One of the impactful lessons I picked up during my time teaching Entrepreneurial Leadership at ALU in Mauritius, was the constant need to foster a growth mindset. The intentional ability to keep dreaming and the consistent effort in bringing these dreams to life!

You could briefly join me in today’s exercise on exploring your own moment of having a growth mindset. If you may kindly take a quick moment to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and allow your mind to settle. Then, respond privately or aloud to this prompt:

In the absence of all that is happening and all my responsibilities, and limitless resources, what is the one thing I can dream up and create, today? Something audaciously impactful, and rewardingly personal.

You should write your answer down and refer to it often, creating little achievable tasks to achieve your and let’s reconvene on your progress. I’ll be happy to be your accountability buddy.

My dreams are most often times dipped in culture, expressed in melodies, colored in curated experiences, and only tempered by the need to wake up, eventually. This year, I have the privilege of joining Andani.Africa and the University of Johannesburg to exploring “Futures & Beyond” 2-day summit Where Creatives and 4IR meet on the 16th & 17th of March. I am giddy to share on Culture, Creative Arts, Connectivity & Commerce with further details here.

Andani.Africa x UJ Arts & Culture (FADA)

If the intersection of re-imagine Africa’s contributions to digital and the appreciation of our cultural heritage through the digital arts is your jam as much as mine, then it would be an honor to have you join us!

“Connecting the dots: Culture, Creative Arts, Connectivity & Commerce.” E. A. Gamor

Besides the Unpacking Africa lens, I shall be engaging our audience on the untapped, underexploited economic and innovation opportunity that exists in our creative manufacturing and artisanal spaces; while sharing the relevance of Africa’s poignant contributions that have recently taken space on digital entertainment consumption during the pandemic with Beyonce’s Black is King, Apple’s Prince G iPhone photography campaign, Netflix’s Bridgerton, Afrobeats, and provocative colorful design.

In spite of the challenges we have all had to face this and last year, I have also allowed my dreams to permeate my reality, and have taken on earnest the opportunity to assist our creative manufacturing and hand-made products sector more intentionally with my skills, network, and resources. More on my theory of change with the Eliu Gift Hub here:

My dream and earnest hope are that with this love-offering of curating cultural communities that create bridges in dismantling challenges in commerce from Africa to the world, we are able to unearth even more talents that express the gift of giving.

In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, a trans-generational icon and barrier-shattering-artist, Stevie Wonder matter-of-factly shared “I wanna see this nation smile again; and I want to see it before I move to Ghana because I’m going to do that.” urged on by Oprah he also shared “I don’t want to see my children’s children’s children have to say, ‘Oh please’, like me. ‘Please respect me, please know that I am important, please value me.’ What is that?” Link to the full interview for context here.

In my lived experience, my culture has always valued me, it has shielded me, it has protected me especially in spaces that have been contentious and unappreciative. And as I continue to future-cast the world I also want my children to thrive and succeed in; I cannot dream up of a better way than to connect our dots in cultural heritage as we negotiate our place in a more equitable world. Join us.

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” Carl Gustav Jung

Be well, be safe, be loved.

Originally published to Unpacking Africa newsletter’s 15,000 + subscribers on March 03, 2021.

 New resolutions and the euphoria of a new year notwithstanding, 2021 has started off feeling like the B-side of a 2020-mixtape. 

The advent of a new strain of the COVID-19 virus, insurrection in the United States of America, and a continuing global economic crunch. And yet, there is hope. Hope when and finality to writing two thousand and twenty-one, that triggers a mental indication that we individually and collectively have the opportunity to turn a new leaf.

Amanda Gorman photo credit: USA Today

Of the press releases, news updates, and tweets during President Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration, the quote that resonates with me was shared byThe Youngest Inaugural Poet in US History, Amanda Gorman: “There is always light if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

I’m walking into 2021 and I am claiming it, my eyes are wide open because my year is going to be lit!

By employing this energy as a personal mantra I am looking forward to framing the conversation I have with Heavy Chef’s January 2021 Event: The Futurists 2021 - What the Hell Just Happened? And What Now? with Bronwyn Williams & Dion Chang. Deets here.

As a moderator fostering this discussion, there are three buckets I am keen to share insights on, namely: health vulnerabilities - the Coronavirus pandemic; leadership disappointment: the global response to disseminating information, managing a shared crisis, and charting a clear, equitable vaccine distribution path moving forward; & economic challenges - the whittling down of opportunities and fractured world of work with millions of young people struggling to find jobs after years-investment of education/skills acquisition

Heavy Chef’s January 2021 Event: The Futurists 2021 — What the Hell Just Happened? And What Now?

Most critically, with Bronwyn and Dion, we shall explore our what now? moment. Personally, the emphasis is on community empowerment. Our communities are the foundations of our local industries as well as our national and international modes of commerce. During these challenging times with border closures to mitigate the virus; we need to ever more present, ever more community-focused, and up-lifting. After all, none of us can escape where we find ourselves at home; work, school, and other activities are all done from our homes, in our communities.

If there is a time to give, of our time, our talents and resources to those close to us (literally, in our communities), it is now. Eliu - God is here I interpret is unconditional love is here situates our actions, establishes our need for presence, and as I build on the idea of Eliu Gift Hub and practice. A rallying call for artisans, confectionary makers, and creatives to participate in the global economy, digitally and benefit from the ratification of the AfCFTA/continental trade agreement.

I’m excited to transition research, discussion, and empathetic listening into a real-life community-focused Africa to the world innovation process with the gift hub. Join here to participate.

Be well, be safe, be brave, be loved.

p.s. We are hiring! Research Assistant and Programs and Content Assistant - candidates should send their resumes to eagamor@4irAfrica.co

p.s.s. We (Google Podcast Creator’s program advisors) are purposefully building convergent opportunities, I am starting with the KukuZafest Podcasters Festival in 2021 to create alignment with a changing traditional to the digital broadcasting ecosystem. We hope that these efforts empower even more (sometimes marginalized) voices for positive impact.

Originally published to Unpacking Africa newsletter’s 15,000 + subscribers on Jan 26, 2021.

Episode 4 — The Black Lives Matter movement #BLM, rekindled by the unfortunate death of many black people, most noteworthy the 8 minutes 46 seconds knee-on-neck strangulation of George Floyd has the entire world interrogating racism and colonial structures that have, and continue to, disenfranchise blacks and Africans across the globe.

This episode, “Black Enterprise” features two phenomenal minds in business enterprise: Zimbabwe-born Brian Mushongera who is business development for Code4Kids in South Africa and his outfit uses the lockdown during Covid-19 to create a digital meeting application: Room.sh, and Nike Anani Nigerian, UK-raised next-generation business coach, mentor, and co-founder of Africa Family Firms.

They both share authentically about the current situation for African businesses, they delve deeper in addresses social issues such as black lives matter, gender-based violence, the role of men from Brian’s perspective in South African; and in Nike’s instance, the legacy she is leaving with her young sons from Nigeria to the world.

This episode was particularly personal to me as I share my father’s legacy and how a social enterprise, Urithi Labs, is the best way I also know how to pass on skills, talents, and knowledge to the now-generation of young doers.

To listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, or Anchor — please do well to subscribe. I would appreciate it if you kindly share the pod, and this newsletter widely within your network and/or with someone else.

Episode Links

Brian Mushongera’s LinkedIn
Code4Kids: www.getcode4kids.com | Room.sh: https://room.sh

Nike Anani’s website
Africa Family Firms: www.africanfamilyfirms.org

Urithi: www.urithimedia.com

www.4irAfrica.co | @4irAfrica_

We are in this together.

Be safe, be well, be loved.

Originally published to Unpacking Africa newsletter’s 15,000 + subscribers on July 7, 2020.

In adjusting to this “new normal” I have found it comforting to hear from peers also navigating through these hours-days-weeks-all-meshed-in-one virus prevention routines. With a myriad of different government regulations on lockdown and economic recovery, it is equally important to ask what is happening in our education ecosystems affecting the millions of us in continuous learning and teaching programs with a global impact on the lives of millions of children across the world…

Learning Journeys: this episode engages 3 African professionals, 2 of whom are Ph.D. candidates: Zinhle Mkhabela, a Measurement and Evaluation practitioner in South Africa, Kwabena Boateng, a collaborator on Pan-African education ecosystems in the United States and Fauzia Issaka, an International Development consultant & doctoral student in the United Kingdom.

🎙Unpacking Africa podcast is available on Apple Podcasts Spotify & Google Podcasts

We get to hear their prospects on the challenges the pandemic has presented in their own academic lives — as well as their students; pain points in digital access on educational systems; and the opportunities in future-casting post-Covid educational journeys that highlight solutions among likely allies. With cross-collaborative programs with universities on the African continent and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States of America as a primary example. While you listen to this edition, you might as well grab a cup, lean back, and lean into their intriguing insights.

www.4irAfrica.co | @4irAfrica_

Be safe, be well, be loved.

Originally published to Unpacking Africa newsletter’s 15,000 + subscribers on May 12, 2020.

2020 started with national lockdowns from Asia, Europe, Americas to the African continent in response to the pandemic caused by the CoronaVirus or Covid-19, with global health structures struggling to cope and the disruption of transportation and hospitality industries while plummeting economies across the world into recession. 

How are you reacting to the virus in your community? Are there any learnings and lessons that may be scaled to other parts of the world? In which ways can we individually and collectively do better?

Podcast host E.A. Gamor explores health, education and logistics ecosystems that are fraying in the light of the pandemic with six suggested ways-to-improve after the virus is cured and its global effects managed; he speaks with young citizens from Bahrain, United States, Chile, Nigeria, Jamaica, Botswana, South Africa and Ethiopia and caps the episode off with remote work best practices - what teams and organization members can do - during the outbreak that has over a quarter of the world's entire population "social distancing" and being mandated to stay at home.

Episode contributors: Esraa Sabah (Manama, Bahrain 🇧🇭), John M. Montgomery II (Jersey City, USA 🇺🇸) Alejandra Salazar 🇵🇪 (Santiago, Chile), Ugo Chukwujiaka (Lagos, Nigeria 🇳🇬), Stephanie Hazle (Kingston, Jamaica 🇯🇲), Leonardo Nunes (Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱), Tsholo Angel Kopi (Gaborone, Botswana 🇧🇼), Aslam Levy (CapeTown, South Africa 🇿🇦), Kal Kassa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 🇪🇹), Kim Ofori (Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱). 👏🏾 #MosquitoClaps

Kindly send us comments on the show, happy to hear from you. Please click “subscribe” on Spotify, Anchor & RadioPublic for subsequent episodes.

www.4irAfrica.co | @4irAfrica_