54Lights

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

Yodit Seyoum is an interior designer from Ethiopia. She joins our host Kondwani to talk about her journey to becoming involved in sustainable and community-focused design and environmental advocacy. They discuss the importance of sustainability in the world and how this can be reflected in their home continent of Africa and the lessons to be learned. They also discuss the importance and origins of names and how they reflect on a person's identity and history.

LEAN IN, LISTEN UP AND LEARNINGS - KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Yodit studied engineering after being told it wasn’t something she could do and then went on to graduate at the top of her class!
• Design and engineering aren’t just about aesthetics but also about creating something that is good for the environment and the community it serves.
• You can take your ethos of sustainability and put it into every area of your life, truly living by the values you create.
• People, Planet and Profit should be balanced and created with sustainability in mind.
• Yodit is now offering her expertise via consultancy for smaller firms and start-ups, helping them engrain it in their culture early on.
• Yodit loves giving back, to the community and giving service and this is where she sees creating a true impact on the world.
• In regards to long-term goals, Yodit wants to start bringing her message of sustainability back to her birth country of Ethiopia and start to get young people involved in hopes of changing the future.

BEST MOMENTS

• 15:29 “It feels like sustainability is just en vogue now”
• 22:00 “Invest in those communities around you that really align with your sustainability initiative, that way you’re building the community and making it stronger”
• 27:45 “Offering it to those businesses that are minority-owned and black owned, I would love to help them build sustainability and weave it into their business”
• 38:57 “The world isn’t actually much better her, it just has better access to things”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yodit-yaregal-seyoum/

ABOUT THE HOST

Kondwani Mwase | Host & Creator

‘The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.’  – Jean-Jacques Rousseau

For most of my life, I have been obsessed with relationships. I have worked, watched and wondered about the complex nature of human interaction. Originally, my interest laid in the narrative…more specifically, I was driven to understand what was happening. Increasingly, my curiosity has been inspired by the underlying motivations behind events…why it happens. It is this curiosity that motivates me.

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (bean) at a time.  

In the latest episode of 54 Lights, Kondwani converses with Muna Mohammed, the innovative CEO behind Eight50 Coffee. Muna's deep-rooted connection to coffee cultivation, passed down through generations of her family, led her to explore Ethiopia's coffee origins.

From her upbringing, Muna's fascination with coffee bloomed as she listened to her father's vivid stories of his Ethiopian childhood. Determined to honor her coffee heritage, she embarked on a poignant journey to her family's coffee farm in East Hararghe, where the legacy of Harar Coffee lives on.

Kondwani and Muna explore the fusion of heritage and entrepreneurship, uncovering the essence of Eight50 Coffee's rich cultural tapestry.

LEAN IN, LISTEN UP...AND LEARN

Muna Mohammed, the CEO and founder of Eight50 Coffee, has a strong connection to coffee as she comes from a coffee-producing family in Ethiopia. Muna's decision to start the company was driven by a desire to bring diversity to the coffee industry, particularly on the brand end where there is a lack of representation.

The name "Eight50 Coffee" was chosen to connect directly to the origin of coffee, with 850 being the date often associated with the discovery of coffee in Ethiopia or Yemen. Of note is that;

• Muna is intentional about telling the story of coffee accurately and showcasing the different regions and cultures involved in coffee production.
• Muna's journey to launching 850 Coffee involved years of preparation, including learning about the science and process of coffee, commercial roasting training, and immersing herself in the industry. She launched the business during the pandemic in 2020.

BEST MOMENTS...from our guest

• "I wanted a name that connected directly to coffee's origin… I chose to name it 850 because not only does it tell a story of origins and ancient traditions, but it allows me to tell the story of coffee's origins and birthplace."
• “I knew that being on the brand end, which is where we don't see diversity, that's where you're seeing the brands that are packaged, sold in stores, sold on the shelves, the ones that are actually telling the stories of coffee and are putting out the content around coffee online on social, you know, that's the stuff that I felt like, you know, I didn't see a lot of, I didn't see a lot of diversity there."
• "I always try to do as much research and gather as much information as possible so that they are being presented in a way that is accurate."
• "2020 was just like, for me, it was go time. I've been saying I'm going to do this for a long time. And this, it just, it was the right time. And everything kind of just fell into place for me."
• "I'd love to see what my neighbours in Kenya are doing. I think there's a lot of cool stuff happening. And I'd love to hear more about some really inspiring entrepreneurs from Kenyan heritage, whether it's abroad or within Kenya, what they're doing.”

 RESOURCE Full

Eight50 Coffee - https://www.eight50coffee.com/

Website - https://54lights.com/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

ABOUT THE HOST

Kondwani Mwase | Host & Creator

For most of my life, I have been obsessed with relationships. I have worked, watched and wondered about the complex nature of human interaction. Originally, my interest laid in the narrative…more specifically, I was driven to understand what was happening. Increasingly, my curiosity has been inspired by the underlying motivations behind events…why it happens. It is this curiosity that motivates me.

My professional journey led me to the field of marketing and the exercise of selling in the service of brands. Over the years, I’ve learned that the true currency is working in the service of people. Finding ways to understand how to cultivate meaningful relationships with them….and making them “happy”. I leveraged my skills as a mass marketer to reach a different audience with a different message. As such, The Warehouse Magazine became my passion. I founded the publication to try and build a community for the conscientious. It was my first business, my first foray into media and, in some ways, my first love. And its eventual retirement left me wanting. Leaving me with a feeling of unfinished business.

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

Host Kondwani Mwase is joined in virtual studio by guest-host and social media manager Ariana Busato for a behind the scenes look/listen on episodes past. Ariana, who helps with the podcasts socials and guest outreach, turned the tables on our host and asked him a series of questions about the first four episodes in this new journey. At issue were key questions that arose from these past, and powerful shows.

#1 What lies at the intersection of art, life and politics? Inspired by our episode on Malawi featuring Qabaniso Malewezi

#2 What is the true composition of a great leader? Inspired by our episode on Zimbabwe featuring Farai Madzima

#3 What came first, the mission or the medium? Inspired by the wonderful work of Shelton Mpala's Children of the Dark Continent movement.

#4 When is the work finished? Inspired by an artistic mindbending conversation with Aaron Samuel Mulenga.

IF YOU HAVEN"T HEARD...YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO OUR FABULOUS FIRST FOUR EPISODE

LEAN IN, LISTEN UP...AND LEARN

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story at a time. This journey started several years ago but this latest evolution started on July 27, 2023 and is intended to touch down on all 54 countries in the continent. Our first, and fab, four were episodes on Malawi, Zimbabwe (2x) and Zambia.

• EP1.54..MALAWI - When culture comes calling featuring Qabaniso Malawezi
• EP2.54..ZIMBABWE - On being one of a kind with Farai Madzima
• Bonus Episode...ZIMBABWE - Rewriting the meaning of Africanism with Shelton Mpala
• EP3.54.. ZAMBIA - Escaping the colonial mindset featuring Aaron Samuel Mulenga

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY 

Join Kondwani as he interviews Aaron Samuel Mulenga, an artist, (soon to be) professor and an expert on Afro-futurism. The conversation, broadly speaking, touched on the impact of colonialism on African art and culture. Together they question the roots and influences of the colonial mindset, discuss whose history is really taught and how art can challenge the traditional narratives of Africa. With the conversation ranging from the untold stories of WW1’s Tenga Tenga porters, to the subject of art repatriation and the purpose of art itself, you’ll learn from Aaron the origins of Afro-futurism and the true reason he creates his art.

Key Takeaways

• Aaron is a working artist, studying for his PHD, he was influenced and inspired by the Afrofuturism movement of the 60’s and includes the iconic Afronaut in his work
• Many African schools teach the history of their founders, of white, European colonizers, not local history.
• The inspiring and seldom told story of the Tenga Tenga porters in WW1 and their forgotten monument.
• Institutions such as the courts include traditions carried over from colonial times, and this should be questioned and examined as to why that can’t change.
• Repatriation of art and artefacts is good in principle but a delicate subject when considering the purpose of the pieces and the infrastructure in place to receive them.

LEAN IN, LISTEN UP...AND LEARN 

“History is history. The only thing is, whose history are we learning?”

 “I'm guided by a desire and a thirst to change the African narrative, to really change the narrative from dark to light. It’s the dark continent now, let's illuminate it.”

“That's the work that I'm trying to do, look back at history and say, how do we look at the future? And make ourselves present and more visible.”

 “We've got our independence, but we haven't left a colonial mindset.”

“I've had to step back and say, Why do I create, what is my purpose for creating? And really, it's not so that I can sell it, it's so that I could have a conversation. It's so that I can share something meaningful and personal and deep and rich.”

“We're tired of telling the same story and struggling and finding our space of belonging and struggling even to exist or to be given space to.”

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

She's Baaaaack!!!! Chawanangwa Mphande returned to 54Lights to share her reflections on our previous pods. In her first conversation, we discussed her childhood friend and leading cultural artist Qabaniso Malewezi. In this instalment, Chawa (as she's affectionately known) spoke about her impressions of Zimbabwean-Canadian Farai Madzima who was our guest in EP2.54..

In this episode, Chawa points out some profound perspectives on identity. She unpacked how her past, present and the spaces she's lived in all conspire to inform the way she lives and what she calls home. In what feels like a broadly familiar narrative, Chawa provides us with a view that's raw, real and refined - accepting the nuances and complexities that many people from the diaspora deal with.

Chawa also zeroed in on struggles finding work in certain spaces, the burden and benefit of being different as you move from one space to another. She raised a particularly pressing question about lived and life experiences...how that informs ones identity beyond a passport.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT FOR THIS SHOW

Suggested listening

• Home is a place of safety and where one feels accepted and calm. Home is a state of mind
• Home about cultural conditioning, nuances and space
• The more they leave their culture, the
• Culture gets diluted when you move out of the country of origin

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

In this episode of 54Lights modern-day Pan-Africanist Shelton Mpala speaks about his passion and the unique time we live in. The two unpack an African revival, of sorts, that is sweeping through the globe. Shelton was born and raised in Zimbabwe and describes himself as ‘just an African child’ who was lucky enough to be raised by three women, who taught him what love was; for others, himself and his country and culture. Shelton talks to Kondwani about what led him to create his Children of the Dark Continent project including the profound role of language and the evolving depictions of African culture across the globe. Shelton's mission, one borne of rewiring how people see the continent as a whole, is a refreshing and inviting perspective.

LEAN IN, LISTEN UP AND LEARN - OUR KEY TAKEAWAYS

"Africa has a multitude of different types of people. Whether you are Arabic, white, Chinese, Indian. There are so many ways in. And these were all born under the African sun."

When people are away from their birthplace, they can often lose their language. This was one of the reasons that drove Shelton to start Children of the Dark Continent.

Shelton was fed up with the negative depictions of Africa across the globe and has worked to change that through his work.

Opinions and perceptions around African culture have switched, there is a new energy around Africanism in recent times that is allowing diaspora through food, music and other cultural signposts.

Nigeria is one good example of a country that has been able to export its culture in a unique and dynamic way.

History is starting to be rewritten and in this narrative, what has been learnt previously about Africa is being corrected.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• 2:32 “Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever, it’s not going to be passed onto the next generation”
• 4:24 “There’s a new energy around Africanism”
• 7:16 “Africa does have a product that the world wants to see and learn more about”
• 13:19 “History is being rewritten and recorrected”
• 21:36 “Regardless of who you are, just be your authentic self as the world will always have an image of you”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://www.facebook.com/childrenofthedarkcontinent/

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Kondwani Mwase | Host & Creator

For most of my life, I have been obsessed with relationships. I have worked, watched and wondered about the complex nature of human interaction. Originally, my interest laid in the narrative…more specifically, I was driven to understand what was happening. Increasingly, my curiosity has been inspired by the underlying motivations behind events…why it happens. It is this curiosity that motivates me.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

Farai Madzima is a man of and for the people. He is a leader, teacher and speaker who's passionate about managing people humanely and authentically, regardless of who they are. He celebrates diversity in all areas of life, including in business. He speaks about how we (as managers, leaders and people) must focus on individuals instead of purely on results. Farai's roots are firmly planted in Zimbabwe but he has been living in Canada since 2017. This experience uniquely places him in a place to talk about cross-cultural competence.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As Farai has called many places home, including Canada, Zimbabwe and the UK, it gives him unique insight into the places, he can see them differently from the people who have only ever lived in one place.
• As early as school, Farai felt separate from others. Although living in his home country, he altered his name and accent to fit in with the white children he went to school with.
• When moving in different circles Farai still makes an assessment of which version of himself to portray. His differences can be an advantage and present opportunities or it can make him feel in peril.
• The many differing traits Farai has collected from his travels create an ‘otherness’ when he goes to Zimbabwe.
• One of the topics Farai is passionate about and presents on, is the benefits companies and businesses could achieve from hiring a more diverse workforce.
• Farai also coaches and advocates for managers to drive and manage their teams in a humane and much more thoughtful way rather than solely focusing on output.
• Different cultures work differently! From how to give feedback and deal with conflict to how to motivate, inspire and get the most out of your workforce. Farai calls dealing with these complexities cross-cultural competence.
• Many of us can be one of a kind in a room, this can often be visible by race or gender or can be more hidden. The importance is that managers know how to manage and deal with this.

BEST MOMENTS

5:02 “Wherever we go we are learning to pick up our lives, plant them in new places and let them flourish”

08:09 “Fitting in better there meant I could succeed in that world but it also meant I was separating myself”

13:19 “You could be managing people across the globe from multiple different cultures and those cultures teach us different things” 

14:19 “When we have good conflict we can make an idea better”

15:27 “What is it like to be one of a kind in a room, what do managers need to know about that” 

16:29 “To not look at people as resources but take the responsibility for the people that report to them”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://54lights.com/

ABOUT THE HOST

Kondwani Mwase | Host & Creator

‘The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.’  – Jean-Jacques Rousseau

For most of my life, I have been obsessed with relationships. I have worked, watched and wondered about the complex nature of human interaction. Originally, my interest laid in the narrative…more specifically, I was driven to understand what was happening. Increasingly, my curiosity has been inspired by the underlying motivations behind events…why it happens. It is this curiosity that motivates me.

My professional journey led me to the field of marketing and the exercise of selling in the service of brands. Over the years, I’ve learned that the true currency is working in the service of people. Finding ways to understand how to cultivate meaningful relationships with them….and making them “happy”. I leveraged my skills as a mass marketer to reach a different audience with a different message. As such, The Warehouse Magazine became my passion. I founded the publication to try and build a community for the conscientious. It was my first business, my first foray into media and, in some ways, my first love. And its eventual retirement left me wanting. Leaving me with a feeling of unfinished business.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] 

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

Chawanangwa Mphande, affectionately known as Chawa, joined us in studio to talk about our last episode with Qabaniso Malewezi (Q). As is the case for these special broadcasts of 54"Bites", Kondwani and hiss guest reflect on episodes past and project on the episodes yet to come.

Chawa gave her perspective on how artists make the leap from passion to profession and discussed her views on what some of our previous guests have shared vis-a-vis the business of the arts. The discussion grounded itself in both the deep talent coming from artists but also how the business of the arts - driven by technology and access - is elevating artists to businesspeople. Chawa proclaimed "talent is not enough" in a profound part of the discussion where Kondwani and Chawa discuss what's driven the growth and production quality of art that's being created.

Conveniently, Chawa went to school with former guest Q and was perfectly placed to speak about his great work and his pursuit of perfection in the space.

While the focus of the episode rests with a reflection on the work of Qabaniso Malewezi, Chawa and Kondwani also spoke about an upcoming episode on coaching of emerging leaders with Farai Madzima.

Surprise....Chawa is a classically trained artists who we'll be asking to come back and play for us in the future.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT FOR THIS SHOW

Suggested listening

• Episode 84 - [1.54..] When Culture Comes Calling with Qabaniso Malewezi
• A Well of Gifts with Chawa Mphande
• The Canvas with Manota Mphande

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

In the official kick-off to the fourth season, the continental journey, that lives through this project, takes flight in the warm heart of Africa. Episode 1.54 (When Culture Comes Calling with Qabaniso Malewezi) brings listeners to Malawi, the native homeland of host Kondwani Mwase, and the starting line for this very special and powerful season.

In this episode, Kondwani is joined by artist, poet producer and all-round creative culturalist Qabaniso Malewezi to talk about his process, inspiration and pursuits. Qabaniso shares his thoughts on culture and the role of art in our society including; African music’s unique and distinctive spirituality, the unavoidable entanglement of politics and art and gaining access to decision-makers that drive the renewal and revival of Malawi’s arts and culture sector.

LEARNINGS THROUGH LISTENING

• Qabaniso's artistic journey was started by his late father, a fellow musician and storyteller, as well as politician, who taught him how to play guitar. He was also inspired and taught by his uncle who played the organ.
• Q, as some call him, was involved in successful drama club at school and after moving to South Africa was surrounded by culture which further inspired him.
• One of the ways Qabaniso’s passion for Malawi’s musical sector is in being one of the founding members of Hip-Hop group Real Elements.

INTERESTING MOMENTS

2:56 “Politics is always an amazing background for many artists”

5:40 “My passion and my drive is to really see Malawi’s creative and culture sector thrive”

09:56 “African music is a very spiritual music, it doesn’t matter where you come from it doesn’t matter if you understand or don’t understand the African languages”

13:18 “I really decided to take a deep dive and explore the concept of who we are as a people and our duality, inner conflicts, the good the bad and the ugly, basically just documenting the human experience”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

[email protected]

[email protected]

FAST FACTS ABOUT MALAWI

1. Formerly known as NYASALAND, Malawi means ‘fire flames’ - a nod to the rising sun seen on the waters of its vast lake.
2. Lake Malawi has the most fish species of any lake in the world - with well over 1,000. This is no surprise as it is the 3rd largest lake on the continent and ranks in the Top 10 globally.
3. Malawi, and its millions of charming people, welcome visitors to what's known as the "the warm heart of Africa"

Malawi is also the first stop in our march of the continental map...with this episode airing originally in July 2023.

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Website - https://54lights.com/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story at a time. 

WHAT TO EXPEXT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

54Lights is on a bold mission to broadcast inspiring stories from Africa to the world. Creatively designed, passionately produced and curated for (and from) the community, the show is devoted to showcasing the continent...its people and its allies. Put another way, 54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crowd54/

Email guest referrals, comments and stories to [email protected] (feedback welcome…complaints and hate, not so much)

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Kondwani is Ethiopian-born, Canadian-raised and proudly Malawian. He’s a Pan-Africanist, a dreamer and a storyteller whose enthusiasm for his guests is (hopefully) palpable. 

By day Kondwani is the Executive Director of Audience Engagement at Canada’s National Arts Centre and by night (and light) Kondwani is the host and exec producer of 54Lights.  

He is a work in progress. Informed by life in delightful diaspora, driven by desire to reshape the African narrative and determined to listen, love and learn.