Dear Diaspora

Afrobeats is undoubtedly one of the hottest music genres right now!

This week's episode explores just how Afrobeats and other African music genres are cementing their place on the world stage. Hint: The Nigerian and larger African Diaspora have played a HUGE role. DJ, Creative Entrepreneur and Afrolit Podcast host Ekua Musumba was my lovely guest co-host - enjoy!

Links:

We'll be chatting about destigmatizing mental health this season! Ask an anonymous mental health question here: https://www.questionwave.com/q/12109

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Listen to Afrolit: https://linktr.ee/itsafrolitpodcast

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This week's episode explores the question: Why hasn't Africa "developed" as fast as other continents?

As you can imagine, this is a HUGE, nuanced question. Nevertheless, Joy Malonza (founder of The Down Ballot) and I tackled the question head-on, with zero filter*

Tune in to hear about:

• Africa's patterns of development before the transatlantic slave trade and colonization
• The legacy of colonization in Africa
• How institutions like The Wold Bank and IMF have impacted Africa's development
• Why capitalism doesn't work in Africa (and why rich Africans are not our friends)
• Why socialism may/may not be the answer

*views/opinions expressed in this episode are my own and do not represent any organization other I am affiliated with!

Links/resources:

Ask us a question: https://www.questionwave.com/q/11895

Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deardiaspora

Africa before Transatlantic Slave trade: https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/history-of-slavery/africa-before-transatlantic-enslavement/

The Guardian article by Eliza Anywangwe titled, "why is Africa so poor": https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/28/why-africa-so-poor-google

The Guardian article by Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu titled "Why has Africa fallen behind the rest of the world'd economies?": https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/aug/04/africa-fallen-behind-economies-science-technology

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Dear Diaspora is officially back – welcome to season 4 of the show!

Let's just say a LOT has happened since the last episode! First, my short visit to visit family in Zambia turned into an extended, four-month stay. I also started a pretty cool fellowship with Princeton in Africa in July.

Tune in to catch up and hear what you can expect from this season and some tea on the best and worst moments of my time in Zambia.

BEST:

• My grandma's fantastic dating advice
• Experiencing Zambia's nightlife

WORST:

• Getting scammed when working on a project
• Having to comb out my locs when applying for a Zambian ID

Links:

Ask an anonymous question: https://www.questionwave.com/q/11895

Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/deardiaspora

Medium blog on Zambia's historic elections: https://medium.com/emerging-public-leaders/reflections-on-zambias-historic-elections-8c5c945869d3

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/

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Join our mailing list.

Today's guest is Lee Ngwenya–writer, documentary filmmaker and host of Conversations with Leelabee, a podcast covering topics ranging from entrepreneurship to mental health.

Lee was born in Zimbabwe but raised in Zambia, and knew early on that a traditional career path wasn't for her. She attended school in North Carolina for social work but quickly realized that film was her passion. Capetown, South Africa had the exact program she was looking for and her training there has landed her work in South Africa, Kenya and Zambia.

Tune in to hear more about:

• What her 2020 was like
• How she's navigating Zambia's creative scene
• The two sides of Capetown people aren't really talking about
• Upcoming African creative projects you should know about
• Which Conversations with Leelabee episode to listen to first & more!

Resources mentioned:

• Listen to Conversations with Leelabee: https://linktr.ee/leelabee
• Learn about Amooye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g0opGfQ3vU
• Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79
• Become a patron and support the show: patreon.com/deardiaspora
• Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod
• Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/

For today's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with brother/sister duo Akinade Adelere and Oyin Aderele—hosts of Pod Save Africa. Pod Save Africa explores the interesting details of our history, our present and our hopes for the future through weekly podcast episodes.

During our conversation, Akinade and Oyin share:

• How conversations and debates in his apartment with friends led Akinyade to launch Pod Save Africa
• Their initial reactions to the #EndSARS protests and why this latest round of protests was more effective
• What—if anything—the #EndSARS protests learned from the Black Lives Matter movement
• What role the Diaspora (and celebrities) plays during times like these
• How they stay hopeful and encouraged while covering heavy topics

Resources mentioned:

• Learn more about Pod Save Africa: https://www.saveafricapod.com
• More on the #EndSars Movement: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/25/africa/nigeria-end-sars-protests-analysis-intl/index.html
• Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79
• Become a patron and support the show: patreon.com/deardiaspora
• Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod
• Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/
• Dear Diaspora FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/deardiaspora

If you're a student and looking for ways to engage with the continent in an impactful way, this is the episode for you! I had a great conversation with Doing Good Work in Africa (DOWA) Founder Ola Erogbogbo DOWA Fellow Adaeze Okorie.

Doing Good Work in Africa connects brilliant and innovative university students to Africa-based companies, public entities and non-profit organizations working to address challenges at the grassroots level by implementing impactful and scalable initiatives.

Tune in to hear Ola and Adaeze share:

• What about doing business in Nigeria led Ola to launch DOWA
• How you can land an internship with one of their program partners
• How the program benefits the Africa-based companies and non-profits that sign up
• What exactly about young people excites them about Africa's future

Resources mentioned:

• More About DOWA: https://www.dowafrica.org
• Use discount code "DearDiaspora" to join me and Certified Africa in Ghana this December: https://deardiasporashow.com/ghana2020/
• Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79
• Become a patron and support the show: patreon.com/deardiaspora
• Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod
• Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/
• Dear Diaspora FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/deardiaspora

This is Dear Diaspora's 50th episode! The podcast launched September 2019 and since then, I've had the pleasure of interviewing amazing guests from all over the world. To celebrate this milestone, I'm taking some time to reflect on a few things:

• The Biden-Harris win and what I'm hoping to see these next four years
• The biggest takeaways from past interviews and what they've taught me about Africa, the Diaspora and what role we actually play in contributing to Africa's growth and development
• The 3 biggest lessons I've learned this past year
  • Consistency is key
  • You don't need to ask for permission to follow your dreams
  • There are no failures in life, only lessons to be learned

Thanks for tuning in!

Resources mentioned:

• Use discount code "DearDiaspora" to join me and Certified Africa in Ghana this December: https://deardiasporashow.com/ghana2020/
• Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79
• Become a patron and support the show: patreon.com/deardiaspora
• Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod
• Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/
• Dear Diaspora FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/deardiaspora

For today's episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Sam Baddoo, Founder of Fleri—a health insurance marketplace that helps immigrants protect the people they love, everywhere. Every year, immigrants across the globe send billions of dollars in remittances to their loved ones in lower-income and middle-income countries. What's unique about Fleri is that it "unbundles" remittances by providing immigrants a direct way to provide quality healthcare to their loved ones back home.

During the episode, Sam and I discuss:

• His upbringing in Ghana and experience studying in Morocco
• The African immigrant experience and how he found his footing after emigrating from Ghana
• How remittance payments transform African economies
• How Fleri will work to reduce the burden of out of pocket healthcare costs
• Africa's healthcare landscape and which countries are getting it right
• What healthcare in Africa could look like in the next 10 years

"We have the power. We just have to figure out how to use it." – Sam Baddoo

Resources mentioned:

• Join Fleri: https://joinfleri.com
• Use discount code "DearDiaspora" to join me and Certified Africa in Ghana this December: https://deardiasporashow.com/ghana2020/
• Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79
• Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod
• Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/
• Dear Diaspora FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/deardiaspora

For the first part of today's episode, I share my thoughts on Nigeria's #EndSARS movement, similar movements across the continent and what us folks in the Diaspora can do to amplify the work of organizers on the ground.

My guest today is serial entrepreneur, startup advisor and Founders Unfound creator Dan Kihanya. Dan grew up in Boston, Massachusetts with a Kenyan father and American mother. After studying mechanical engineering and getting an MBA from UC Berkeley, he ventured into entrepreneurship and has served as a co-founder, early executive, investor, and advisor. He's the head of marketing and strategy at Wizely and is the creator of Founders Unfound, a media project created to tell the stories of exceptional entrepreneurs and tech founders from underrepresented backgrounds – starting with founders of African descent.

During the episode, we discuss:

• His upbringing in Boston and navigating his Kenyan-American heritage
• Some of the biggest mistakes early entrepreneurs make and how to start a business in this current environment
• What he learned about building a product specifically for an emerging market
• Why he built Founders Unfound and why he's "bullish" on the African continent

"There's an inherent hustle factor—which is ideal for entrepreneurship. There isn't a [traditional] corporate track for young people, so by definition, young people will take their own mantle and start businesses. I'm bullish on Africa in general." - Dan Kihanya

Resources mentioned:

Subscribe to Founders Unfound: https://podnews.net/podcast/1462390038/no

Learn more about the movement to end SARS.

More about similar movements across the continent.

Use discount code "DearDiaspora" to join me and Certified Africa in Ghana this December: https://deardiasporashow.com/ghana2020/

Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79

Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod

Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/

Dear Diaspora FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/deardiaspora

If you're anything like me, you've probably been thinking of various ways you can supplement your income - especially considering how the pandemic has impacted so many of our lives this past year. If so, then you'll love today's episode with Teri Ijeoma, Founder and CEO of Invest with Teri! Teri teaches you how to supplement your daily, weekly or monthly income with trading so that you can live your best life.

During the episode, we discuss:

• Her upbringing in Dallas, TX and college experience at MIT
• Her switch from being an educator to trading stocks and traveling full-time
• How you can learn how to trade, pick the right companies and make consistent gains
• Her advice for young people interested in investing but aren't sure where to start
• Details about her Trade and Travel program
• What being a part of the African Diaspora means to her

Resources:

Learn how to trade and travel: https://itradeandtravel.lpages.co/1000aday/

Use discount code "DearDiaspora" to join me and Certified Africa in Ghana this December: https://deardiasporashow.com/ghana2020/

Subscribe to Dear Diaspora's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gZpu79

Dear Diaspora Twitter: https://twitter.com/deardiasporapod

Dear Diaspora Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardiaspora/

Dear Diaspora FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/deardiaspora