1000 African Voices

Nelson J. Kwaje lives by three words - People; Technology and Transformation. He has made it his life mission to transform Africa using the skills he has acquired over the years. He is Founder of WEB4ALL Limited and Design to Transform; Co-Founder of Alela Technologies; and Social Media Manager of #DefyHateNow.

Facebook: Nelson-Kwaje

This episode features Kamo Magabane, IT Consultant, Process and Business Analyst and Junior Project Manager and Leroy Tau, Author Speaker; Relationship Coaching; Self-development; Church Edification and Advancement Teen and Youth Coaching; Events MC.

Kamo is a business analyst by profession, an event manager by passion and a business woman by default, but before anything else, she is a mother and a wife. She is thought leader, a social activist and an influencer. Kamo was born, bred and buttered in Pimville, a township in Soweto, South Africa and studied her Bsc Degree in IT at Midrand Graduate Institute, now known as Pearson institute of Higher Education, South Africa. In 2015, she started a self- love, confidence and body positivity movement called Redefining Beauty Organization which all started in celebration of Women’s Month. Kamo is for women empowerment and is not apologetic about it. In this episode, Kamo tells us more about on her journey in the field of IT and her passion for growing and being for Women. Kamo believes if you want to achieve what you want in life and pursue anything, you have to Go Big or Go Home and Sleep.

Twitter: @ThatKamza

Facebook: Kamo Magabane

Instagram: Kamo Magabane

Leroy Tau is a born speaker who discovered his talent in church. He realised how vast his abilities were when he found his path. He co-authored and authored books that brought him into the lime light. Born in Soshanguve, one of the biggest townships in Pretoria-capital of South Africa, Leroy expanded what he was when he decided to focus his energies on helping people build stronger relationships. He realised that only through helping the bonds that people make can he help make the country better. As his own strengths grew he extended the help he provides to coaching youth and teaching people how to develop themselves. Leroy has become a sought after speaker and MC because people have realised the power his words have in helping them. The power his words have in driving them to achieve, and be more in every avenue of their own lives.

Facebook: @sgleroy

Instagram: @lsgleroy

Website: http://www.leroytau.co.za/

Having travelled across the African continent as a cargo pilot, Francois understands the African continent more than most. With friends they embarked on a journey across Africa cutting across 16 different countries until they encountered customs officials in Djibouti in East Africa.

Francois has been travelling the world since 1993 mostly as a pilot on a Boeing 747 freighter. As he travels he takes portraits of people on the streets it provides him and his followers a glimpse into the human soul. Like most travellers, Francois enjoy food and sightseeing. 

In this episode we talk about beauty, why he went into photography, the joys and tribulations of being a pilot and what makes Africa such an alluring tourist destination for travellers. 

On Instagram, which is his preferred platform you can connect with Francois @FrançoisLuxembourg

Amir is an Egyptian citizen who currently lives in Cairo. He lived in South Africa for 6 years where he ended up imprisoned before completing his life long goal of studying geophysics. In 2007, Amir was admitted into an undergraduate degree in geophysics at Ain Shams University in Cairo. He graduated in 2011 and started searching for a job in the oil and gas industry.

In 2012, he received a 30 day Visa to visit South Africa but never left. This episode explores the reasons he decided to break the rules which landed him in prison and why he felt this was worth the risk. Growing up, he always wanted to be a motivational speaker but nothing could have prepared him for the life that he endured in South Africa once his Visa had expired.

Through these trials and tribulations, Amir managed to graduate with both an honours and a masters degree in his chosen field.

Amir Abouelrous is a customer care agent at a telecommunication company in Cairo. He gives motivational talks at an educational centre during his spare time and studies physics for an hour or two every day. His goal remains to continue his research and become a motivational speaker.

He lives by the motto - Never stop moving, even if it’s very slowly, towards your goals and dreams.

Samantha brings diverse experience from her entrepreneurial career from Aircraft Interior Refurbishment to discovering Mumbo Island on Lake Malawi whilst on a kayaking expedition and starting Kayak Africa. Her story is legendary in the sense that she spent 5 month traversing the deserts of Namibia where her brand originated.

Her desert salt adventure started by packing bags on her dining room table. She has a 12 year old son Kiran. She is passionate about Salt and regards it as an underrated seasoning. Her products have been well received in most restaurants and retailers due to their organic nature.

Before starting Orynx, Samantha ran an NGO for seven years, which used music to spiritually and emotionally uplift children in rural communities. Looking for a business opportunity after the birth of her son, she happened to come across this natural mineral-rich salt from the Kalahari Desert.

While Skyring has broken the retail ceiling, she hasn’t wavered from her personal commitment to run a business built on uplifting lives.

In this episode she talks about her journey to founding her company, things that keep her grounded and why she loves travelling across the different African countries.

Nthabeleng Khabutlane, Accountant, CEO and Founder of Fezi Auditors and Consultants.

Nthabeleng is a life long student of accountancy. She runs her firm, Fezi Auditors which has experienced good growth since inception. She juggles managing her family with running the firm and is busy with her masters degree at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

In this episode, Nthabeleng talks about some of the challenges that comes with starting and successfully running a business, her ‘big’ family, books she reads and what she does during her down time albeit that has become a rare event.

She has has and continues to serve of various boards and has chaired many audit committees. Her experience spans the financial sector, manufacturing sector, construction, engineering, government and parastatals.

Lastly, she loves Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Lizl Naude is a Social Entrepreneur from Cape Town, South Africa. She is the founder of Lilly Loompa, a company that creates beautiful homeware made by upcycling waste material.

Lizl grew up in the valley-town of Paarl, in the Winelands of the Western Cape.  She was influenced by the natural beauty that surrounded her; the smell of the wet vineyards after a rainstorm, the purple mountains and the wide expanse of the night-sky.  

She is a self taught designer and initially started designing and making furniture because she couldn’t afford to buy new pieces to furnish her home. As an Innovator, she lives by her motto: “Use what you have”, and this philosophy has led her to start a movement of converting junk into beautiful, usable products. She is also a Director of The Chosen Foundation, a Non-profit company focussing on restoring families through facilitated training and travelling.

This episode contains lots of gems of wisdom about environmental care and life in general.

Chrissa is a textile design MA graduate from the world=renowned Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London. She was born and raised in London, but her roots are very much Ghanaian. This is the country from which she draws her inspiration. Other countries that are of significance in her life include Togo and Benin.

The episode focusses on understanding the duality that describes Chrissa’s life and attempts to understand how she successfully navigates her two worlds. What does it take to be an inspirational designer? What does she describe as art and what is her creative process?

Amuah, who grew up in London’s Brixton neighbourhood, feels a strong connection to her African heritage. An important part of her designs is Adinkra symbology, which stems from a Ghanaian oral history tradition and is a visual way to communicate important values. These symbols are re-interpreted in her designs, from the obvious to the very subtle. In particular, the values of “wellbeing and social harmony” are powerful drivers in Amuah’s use of the symbols.

https://www.instagram.com/amwa_designs/

https://twitter.com/camuah?lang=en

Jackee Budesta Batanda is a creative entrepreneur educating through the power of writing. She is a short story writer, journalist, and Founder and Senior Managing Partner of SuccessSpark Brand Ltd.

Jackee has taught 400 students and 20 students have gone on to publish books. She is completing the construction of, The Blue Marble, the first writers' house in Uganda, to provide a safe, intellectual space for writers. In 2019, she was named among the top 40 under 40 inspirational Ugandans and was the 2018/2019 continental winner- training and education category at the Women in Business and Government awarded in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a contributor in the New Daughters of Africa anthology, a seminal body of work that captures the voices of 200 women of African descent. She has written for publications including the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Guardian (UK), The Mail & Guardian, The Sunday Times, and Sunday Independent (SA), and Aljazeera Magazine. She was named by the Times (London) in 2012 as one of twenty women shaping the future of Africa. She was named among 39 writers under 40 from Sub-Saharan Africa most likely to shape the future of African literature. She has run writing workshops in the US, UK, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Malawi. She is currently at work on a novel, a short story collection, and is ghost-writing two books.

https://twitter.com/jackeebatanda?lang=en

https://twitter.com/jackeebatanda?lang=en

Azziad Nasenya, Tiktok Queen, is a rising star in the entertainment industry and social media world. 

She is an actress, dancer, model and social media personality. She is 20 years old from Kenya. She went to St Cecilia Misikhu Girls Secondary School and is currently a second-year college student at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication where she is studying towards a Mass Media qualification. 

She is passionate about acting, content production and aspires to one day have her own radio show. In 2018, Azziad decided to create a YouTube Channel and began publishing content. A year later she created her first Tiktok post and the rest is history. 

In this episode, she talks about her journey to social media platform, her aspirations and has some tips and tricks to share with the listeners. You can connect with Azziad on the following social media channels.

https://www.instagram.com/azz_iad/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://twitter.com/azziadnasenya?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5iAhMhy57Yfr8bZz89g4-w