54Lights

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

Ray Fankhauser, a Canadian with over 20 years of diplomatic service, joined host Kondwani Mwase to talk about his travels, trials and triumphs. From his early days in the corps in China to taking center stages in Pakistan to his eventual journey home, Ray opens up and shares what he's learned most in the key years. A conversation between friends who've found footing anew - reconnecting through a common love of the arts.

LEAN IN, LISTEN UP...AND LEARN

Ray Fankhauser has a working knowledge of several languages including Urdu, Portuguese,and French to name a few.

MUST LISTEN FROM OUR GUEST

"Beyond the things that we see the things that we hear, you experience something from another world and that is what African music has always been about."

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

Kondwani has had a few difficult weeks dealing with the devastation of Cyclone Freddy and its horrific impact on his birthplace of Malawi and other Southern Countries of Africa.

In this episode, he talks about the distinct internal dilemma he is facing, ‘what do we do now?’ and contemplates how we can keep the focus and attention on the destruction Cyclone Freddy has caused and continue to give our support and help to those in need.

Kondwani is also joined by Akeela Okhai Sacranie, a chartered surveyor by profession and fellow Malawian, who talks about the devastation these natural disasters cause and how Malawi is being increasingly affected by extreme weather and the human impact this has.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Malawi has been impacted more and more by extreme weather in recent years
• Choosing whom to help and what to help with is never an easy choice and Akeela and her team have to rely on information they are given by the community on the ground, reassessing their strategies daily to give help where it is most needed.
• Malawi is currently battling its largest cholera outbreak in history, it began in 2022 but there is a legitimate worry that more diseases will become widespread due to conditions caused by extreme weather.
• Many charities and communities were on the ground already providing what was needed in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy before the government stepped in. The spirit of the people, their unwavering generosity and the outpouring of love and care were unprecedented.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

2:47 “This will remain in their headlines, in their forefront. But for the rest of the world, it will dim and fade to black”

10:20 “It’s very difficult in emergency situations to know who to choose to help”

16:18 ” The road the build these displaced communities is a long one”

22:07 “Malawians are not helpless and in this case they have helped themselves”

VALUABLE RESOURCES - Road to Malawi Charity

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

Host Kondwani Mwase is joined by returning guest Chawa Mphande in an important episode reflecting on Cyclone Freddy. The two unpack and explore some tough questions about natural disasters, trauma and crisis management. The endpoint is a raw, yet hopeful, glimpse into the lives of some underprivileged people.

During the piece, Chawa and Kondwani talk about one of ‘the Worst storms in history’ (Cyclone Freddy), that has devastated parts of southern Africa. They discuss the impact it has had on many countries, including Malawi, how its left a mark on the people, and touches on the trauma that will be being immediately felt...and the damage that may unfold in the future. Finally, the two touch on coverage in Western media and how that underreporting may have a detrimental impact on fundraising efforts.

WHAT'S LEARNED THROUGH LISTENING

• Chawa's path is one that's becoming more familiar for the African diaspora. She was born in Malawi, spent formative years in Canada and returned to live and reside in Malawi
• Cyclone Freddy has been classed as one of the strongest and longest lasting Cyclones on record - with impacts felt in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia
• When events such as storm Cyclone Freddy occur it creates a lot of trauma - both at the individual level but also on the collective communities and surrounding systems that have ties to a region
• There aren’t a lot of mental health services in Malawi, particularly not to deal with events a scale as intense as Cyclone Freddy

HIGHLIGHTS

1:07 “The lover of the land we live on makes me a lover of people”

08:20 “Firstly I am a human being, before anything else”

11:25 “I have my feet planted in Canada and my heart firmly in Malawi”

18:29 “Someone may not have been impacted directly, but that trauma knowing that people's lives and livelihoods have been lost is immense”

21:36 “Most trauma you don’t see the effects right then and there, we’ll only be able to see some of this trauma in years to come”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Consider donations to disaster relief (Road to Relief) - https://www.facebook.com/RTRmw/

Previous episode with Chawa: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-well-of-gifts-with-chawa-mphande/id1447037493?i=1000507503202

https://54lights.com/

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

Jimmy Baptiste is an artist based in Ottawa, Canada. He is also a father, educator, graphic artist and culture builder. Jimmy extends his art into the community in a profound and colourful way, working with students to create beautiful murals that discuss themes of race, youth and empowerment. In this episode, Jimmy takes us through his process, his triumphs and his motivations – which ultimately manifest in impact-filled work with youth.

WHAT WE LEARNED

• Do not settle in a job, or situation, that makes you unsatisfied or unfulfilled. Pursue your passion... and success will come
• If you have skills and you work hard, you have potential. But the key to art is understanding and appreciating representations and being unique...so that you can embrace and express your own aesthetic
• Art is an important tool in empowering youth.

OUR HIGHs (NO LOWs)

4:05 “I don’t want to have to come to work at 7 and leave at 11 doing the graveyard shift”

6:10 “Whenever I had a dead call at work I would always be in my sketchbook, you never know what life has in store for you”

9:10 “Seeing a Black artist become successful in a white world and embracing his own aesthetic, that was my main inspiration”

GET IT FROM OUR GUEST

Jimmy’s website - https://jimmybaptiste.ca

Contact Jimmy - [email protected]

Jimmy’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_baptiste/

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 (paint stroke) at a time. 

Prolific podcaster, Dr. Patience Adamu is the architect of several incredibly compelling shows - The Drip, BBW (Big, Beautiful and Winning), Hyphenated among them. The PhD graduate and an all-round super-creator joins your host, Kondwani Mwase, to talk about the work of podcasting, questions of culture and the complexities of identity. While the laughs roll in, the depth and deliberate conversation about living life in diaspora stands a common and impactful thread throughout the show.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The uniqueness of feeling displaced and homeless, as an experience, is only how people begin to understand a lot of Patience’s concepts around identity, such as ‘hyphenation’.
• When creating, Patience doesn’t always have her audience at the forefront of her mind, she instead focuses on where she is currently at but finds that many people relate to this, regardless of their current situation and perspective.
• A globalized society means the hyphenated experience Patience talks about is becoming more and more common.

GREAT MOMENTS

4:17 “You have to feel displaced to understand”

11:58 “You put things into the world and you never really know where it’s going to land”

MEET YOUR GUEST Dr. Patience Adamu

Patience Adamu has been creating audio content since 2018 when she launched her first podcast, Hyphenated. Since then she has created two additional podcasts (The Drip and BBW) and has become a known entity in the audio content world. Aside from her passion for and commitment to producing audio content, Patience maintains a written column in ByBlacks.com, contributes to TheGrio.com, supports small organizations that want to make a big impact through her work as an independent research consultant and all while holding down a full-time gig in the equity, diversity and inclusion space

ABOUT YOUR HOST Kondwani Mwase

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 an executive working in the performing arts 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.

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

Ricardo McRae returns to the 54Lights studios. Over the course of the conversation, Ricardo gives host Kondwani an update on his life post-pandemic including the life-affirming accident he was in. The two also delve deep into business, a "winning" mindset and wealth as well as the influence our lifestyles have on future generations. Underlying it all was a recognition that prioritizing people who matter is paramount.

To listen to Kondwani and Ricardo’s first conversation head over to this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/09wRO9xQ7UCSlSlD9RaUxf?si=xAUDYd7STGWo-pLOtmiC4Q

KEY TAKEAWAYS

·     Ricardo helps people learn how to ‘play the world of money’ and to make their money and investments work for them.

·     Ricardo now takes the time to check in with the people that matter to him, even if that’s leaving a voicemail at 3pm on a normal Tuesday. You have to show people they matter to you.

·     You have to set an example to the world of what you want to see. If you want peace then you need to demonstrate that yourself.

·     Business and success aren’t simply about volume. Too many people try to fit too much in, Ricardo believes that if you slow it down you make fewer mistakes and offer a better service to your clients.

·     Recognize your strengths and hire people/someone for things you aren’t great at.

·     There’s a cost to anything you want or dream of, you have to try your dreams on to manifest them and make them tangible.

·     When saving, the amount doesn’t matter, it’s about creating a habit.

BRIGHTEST MOMENTS

11:50 “The only thing I wanted to do was more of what I was doing, helping people with their money”

24:10 “When you slow it down you make less mistakes”

25:20 “I am only a man, I have to work within my own limitations”

30:40 “You’ve built a business that’s about going beyond the self”

GUEST GUIDE - Who is Ricardo McRae?

Ricardo is a black entrepreneur, based in Toronto, who has started several projects including BlackInCanada.com and Wedge15. As a businessman, he’s craftily managed the world between creativity and commerce. Among other things, he now works with people in the black community to help them better understand their relationship with money. Aside from fiscal management, he’s known for giving sage advice to business owners and youth within the greater Toronto area.

FIND AND FOLLOW 54LIGHTS

Website : https://54lights.com/

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

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

54Lights, hosted by Kondwani Mwase, is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 

Acclaimed actor, Karen Leblanc joins us in studio to talk about her ever-elevating career and path. As an independent and emerging artist, she rose to more popular fame after instrumental performances in Rent and impersonating the indomitable Tina Turner. Though her path has been laden with successes, many people were introduced to her through her performance on OWN’s Kings of Napa… a series backed and lauded by none other than Oprah Winfrey.

In this episode, Karen graciously opens up her youth and how it was to grow up as the youngest of 8. She further walks us through the lessons of perseverance and how she prepares to perform and grow.

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)

Andrea McKenzie is a fearless entrepreneur who’s building an art empire…one piece at a time. The fierce visual artist has brought her Caribbean culture to the fore with her unique signature and style. Andrea creates unique pieces using glass, feathers and other materials to blend them and weaves them into “kaleidoscopic pieces”. She uniquely infused glass, feathers, acrylic and other materials on canvas which propelled her into achieving a viable international clientele. With flare and ferocity at her side, Andrea has used art to help her grow and fulfill her destiny. She made her way from the Caribbean to Atlanta and the US to build her brand.

Enjoy this honest and insightful conversation with one of the most dynamic artists on our planet. One who pours her work into the work and then has had to find a way to pour herself into the business of being at artist. From the art of it all to the management of it all, Andrea walks her through her life, trials and triumphs.

FIND AND FOLLOW OUR GUEST

• Website - https://andreauniqueart.com/
• IG Follow - https://www.instagram.com/andreas.heart/?hl=en  

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)

On this instalment of 54Bites...we get talk about getting giddy about guests. As an interviewer, I sat in the hot seat and stepped into some friendly family fire to talk about what impact my love of my guests has on the show. 

For the honest fireside chat, I sat down with my sister, Siphiwe Mwase, who's also the intro voice on this show.

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 54Lights

54Lights is committed to illuminating the African experience...one story (beat) at a time. 54Bites features our extended conversations with fans, foes and friends of the show.

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

In this episode, host Kondwani Mwase is joined by Rwandan urban music icon, Cassa. Cassa emerged from the music scene via private radio station Contact FM and has gone on to tour alongside the likes of Lupe Fiasco and Delasoul. He was also chosen specially to perform a tribute to Music Producer Quincy Jones!

Among other things, Cassa opened up about his musical journey, the source of his inspiration as well as his writing process. Listen in to hear an infectious and energetic conversation highlighted by his hit song, Dis O Dat, which is featured throughout the course of the episode. WARNING: You'll undoubtedly become a fan of his music and magnetic presence.

Music for this episode was provided by our guest, Cassa, whose work can be enjoyed below: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qVqyeTICpuu938EF2Lxon?si=EGvVjgA0SbCxMSzy2TvISQ

NOTABLE LEARNINGS

Kondwani was introduced to Cassa from a referral from our friends and family at KIF Radio.

• Cassa’s music journey first began in Church in his birth home of Rwanda at 8 years old. Then when he was 12, he joined a performing group, leading him to eventually recording music at the age of 18.
• Cassa likes having as much control over his own music and art. This is why he has started to learn to produce his own music alongside his writing.
• A lot of Cassa’s newest music is very intentional, every song is meant to fit a certain mood.
• It was only when moving to the U.S from Rwanda that Cassa began to really learn the in-depth and long-lasting impact of slavery. This has been reflected in some of his songs, including Ndugu Yangu [My Sibling in Swahili] on his EP Back to Life.
• Using a variety of languages in music can be seen as risky, but something that pays off in Cassa’s case. Cassa truly leans into his art and doesn’t even recognise it as a risk.
• Live performances mean a lot to Cassa and his music, it was something he missed during the pandemic. He wrote his latest EP with this in mind with a strong intention to take this music out on the road with him.  

OUR HIGHs (NO LOWs)

00:27 “Sometimes the music stops, the rhythm and the reasons gets pushed aside, best laid planned leads inexplicably to an unscripted place”

01:59 “Everything stopped, everything changed, everything moved. Overcome by a soft trauma of motion my body swayed, my mouth smiled, my mind eased”

12:40 “I’m screaming loud who I am, there’s no one better that can do that than me”

19:50 “I’m actually really enthralled by your ability to embrace the risk of using different languages in your music”

25:44 “The more we’re experimenting with sounds, the more we’re trying to recreate it, we actually created a better sound”

30:00 “Even if I jump on a trend, I will morph that trend to fit me”

MUST LISTEN FROM OUR GUEST

Dis O Dat by Cassa: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qVqyeTICpuu938EF2Lxon?si=EGvVjgA0SbCxMSzy2TvISQ

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.