Skip to main content

18 minutes for Africa

When I first listened to Chimamanda Adichie's talk 'The danger of a single story' I was a young business journalist working for CNBC Africa, and this new found patriotism for the continent had flooded my mind and all I wanted was a better Africa, in perception, and also in tangible terms.

For 18 minutes I was engrossed in her thoughts of how Africa's perception has been shaped through time. Right then I knew that this is the space I wanted to be in. A place where Africans can passionately speak about their continent,what they are doing to make it a better place, despite the world seeing it as a dark and hopeless continent, as the Economist one called it.

So when I bumped into my friend Suraj Sudhakar of the Acumen fund just a day before Ted Talk held its audition for African Speakers in Nairobi, I knew that I wanted to bed there. To be re-energized by other believers of a successful Africa. TEDtalks are Ideas worth sharing. In their own terms, they say, Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.

The Nairobi auditions were in search for a participant for the TEDtalks 2013. It intends to showcase, The Young, The wise, The Undiscovered. These talks (auditions) however were 6 minutes each, unlike the well 18 minute talk.

For 6 minutes I listened to a talk about vultures, transfixed at a topic I would ordinarily flip past. I soaked in the passionate story telling and after that talk I vowed to buy my daughter a book about vultures.

For 6 minutes, I listened to undercover Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas tell us about Africa Investigates and his desire to uncover corruption on the Afrivcan continent, he passionately puts his life on the line, for a continent that he believes will change. A number of those he has uncovered through his Television features have been arrested.

For 6 minutes, I listened to Lorna Irungu tell us about the 3 lessons that she learned after being diagnosed with lupus and having undergone a number of kidney transplants.

For 6 minutes, I learned about the bees that make it possible to have chocolate, built for pollination, and how they do it, for those minutes, I laughed and smiled, and took in the passion with which the story was told.

For 6 minutes, I listened to Eric Wainana telling about finding an edge, in life, at work, in whatever it is you put your mind to.

For 6 minutes, and another 6 minutes, and more 6 minutes after that, I regained an even bigger pride for Africa.

If these people, who are not just beaming of great oratory skills have such passion and belief in what they are doing to make a better Africa, then the continent will change.

There's farmers finding Agri-solutions through an online platform called I-cow. There's Maasai herdsmen now happy that Lions will not invade their cattle boma 's because of a flashing light a 12 year old invented.

There's Su Kahumbu who's hoping Agriculture can be packaged in a sexier way so that young people can not only be part of feeding the continent, but also part of the global food chain.

It is these things, that I want to be part of, and for 18 minutes, we may one day change the world's perception of Africa.

I wish all the TEDtalk audition candidates all the very best!

Comments

  1. I love this piece. Nicely put, incisive and encouraging. I love Terryann the writer too, way more than i love Terryann the broadcaster. Kudos

    ReplyDelete
  2. ;-) Thanks for stopping by! That means you love me less when I dont post enought. Grrr!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Open Letter to Prof Makau Mutua, keep your predictions to yourself.

Dear Prof. Makau Mutua, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye Prof, you and J.D Salinger clearly share no beliefs. And maybe you shouldn’t. But I feel that you would be the man with an evil laugh pushing the thousands of little children off the cliff. Let me explain. Your tweet on the 23rd of Dec 2012,in Buffalo, New York "@makaumutua I predict a military coup in Kenya after t

SCANNING SCANGROUP

Scan group just annouced its full year results for year ending 2008 with Profit after tax up 24%. I got to speak with the man himself Bharat Thakrar (now second biggest shareholder (20%) after getting into bed with WPP Group (27% in october). The interview airs on CNBC Africa tomorrow. it's important to first note that the advertising Industry in Kenya grew by 21% in 2008. with the Company's current market share in East Africa at 46% the growth in the overal industry reflected well in their bottom line. WPP Group is definately a great lay for Scangroup.The two smart Joint ventures into discplines that Scangroup has not been doing exeptionaly well in, especially PR, which contributed only 3% to the entire outfit. But This is set to change through their latest joint Venture with Hill and Knowlton, which is among the worlds top PR companies, and also part of the WPP group.Ownership, 51 percent Scangroup and 49 percent by a WPP subsidiary. Exit Scanad PR, Enter Hill& Knowlton E

THE RICH AND THE REST: The Kenyan Story.

Aiming high! A recent title of the Economist publication read “The Rich and the Rest’. Before we get prejudicial as most of us do, I do not buy the economist on a weekly basis, sometimes almost never, I’d love to, but it’s an expensive habit to maintain. My former boss got me hooked though and once in a while, I will attempt to steal a copy, or go online to their website which has also now been squeezed to subscribers who can access it once they’ve paid for the 'Premium articles'. But this time, I painfully bought a copy, only because of its title; 'The Rich and the Rest. The special report on this edition focused on what they referred to as ‘The few’ then stratified into other sections such as 'More Millionaires than Australians’. The world’s water coolers – where the influential people meet and talk, ‘The Global campus- The best universities now have worldwide reach.' As I buried my head in the pages, Kenya’s rich (elite) made little flashes in my mind,