ABOUT Kojo Baffoe

Kojo Baffoe is the son of a Ghanaian father and a German mother who was raised in Lesotho. He currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa and is an entrepreneur, writer, content strategist, former men’s magazine editor and speaker, to mention a few of his roles in life. He calls himself a retired poet, and he studied Economics, Marketing and Business Administration. Kojo has worked in multiple sectors and aside from his content creation for different brands, he is in the process of publishing his book titled Listen to Your Footsteps.

Writing to Make Africa’s Voice Heard

In this episode, you will hear all about the possibilities that open up career-wise when you are willing to define your life by your needs and what you envision for yourself. Taking risks and making jumps without knowing how things are going to go is a challenging decision that can be very rewarding at many different levels.

Kojo Baffoe refers to himself as a “professional jack of all trades” and he undoubtedly lives up to the title. He talks about the different studies and jobs he has done and how his unwillingness to define himself by his career has allowed him to explore different pursuits, from being the editor of Destiny Man to entering the business world.

Kojo opens up about his addiction and how he realized he needed help. In the process of getting through this, he achieved self-acceptance and realized he doesn’t need to make excuses for who he is. This journey has helped him in his life and his writing. Kojo is an example of reinvention, perseverance, adaptation, and growth and his goal is to make the voice Africans heard worldwide.   

Highlights of the episode:

• 02:04: Kojo Baffoe talks about his background, how he defines himself, and his mission to ensure the voice of Africans is heard in this world.
• 09:23: Kojo’s father’s journey to become a businessman after being an academic, which formed how Kojo saw the business world and allowed him to have an early education on the subject.
• 14:35: The political limitations that existed in the African continent, especially for South Africa challenged the pan-african ideals in which Kojo grew up. 
• 19:02: The difference between pursuing a life focused on the lifestyle desired and basing the definition of self through work and career goals. The importance of being willing to jump into the unknown and making it work according to what the final destination is. 
• 25:39: A job title can come with numerous perks and keeping in mind that these are associated with the job and not the worker is instrumental to not get lost in the process. Self-worth should always be based on more than a job title, a career, or a social media following.
• 42:42: Koje opens up about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had in his work life and his mental state and how writing a book is not as profitable as people might think.
• 49:43: Koje talks about the origin of his addiction to alcohol, how this led him to try other drugs and the support system that allowed him to get the help he needed.
• 54:23: The trauma that comes with the rejection and struggle in the entrepreneurship  journey and how COVID-19 has forced people to face themselves and navigate through personal and professional challenges.
• 01:02:14 Being an African beyond being born in this continent and the conversation around Africa as a location vs. Africa as a spirit and people coming together.

Mentioned Resources

• Third Culture Africans
• Malée
• Kojo Baffoe
• @kojobaffoe
• Zebra Culture Newsletter