Africa’s identity was dictated by people who had no vested interest in the continent’s improvement and no understanding of the continent’s cultures, systems, traditions and ideologies. As Africans reclaim their own identity, we grapple with the question on everyone’s mind ‘What is an African?’. We are joined by José Litako Belengo a pan-African philosopher and co-founder of JEMO who shares his inspiring views on African identity and how we can truly reclaim it.

Welcome back! In this episode, we introduce you to Africa Matters Initiative so that you have better understanding of the work that we do. Additionally, we give a nice outline of what to look forward to for the rest of the season. Enjoy!

COVID19 has affected us all on a global, continental and even personal scale. In Africa, COVID19 has exacerbated rates of youth unemployment which is a catastrophe for a population with the largest youth population in the world. However, this is not all doom and gloom. African youth can play their part in uplifting their communities and playing their part with government and the private sector.

Non-profits led by people of colour win less grant money, according to a Bridgespan and Echoing Green Study. Numerous other studies have confirmed this. In this episode, Africa Matters Co-Founder and CEO, Reanne Olivier, openly shares the struggles that black run non-profits face and how we can overcome these.

Africa has a shortage of 17 million teachers to educate its large population and youth boom, yet not enough young people consider teaching as a career option. In this conversation, Pan-African Educator Thembi Ngoma unpacks the importance of teaching in advancing and growing society.

Africa is young and female, with women making major contributions to Africa’s economic growth through farming and entrepreneurship. Over the last few years, the continent has seen tangible improvements in the gap between men and women through Women Empowerment initiatives such as equal rights to primary education and gender mainstreaming in parliaments. Despite these advancements, African women still face many barriers related to political, economic and social rights. Join us and our guest, Minister of Menstruation Candice Chirwa as she unpacks what gender inequality is, why it is a problem within Africa and how we overcome these barriers.

The #NotTooyoungToRun movement started out in Nigeria with young people demanding that their voices be heard in all spaces including politics. In this episode, Lindokuhle Ntuli (South African attorney, activist, Mandela Rhodes Scholar and Schwarzman Scholar) unpacks the importance of young people in political leadership.

A welcome to the Africa Matters podcast, outlining what Africa Matters does and the responsibility of young Africans to shape the Africa we want by each playing our part.