's guest nearly a decade ago, in the country she currently calls home, as we were both starting our work in the African edutainment industry and as she was making her way back home to Tanzania to do what she prepared for when getting her MBA and BS in International Business and Economics from Overton School of Business in the US--making a difference for African children. Tanzanian born and raised, Doreen Kessy is a Co-founder at STEM Girls Education (SGE), a social enterprise with a mission to help more girls in Africa become innovators. An education and women's champion at heart, Doreen holds the belief that empowering women and girls to drive change is essential in fostering a more sustainable and kinder world for all. Previously Chief Business Officer at Ubongo Learning, she was instrumental in growing the organisation as she led its expansion to 41 countries in Africa reaching over 30 million kids. She was named “Entrepreneur of the Year in Education” by Women In Africa Initiative (WIA), Winner of Next Billion EdTech Prize 2019, is also an Acumen Fellow, Future Elect Fellow, Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and Tedx speaker. Not only is the future bright, our present is brighter with social entreperneurs like Doreen making their mark in markets across Africa!

Where to find Doreen?
On Wikipedia
On LinkedIn
On Twitter

What’s Doreen listening to?
Brook Castillo’s The LIfe Coach School Podcast
How I Built This Podcast
Huberman Lab Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast
This American Life Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Dairy Of A CEO Podcast

Other topics of interest:
About Njombe’s Iringa Region, Tanzania
Things to do in Rosebank, Gauteng
About Smile 4 Africa
Yo! Haibo!, Sawubona - Sikhona and other South African Expressions
The Life Coach School
What’s Doreen riding?
Microschools in action in Africa

This week we're back in East Africa in conversation with Kenyan, Farhan Guled, coming to you in two parts. Farhan takes us with him from his native homeland to Europe and back to East Africa where he is currently Executive Director of Salaam Bank Limited in Kampala, Uganda; he has been instrumental is building the bank's start-up operation in the country. Born and raised in Kenya he began his entreprenuearship journey as founder of Maisha Fitness Center in Nairobi. Wearing many professional hats, Farhan is a "Multipotentialite Creative Thinker" offering an off the shelf business growth consultancy. As a visionary strategist, he helps businesses with the right intuitive and informative strategies that guarantee transformational growth. In his service endeavors, he is a board member of The Young Leaders of Finance (Le Club des Jeunes Dirigeants Financiers), which gathers young and mid-level professionals with various backgrounds who work with or within the financial sector taken in the broad sense. Some highlights of our conversation are Farhan's in depth tutorial on the links between Islamic finance and sustainable development goals as well as his delight with the sites and sounds of Uganda. Like me, I think you'll be ready to book your visit straight away!

Where to find Farhan?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Farhan Reading?
Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential by Matt Higgins

Other topics of interest:
On Islamic Banking and Finance
Salaam African Bank
Jinja, Uganda
Fort Portal, Uganda and traditions of the Tooro Kingdom
Kabale, Uganda: City of Peace
About Merck HQ Germany
Afrika Kommt

Special Guest: Farhan Guled.

This week we're back in East Africa in conversation with Kenyan, Farhan Guled, coming to you in two parts. Farhan takes us with him from his native homeland to Europe and back to East Africa where he is currently Executive Director of Salaam Bank Limited in Kampala, Uganda; he has been instrumental is building the bank's start-up operation in the country. Born and raised in Kenya he began his entreprenuearship journey as founder of Maisha Fitness Center in Nairobi. Wearing many professional hats, Farhan is a "Multipotentialite Creative Thinker" offering an off the shelf business growth consultancy. As a visionary strategist, he helps businesses with the right intuitive and informative strategies that guarantee transformational growth. In his service endeavors, he is a board member of The Young Leaders of Finance (Le Club des Jeunes Dirigeants Financiers), which gathers young and mid-level professionals with various backgrounds who work with or within the financial sector taken in the broad sense. Some highlights of our conversation are Farhan's in depth tutorial on the links between Islamic finance and sustainable development goals as well as his delight with the sites and sounds of Uganda. Like me, I think you'll be ready to book your visit straight away!

Where to find Farhan?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X