Africa Straight Talk

When Evelyne Keomian was growing up in Côte d'Ivoire, she was told that there was no need for girls to go to school. She tells us how she refused to listen and went to school anyway -- even when she wasn't enrolled -- and how her painful pursuit of education made her an advocate of quality education for every child.

Dr. Chris Wachira has a job most people would envy, but it’s not enough for her. Dr. Wachira, who is a fellow at Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, is also the founder and executive director of the Institute of Clinical Excellence-Africa, (ICE-Africa), a nonprofit she founded to enhance the quality and delivery of … Continue reading Episode 32: Meet Chris Wachira, the Kenyan-born doctor who makes wine

In a world where the dominant use of European languages has eroded the prominence of indigenous ones, Dr. Sam Mchombo still believes that African languages can play a critical role in determining the continent's future.

Most African immigrants go to graduate school hoping to land a great white-collar job. Not Simileoluwa Adebajo. The 24-year-old Nigerian woman quit her job as financial analyst to open a restaurant and bring her country's food and culture to Americans.

We speak with Dr. Chemtai Mungo about why she has committed her career to serving women in her country of birth, Kenya, while at the same time working as physician in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Mungo, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, is passionate about using research, advocacy, and public health to advance women’s health in Africa. … Continue reading Episode 29: Dr. Chemtai Mungo on being an African black female doctor on two continents

Emmanuel Nado and Edwin Okong’o invite two other African-born fathers, Joe Kappia (Liberia) and Yawo Akpawu (Togo), to talk about how their fathers influenced the way they raised their children in the United States.

In 2012, President Barack Obama honored Nunu Kidane as a “Champion of Change”. Kidane, who is the executive director of San Francisco Bay Area-based Priority Africa Network, talks about her unconventional  journey as an African immigrant advocating for the continent and its  people in the Diaspora. Kidane, also speaks about the census, its history and … Continue reading Episode 27: Meet the Woman Who Has Spent Decades Fighting to Protect Africa’s Image

Our guests, Nigerian-American Dr. Amanda Felix, and Ghanaian-born Prof. Kwesi Wilson spare no one in their critique of the world's response to George Floyd's death in the hands of Minneapolis Police. Africans, Europeans, Asians -- everyone gets a fair share of the venom.

Protests continue in the Unites States over the murder of George Floyd, another unarmed black man killed in police custody. Our guest Tom Gitaa, president and publisher of Minneapolis-based African community newspaper, Mshale, about why African immigrants are increasingly rising to protest racism in America.

Many African fathers proudly -- some even loudly -- take credit for the success of their children. But if they were to be honest, they'd admit that our mothers play bigger roles in shaping our lives. This week we tell you about out mothers and other African women who made us who we are.