Glocal Citizens

Season’s Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest, Derrick N. Ashong, earlier this year in Nairobi and the Charter Cities Institute, 2025 New Cities Summit (https://youtu.be/d9XUzdxKmzo?si=FbITjI8Git8kEb9Q). At the summit, we connected as storytellers that share Ghanaian heritage and formative years spent in Brooklyn, New York. In a glocal citizenship twist, we later came to find that we met virtually years prior through mutual connections in the media and arts spaces. Derrick’s work leverages his international upbringing which informs his company’s vision for Turning Culture into Currency for creators and fans worldwide. He does this as founder and CEO of TBTM, a Media Fintech that uses content to onboard global audiences to inclusive financial solutions, with partners like Mastercard. While still a student at Harvard, he played a supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, and went on to top charts with his band, winning a Billboard Songwriting Award. As a host and producer, he pioneered multi-platform interactive content with Oprah Winfrey, and major media platforms including ABC-Disney and Univision, earning three Emmy nods and a Royal Television Society Award. His original Take Back the Mic TV series has won seven major international awards and achieved 1.1 Billion media impressions worldwide. He has delivered electrifying speeches on issues of Youth Culture and Tech for UK Parliament, the United Nations, and the world’s most elite Business Schools, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton, Cambridge & London School of Economics. He has interviewed celebrities and global luminaries ranging from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan, to Zoe Saldaña, Kevin Hart and Steven Wozniak, among others. Most recently, he has delivered keynote speeches for Mastercard, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and Kigali, as well as SuperReturn Africa, the continent’s top investment forum. In this conversation we gt to know even more about the next phase of Derrick’s vision for flipping the script on creative industry infrastructure in Africa. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Derrick? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dnatv/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tbtmstudios) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@soulfegemusic) What’s Derrick reading? Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/FOU/foundation/) Lord of the Rings (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/LOR/the-lord-of-the-rings/) by J.J.R Tolkien Other topics of interest: About Larteh (https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/print/11948/GH) in Ghana Where are Dansoman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dansoman) and Adabraka (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adabraka) in Accra? What was music streaming like in the early 2000’s? (https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/the-history-of-music-streaming/) Soulfege performs Sweet Remix (https://youtu.be/T1j8_kOtfd8?si=5sEyNakWJDyBxbLE) About Uechi-Ryū (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uechi-Ry%C5%AB) Mattial arts Special Guest: Derrick N. Ashong.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! The final stretch of 2025 is upon us and along with winding down our year-long Glocal Citizens @5 commemoration, this flashback forward episode is right on time for many reasons. In her new book, Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden from Us (https://annamalaikatubbs.com/bookshelf/), my returning guest, Anna Malaika Tubbs (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/anna-malaika-tubbs) not only prompts readers (and listeners) to connect the many dots that encircle the systems and institutions that animate the current Administration of the United States, she also proposes a vision for how we collectively flash forward and overcome the inherent limitations to patriarchy, in the US and globally. The solution--people power. Anna is a two-time New York Times bestselling author and multidisciplinary expert on current and historical understandings of race, gender, and equity. With a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Masters in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelors in Medical Anthropology from Stanford University, Anna translates her academic knowledge into stories that are clear and engaging. Her articles have been published by TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Guardian, and others. She first joined us to talk about her first book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, which came out in 2021. Anna’s storytelling also takes form in her talks, including her TED Talk that has been viewed 2 million times, as well as the scripted and unscripted screen projects she has in development which she hints at in our conversation. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Anna? www.annamalaikatubbs.com (https://annamalaikatubbs.com) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-malaika-tubbs-5a72652b8/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/annamalaikatubbs/) What’s Anna reading and watching? The Covenant of Water (https://www.abrahamverghese.org/the-covenant-of-water/) by Abraham Verghese The Amazing Race (https://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/) All Her Fault (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Her_Fault) Other topics of interest: Anna on The View (https://youtu.be/9oYQ_sLHOio?si=9icwosFpjQ2B4NzC) The Reecie Colbert Show (https://reeciecolbert.com) Higher Learning Podcast (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_Learning_(podcast)) with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay The 19th News (https://19thnews.org/2025/05/anna-malaika-tubbs-erased-patriarchy/) About Modo Yoga (https://modoyoga.com/about-us/) About Bikram Yoga (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga) Special Guest: Anna Malaika Tubbs.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest Patricia Lokwa Servant last November in Accra at a Forge: Harnessing Creative Arts for Reparatory Justice. The convening turned out to be a mini Glocal Citizens summit for us Accra-based peeps lead by Makmid Kamara (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/makmid-kamara) in his new role leading Reform Initiatives (https://reforminitiatives.org), with Esther Armah (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/esther-armah) and Nyamal Tutdeal (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/nyamal-tutdeal) participating as facilitators and storytellers Emmanual Etim (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/emmanuel-etim) and Brigitte Perenyi (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/brigitte-perenyi) also took part. The program was designed to strengthen the reparations movement by fostering solidarity among artists, cultural workers, civil society, and government leaders across the African diaspora and I can say that as a group we gained much and continue to make progress amongst ourselves. This is indeed indicative of this conversation with Patricia, a program strategist, storyteller, and cultural organizer born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the Founder of http://CongoLove.org (http://congolove.org/), Co-Founder of the Andrée Blouin Cultural Center (https://andreeblouin.org) in Kinshasa, and a Development Consultant with Friends of the Congo (https://friendsofthecongo.org). Her work centers African knowledge, community resilience, and youth leadership across the continent and the global diaspora. For more than a decade, she has designed and led multi-country initiatives strengthening institutions, expanding equity, and building pathways for collective empowerment. She has supported regional movements with Africans Rising (https://www.africansrising.org), helped shape global narrative and education ecosystems with Farafina: The Black Link (https://www.farafinatheblacklink.org), and advanced gender-responsive learning programs with the African Women Development Fund (https://awdf.org). Patricia currently serves as Fundraising and Partnerships Lead for SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College (https://www.soshgic.edu.gh) in Ghana, where she strengthens donor systems and cultivates cross-border collaborations with aims of supporting young African students. She is also the former host of the radio show Congo Live (http://www.congolive.org/show/), where she amplified stories of Congolese culture, history, and global engagement. Patricia’s work bridges generations and geographies. She remains committed to building systems that honor African memory, uplift community wisdom, and support young people to lead with purpose and dignity. With Pan-Africanism at the heart of her life’s work, Patricia is making her mark as an architect of our collective #panafricanprogress mission! Where to find Patricia? CongoLove.org (https://congolove.org/team/patricia-lokwa/) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-servant-6204a5128) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/servant_lokwa/?hl=en) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/patricia.lokwa/) What’s Patricia listening to? Lucky Dube (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Dube) Other topics of interest: About the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1993 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo_Civil_War_(1993%E2%80%931994)) About Congolese Activist Kambale Musuvili (https://www.kambale.com) Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of Congo in his own words (https://therealnews.com/author/maurice-carney) On (Pan)-African Feminism (https://www.blackwomenradicals.com/blog-feed/the-power-of-pan-african-feminism-a-conversation-with-jessica-horn) Kongo: Power and Majesty at the MET (https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/kongo) and thoughts from curator, Alisa LaGamma (https://nyss.org/a-look-inside-kongo-power-majesty-with-curator-alisa-lagamma/) About Dossier No. 77 (https://mronline.org/2024/06/26/dossier-no-77-the-congolese-fight-for-their-own-wealth/) About Ernest Wamba dia Wamba (https://africasacountry.com/2020/08/ernest-wamba-dia-wamba-a-healer-from-within) USA for Africa + Marcia Thomas (https://usaforafrica.org/about-us/) About Emira Woods (https://ips-dc.org/ips_author/emira-woods/) About Coumba Toure (https://www.linkedin.com/in/coumba-toure-b4a16566/?originalSubdomain=sn) About Hakima Abbas and the Black Feminist Fund (https://blackfeministfund.org/our-village/) About Filmmaker Thalia Mavros (https://www.thaliamavros.com) Special Guest: Patricia Lokwa Servant.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest Patricia Lokwa Servant last November in Accra at a Forge: Harnessing Creative Arts for Reparatory Justice. The convening turned out to be a mini Glocal Citizens summit for us Accra-based peeps lead by Makmid Kamara (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/makmid-kamara) in his new role leading Reform Initiatives (https://reforminitiatives.org), with Esther Armah (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/esther-armah) and Nyamal Tutdeal (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/nyamal-tutdeal) participating as facilitators and storytellers Emmanual Etim (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/emmanuel-etim) and Brigitte Perenyi (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/brigitte-perenyi) also took part. The program was designed to strengthen the reparations movement by fostering solidarity among artists, cultural workers, civil society, and government leaders across the African diaspora and I can say that as a group we gained much and continue to make progress amongst ourselves. This is indeed indicative of this conversation with Patricia, a program strategist, storyteller, and cultural organizer born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the Founder of http://CongoLove.org (http://congolove.org/), Co-Founder of the Andrée Blouin Cultural Center (https://andreeblouin.org) in Kinshasa, and a Development Consultant with Friends of the Congo (https://friendsofthecongo.org). Her work centers African knowledge, community resilience, and youth leadership across the continent and the global diaspora. For more than a decade, she has designed and led multi-country initiatives strengthening institutions, expanding equity, and building pathways for collective empowerment. She has supported regional movements with Africans Rising (https://www.africansrising.org), helped shape global narrative and education ecosystems with Farafina: The Black Link (https://www.farafinatheblacklink.org), and advanced gender-responsive learning programs with the African Women Development Fund (https://awdf.org). Patricia currently serves as Fundraising and Partnerships Lead for SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College (https://www.soshgic.edu.gh) in Ghana, where she strengthens donor systems and cultivates cross-border collaborations with aims of supporting young African students. She is also the former host of the radio show Congo Live (http://www.congolive.org/show/), where she amplified stories of Congolese culture, history, and global engagement. Patricia’s work bridges generations and geographies. She remains committed to building systems that honor African memory, uplift community wisdom, and support young people to lead with purpose and dignity. With Pan-Africanism at the heart of her life’s work, Patricia is making her mark as an architect of our collective #panafricanprogress mission! Where to find Patricia? CongoLove.org (https://congolove.org/team/patricia-lokwa/) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-servant-6204a5128) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/servant_lokwa/?hl=en) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/patricia.lokwa/) What’s Patricia listening to? Lucky Dube (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Dube) Other topics of interest: About the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1993 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo_Civil_War_(1993%E2%80%931994)) About Congolese Activist Kambale Musuvili (https://www.kambale.com) Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of Congo in his own words (https://therealnews.com/author/maurice-carney) On (Pan)-African Feminism (https://www.blackwomenradicals.com/blog-feed/the-power-of-pan-african-feminism-a-conversation-with-jessica-horn) Kongo: Power and Majesty at the MET (https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/kongo) and thoughts from curator, Alisa LaGamma (https://nyss.org/a-look-inside-kongo-power-majesty-with-curator-alisa-lagamma/) About Dossier No. 77 (https://mronline.org/2024/06/26/dossier-no-77-the-congolese-fight-for-their-own-wealth/) About Ernest Wamba dia Wamba (https://africasacountry.com/2020/08/ernest-wamba-dia-wamba-a-healer-from-within) USA for Africa + Marcia Thomas (https://usaforafrica.org/about-us/) About Emira Woods (https://ips-dc.org/ips_author/emira-woods/) About Coumba Toure (https://www.linkedin.com/in/coumba-toure-b4a16566/?originalSubdomain=sn) About Hakima Abbas and the Black Feminist Fund (https://blackfeministfund.org/our-village/) About Filmmaker Thalia Mavros (https://www.thaliamavros.com) Special Guest: Patricia Lokwa Servant.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast returning guest, Baze Mpinja takes us nearly five years to the date on a flashback forward journey to her new now as a podcaster and Phoenician. Her new podcast, Reflections with Baze Mpinja (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reflections-with-baze-mpinja/id1838292042&ved=2ahUKEwiEuJvdp4uRAxX_WkEAHRCzLzoQFnoECBsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3Wn_UQ_XufBPaY_jd1GFns) comes at a time when she’s now calling one of her childhood hometowns home again and she’s finding a new sense of home in the work of translating and transcribing a career in beauty onto a new platform. true to form, she describes adaptability as her superpower. She’s navigated startup-style multicultural magazines, national media powerhouses, and the creative side of theatrical advertising. Along the way, she’s honed the ability to dive into unfamiliar topics, collaborate cross-functionally, deliver clean, accurate work on tight deadlines, and tailor her writing to resonate with diverse audiences. As a project-based writer and strategist, brands trust her to shape their voice, develop storytelling strategies, create compelling branded content, and craft executive communications. Her latest project, Reflections with Baze Mpinja is a sharp, witty podcast that holds up a mirror to beauty and society—exploring what’s beautiful, complex, and everything in between. The show goes beyond trends and product talk to unpack how beauty shows up in pop culture, sports, media, and everyday life. Listen and learn about how we’re both navigating the wide world of podcasting and more! Where to find Baze and Reflections? bazempinja.com (https://www.bazempinja.com) On Apple Podcasts (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reflections-with-baze-mpinja/id1838292042&ved=2ahUKEwiEuJvdp4uRAxX_WkEAHRCzLzoQFnoECBsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3Wn_UQ_XufBPaY_jd1GFns) On Glocal Citizens (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/baze-mpinja) What’s Baze reading, watching and listening to? Loneliness & Company (https://www.charleedyroff.com) by Charlee Dyroff The Diplomat (https://www.netflix.com/gh/title/81288983) on Netflix The Pitt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pitt) on HBOMax The Agency: Central Intelligence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Agency:_Central_Intelligence) on Showtime In the Dark (https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/season-2-of-in-the-dark), a New Yorker podcast Other topics of interest: The Phoenician Resort (https://www.thephoenician.com) About Paradise Valley (https://www.paradisevalleyaz.gov) About Tempe (https://www.downtowntempe.com) Who is Curtis Flowers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Flowers)? Revisit our conversation on AI in healthcare with David Hutchful (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/david-hutchful) Special Guest: Baze Mpinja.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast as I’m easing back into the flow of life in Accra after a whirlwind trip across the US via London. My experiences in the US inlcluded much needed R&R in Hawaii, where I met some amazing new connections--stay tuned for those conversations early next year. Next, I revisited my alma mater, Stanford University for reunion-homecoming weekend and reconnected with classmates doing truly amazing work, which you’ll also hear about soon. The rest of my time was spent getting myself organized for a new chapter on this Pan-African progres mission, engaging with #UNGA80 in New York City, and gathering my thoughts in Colorado. As part of my thought gathering and as five years of storytelling with dynamic diasporans becomes six, this week's compilation is a reflection on visionary entrepreneurs doing essential work improving food systems, as stewards of earth’s abundant resources, and by building and delivering value to communities. Each of these guests - Luther Lawoyin, founder and CEO of Pricepally in Nigeria; Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh, CEO of Grow For Me in Ghana; Wellington Baiden, CEO of Portal Forest Estates also in Ghana; and Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, founder of the One Love Community Fridge Project in the US, engages daily with the realities of the global challenges we are all facing - the availability and access to affordable, quality food; improving the livelihoods of those that deliver that food; and planning the land for the long haul. The great thing about each of their entgerprises is that they are all growing and going strong with mission critical works, AND you can help ensure their continued success with your time, investment and/or donations. Revist the full episodes with links to how to engage with each guest here: A Revolution of Solutions with Luther Lawoyin (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/luther-lawoyin) Crowdfunding African Agribusiness with Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/nana-opoku-agyemen-prempeh) Portal into Agro-Forestry with Wellington Baiden (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/wellington-baiden) Connecting Communities with Asmeret Berhe-Lumax (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/asmeret-berhe-lumax) Special Guests: Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, Luther Lawoyin, Nana Opuku Agyeman-Prempeh, and Wellington Baiden.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! Last week, Ghana lost another living legend, the first lady of the 4th Republic, Madam Nana Konadu Ageyman Rawlings. As we mourn this loss, I can’t help but to take note of how 2025 has been a year punctuated with transitions of many of Ghana’s cultural icons as well as civic leaders--all passionate about not only their crafts, but forward movement, Ghana’s progress. I invited my guest this week to join me in conversation particularly because of how her craft, her passion and her lineage converge in a story that is and will continue to make an impact on arts, culture and economic development in Ghana and beyond. Ghanaian-American, Aretha Amma Sarfo-Kantanka is an accomplished global branding professional who has been instrumental in driving retail sales via innovative retail marketing and branding campaigns juxtaposing the fashion and music industry. In 1998, Aretha launched VISIONS Entertainment & Publicity in New York City with a client roster inclusive of: fashion brands, designers, actors, artists, publications and more. She has created and managed numerous cross-promotional marketing and branding campaigns, from concept to execution, for record labels such as: Interscope, DreamWorks, Sony/Columbia, Island/Def Jam, Arista and Atlantic Records. A decade later in 2008 she founded Global Fusion Productions Inc. promoting African culture, tourism, entertainment and news. Aretha has served as the liaison and connector for local and global businesses looking to target the vast and underserved global African market with events and projects including being a member of the team who brought Ghanaian icon, living legend and Glocal Citizen, James Barnor’s photography for exhibition in Ghana for the first time in 2012. Aretha also served as coordinator and panelist for the launch of Fashion Forum Africa’s talk series on the business of fashion in Africa. Aretha has written for publications such as: New York based Applause Africa, MIA Magazine and Berlin, Germany based - POP Magazine covering global pop music and culture. In 2023, Aretha curated Culture Curators: Hip Hop 50 at the National Museum of Ghana, the first of its kind exhibition at the museum that celebrated Ghana’s Diaspora connection thru music in a series of talks, films and one of a kind memorabilia items and commissioned art, along with bringing A/R technology to the museum for the first time in collaboration with The San Diego African-American Museum of Fine Art. 2024 sets the stage to honor and tell the story of Ghana’s unique modern music of Hip Life in celebrating its 30th anniversary so there is much, much more to come for this dynamic diasporan! Where to find Aretha? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aretha-amma-sarfo-kantanka-401213272/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/globalfusionist/) What’s Aretha cooking? Kontomire 101 (https://niyis.co.uk/blogs/news/12-health-benefits-of-cocoyam-leaves-kontomire?srsltid=AfmBOooNnfMFy9_zsteigUCce3-RmjU7-_EH2N59MJD9wy0mIe2qEbM4) Other topics of interest: About Okomfo Anokye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okomfo_Anokye) Guan People of Ghana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_people) About Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka (https://kristoasafomission.com/about1/) About KTA Mobile (https://youtu.be/KQyXcXVQdNg?si=lm1FeBQUadirNvAZ) About H.E. Nana Konadu Ageyman Rawlings (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nana_Konadu_Agyeman_Rawlings) Capricorn Astrology (https://cafeastrology.com/zodiaccapricorn.html) DollHouse Jeans (https://www.dollhouse.com/index.php) About the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Accra (https://webdbmf.org/40th-anniversary-of-the-dedication-of-the-w-e-b-du-bois-memorial-centre-for-pan-african-culture/) Special Guest: Aretha Amma Sarfo-Kantanka.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s encore episode is a timely flashbackconnection with my guest, the Soul Food Scholar, Adrian Miller. Adrian and I went to primary and secondary school in the same school district—Denver Public Schools, and we also both attended Stanford University. I selected this episode to revisit this week because it represents two locals that have been integral to my global self. I’ve just arrived in Colorado from my undergraduate homecoming reunion weekend in California at Stanford University. What a time was had! And more on that later! Adrian, known as the Soul Food Scholar, is an award-winning food writer, attorney, and certified barbecue judge. His latest book, Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History: Cooking to the President’s Taste (https://shop.whitehousehistory.org/products/asian-heritage-chefs-in-white-house-history-cooking-to-the-president-s-taste?srsltid=AfmBOopVJ4thGej_D8gMD7JwjUWfUiwN_SNm_aIRqPG_aF5ohvZURjMV), is the first-ever history of the many chefs of Asian heritage who have prepared meals for the president. Two of his books, his first in 2014 Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time (https://adrianemiller.com/product/soul-food-paperback/) and his 2022 Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue are the James Beard Foundation Award for Reference, History, and Scholarship winners. His second book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas (https://adrianemiller.com/product/the-presidents-kitchen-cabinet-paperback/) was a finalist for a 2018 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction.” He is also featured in the Netflix hit docus-eries, High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. In addition to his writing and speaking engagements, he is the executive director of the Colorado Councitl of Churches (https://cochurches.org/) and, as such, is the first African American, and the first layperson, to hold that position. Along with fascinating anecdotes about foods common on three sides of the Atlantic Ocean, you'll get a sense of how this lawyer by training found himself on a career path in service not only to his dreams, but to the uncovering, elevation and preservation of narratives about culture defining foods and food practices. Where to find Adrian? adrianemiller.com (https://adrianemiller.com) EP135 on Glocal Citizens (https://glocalcitizens.fireside) Special Guest: Adrian Miller.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s conversation dovetails themes that have become very present in my perspectives in the past year. Our conversation takes place in one of my locals, which happens to be a new-ish local for my guest--Brooklyn, New York. My guest, Ambassador Martin Kimani is a native of a soon-to-be local for me--Kenya. And we are both decidedly on a #PanAfricaProgress mission. Getting to this point, Ambassabor Kimani has spent his career operating at the intersection of diplomacy, security, and political legitimacy, working across national, regional, and multilateral systems to resolve conflict, build institutions, and negotiate power. As Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, he served as president of the Security Council and the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS. His Security Council address of February 2022 (https://www.un.int/kenya/statements_speeches/statement-amb-martin-kimani-during-security-council-urgent-meeting-situation), delivered on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and viewed by millions, affirmed a core element of his leadership: the ability to bring moral clarity and strategic grounding to moments of international rupture. Earlier, in his career, he directed Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and served as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism advising three presidents through national and regional crises, from emergency evacuations to constitutional brinkmanship. This year he stepped into a new role as President and CEO of The Africa Center (https://theafricacenter.org) in New York marking a new phase in his work where diplomacy, strategy, and narrative converge. At the same time his Pan-African portfolio, alongside his continued engagement with the United Nations, positions him as the current President of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (https://www.ohchr.org/en/permanent-forum-people-african-descent). Where to find Martin? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-kimani-a44849215/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ambmkimani/?hl=en) What’s Martin reading? A Wreath for Udomo (https://50wattsbooks.com/products/a-wreath-for-udomo-peter-abrahams?srsltid=AfmBOooU1jYcu8Lxyc0K8p8sCDK1PSkL0GaLZ0oi3AVTcUN7y8ulaTyx) by Peter Abrahams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Abrahams) Other topics of interest: About Mombasa, Kenya (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mombasa) Nyeri, Kenya (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyeri) Kiambu, Kenya (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiambu) About the Kikuyu People (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikuyu_people) Ambassador Kimani’s Security Council Speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxZlaiuicYM) The First Pan-African Congress in London (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Pan-African_Conference) The Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester (https://panafricancongress.org/the-fifth-pan-african-congress/) Who was George Padmore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Padmore)? Necropolitics (https://www.dukeupress.edu/necropolitics) by Achille Mbembe African Nationalism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_nationalism) Special Guest: Martin Kimani.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! We’re talking about the business of teaching and learning from a design thinking perspective with my guest, fellow Stanford University alum, visionary educational leader and the founder and CEO of Roundtrip Ticket Home, an organization dedicated to helping educators reimagine school systems through design thinking, Kalimah Fergus Ayele. With almost 30 years of experience in education, her journey began as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching Chemistry in East Africa. Her career has spanned five countries, enriching her global perspective on learning, and bringing a deep understanding of urban educational landscapes to her transformative work. Most recently, she served as the Head of NYC Campus for The Winchendon School where she led an innovative educational oasis in Manhattan, guiding high school students through real-world learning and a unique city-wide field study program designed to connect them with their passions. In this conversation we truly experience the roundtrip journey of a little girl growing up in Brooklyn and St. Croix, building on Pan-African rooting from an early age, who manifested her new and now as a global citizen ready for her next adventure. Where to find Kalimah? @roundtrip Ticket Home (http://roundtriptickethome.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalimah-fergus-ayele/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kalimahinkemet/?hl=en) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/kalimah.ayele/) What’s Kalimah reading? All the Way to the River (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707805/all-the-way-to-the-river-oprahs-book-club-by-elizabeth-gilbert/) by Eizabeth Gilbert What’s Kalimah watching? aka Charlie Sheen (https://www.netflix.com/title/82024990) on Netflix Orgasm Inc: The Story of One Taste (https://www.netflix.com/title/81487901) on Netflix Other topics of Interest: About St. Croix (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Croix) Sleepy Hollow, New York (https://visitsleepyhollow.com) About the United States Peace Corps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Corps) About Brooklyn’s African Street Fair (https://www.blackownedbrooklyn.com/stories/international-african-arts-festival#:~:text=The%20International%20African%20Arts%20Festival,people%20from%20across%20the%20globe.) and International African Arts Festival (https://www.iaafestival.org/history) Courageous Conversation + Glenn Singleton (https://courageousconversation.com/about/glenn-singleton/#dipipopup-19366279) About the American University in Cairo (https://www.aucegypt.edu) On Montessori Education (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education) On Friends or Quaker Schools (https://www.friendsacademy.org/blog/quaker-school-5-reasons) Special Guest: Kalimah Fergus Ayele.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! In case you missed us last week there’s good reason. My glocal speak for the week was #UNGA80. The streets and sounds of NYC all pointed to the United Nations General Assembly and myriad sideline events. My week was about all thing #PanAfricanProgress and I look forward to sharing stories from the ground in the coming months. One thing is for sure, the giant that is Africa is awake with millions of youth and experienced diasporans ready to keep all of our eyes wide open. Much of that story is alive and well in my guest this week. Myra Dunoyer Vahighene is a storyteller, creative entrepreneur, and founder of Eleza Masolo, a cultural platform born on YouTube in 2020 and officially launched in 2022 to amplify African voices through storytelling, fashion, and visual arts. She authored Nyuma, the Thirsty Fish (https://a.co/d/2dY2FxR), a children's book tackling water justice in Africa, and regularly speaks across the continent — from Abidjan to Nairobi — about youth empowerment, branding, and narrative sovereignty. A Harvard-trained cultural leader, Myra blends Afro fashion, social storytelling, and entrepreneurship to inspire the new generation of African creators across borders. We meet in Nairobi at the New Cities Summit in June of this year where our common passion for elevating storytelling targeting African children forged our connection. Her most recent literary work Ceux qu’on ne sauvera pas (The Ones We Couldn’t Save) (https://a.co/d/iLT8FXs), published on August 10, 2025 is a powerful book blending real-life testimonies, allegory, and prophetic narrative to recount thirty years of war and suffering in her homeland, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Through this work is a moving tribute and a lasting call to remember the forgotten victims of ongoing conflict. Where to find Myra? Eleza Masolo (https://www.instagram.com/eleza_masolo/?hl=en) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/myra-dunoyer-vahighene-✨-b1b449168/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/myra_dunoyer_vahighene/?hl=en) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/myra.vahighene/) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ElezaMasolo) Who is Myra listening to? Slimane (https://www.youtube.com/@slimane_music) Other topics of interest: Congo, Kinshasa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo) What’s happening in Goma? (https://acleddata.com/expert-comment/qa-what-happening-and-around-goma) Kivu and the ongoig conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo) The Great Congo River (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43xTvpxWLW4) About DRC’s many ethnic groups (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ethnic_groups_in_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo) What is an ISBN (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN) France’s AFNIL (https://www.afnil.org) platform Teraanga (https://bbc.com/travel/article/20201115-teraanga-the-word-that-defines-senegal) Lâche (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/l%C3%A2che) and Faiblesse (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/faiblesse) in English About The First Pyramid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser) of King Djoser Special Guest: Myra Dunoyer Vahighene .

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week we continue to reflect on GlocalCitizens@5 and we’re flashing back to our Womens' Herstory series in March 202. Ghana-based, London-born international award-winning journalist, playwright, global public speaker and entrepreneur, Esther Armah (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/66) – a self-described ‘global black chick’ – has lived, worked, loved, and created across three cities in three countries on three continents – London, New York, and Accra. She is the Executive Director of the Esther Armah Institute of Emotional Justice and she leads a global team in Ghana, Chicago and London. Her most applauded work, which she describes as “more of a purpose than a profession” is centred on the concept of EMOTIONAL JUSTICE. Pubilshed in 2022, her groundbreaking book Emotional Justice: A Roadmap for Racial Healing (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717082/emotional-justice-by-esther-a-armah/) argues that the crucial missing piece to racial healing and sustainable equity is emotional justice—a new racial healing language to help us do our emotional work. She continues to build on this apparatus with complementary storytelling expressed via her breadth of creative media expertise. As part of EAIEJ’s third annual September event HEALING HARM | HEEDING HISTORY, themed WELLNESS in the face of WARFARE she’ll be hosting a screening and dialogue for her short film '...goodbye to the EMOTIONAL MAMMY' later this week. Saturday, 20th September @ 6pm African Film Society East Legon, ACCRA Tickets are SOLD OUT but be sure to follow and sign up for a screening near you! Where to find Esther? www.theaiej.com On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherarmah/) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/esther.armah.37) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/eaarmah/?hl=en) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/MegaArmah/featured) Other topics of interest: Million Women March (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Woman_March) Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie_Madikizela-Mandela) Steve Beko (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Biko) Oliver Tambo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Tambo) Women in the ANC (https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/anc-womens-league-ancwl) Truth and Reconciliation Commission South Africa (https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/) New Heritage Theatre Group (https://newheritagetheatre.org/) Danceworks London (https://danceworks.com/) www.iamadinkra.com ICYMI - Nana Amoako-Anin's episodes - Part 1 (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/8) and Part 2 (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/9) Special Guest: Esther Armah.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! As the season of academic studies begins in many institutions across parts of the world, including New York City where I have spent many years working with charter schools to open their doors to children and families, it’s a flashback moment for my guest and me to the days when she was first granted a charter to begin her social enterpreneurship journey as a school leader and founder. Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez is the Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of the International Leadership Charter High School, a rigorous college prep charter high school in the Bronx, New York where over 95% of its scholars graduate within four years enrolling in the college of their choice. In 2024, she expanded her vision opening a middle school in 2024. Having worked in the field of education since 1980, over ths course of her career she has held various leadership positions in public schools and universities. In 2017, she was one of the recipients of the Distinguished Women Award (Mujeres Destacadas) presented by El Diario, the largest Spanish daily newspaper organization in the country. In 2022 as one of 100 Bronx Power Women. In 2023 she received the Educator of Excellence Award from the Black Latinx Asian Charter Coalition (BLACC). She is a founding member of the Latino Charter Leaders Roundtable and its current Chair. Her first book, The Fight for Equity in the Bronx: Changing Lives and Transforming Communities One Scholar at a Time was published last summer and stands as a testament to years of focusing her vision as a servant leader as well as the manifestation of generations of purpose driven living and adaptating to new shores, creating home in other lands. Where to find Dr. Ruiz Lopez and the International Leadership Charter High School? Buy her book @ here (https://www.drelaineruizlopez.com/)! Saturday (and weekends), September 13th - October 12th, 2025 at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (https://www.bwac.org/) as part of “the art of Nuyorican Soul: A Love Letter from the Diaspora to the Island” exhibition. International Leadership Charter Schools (https://www.ilchs.org/meet-the-ceo) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-elaine-ruiz-lopez-7146bb232/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/internationalleadershipchs/) What’s Elaine reading, watching and listening to? Island Beneath the Sea (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/island-beneath-the-sea-isabel-allende?variant=32132770463778) by Isabel Allende My Grandmother’s Hands (https://resmaa.com/merch/) by Dr. Resmaa Menakem Lupin (https://www.netflix.com/title/80994082) on Netflix CeCe Winans (https://cecewinans.com) Yolanda Adams (https://yolandaadamslive.com/about-yolanda/) Other topics of interest: About Historical Puerto Rico (https://www.hispanicfederation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puerto-Rico-101.pdf) On Immigrants and Migrants (https://www.gmfus.org/news/migrant-vs-immigrant-how-two-letters-can-change-society) The Bronx is Burning (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_and_Gentlemen,_the_Bronx_Is_Burning) and other stories about struggle (http://decadeoffire.com) and settlement in The Bronx (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bronx) What is the Jones Act (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920)? Finding Your Roots (https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/) with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on PBS Find our more about charter schoos via the New York City Charter School Center (https://nyccharterschools.org) Special Guest: Elaine Ruiz Lopez.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s interview was recorded while my guest and I were on the same time zone in Western Europe--she in Portugal and the UK for me. My guest, Serene Lewis Lyles spent most of her 30-year career making complex things simple. She was on the forefront of launching technologies that, today, are foundational to our lives including digital video recording (the predecessor to streaming content), the Internet of Things (now known as “Smart tech”), and high-design vape tech (much to her embarrassment). Fun fact, our paths crossed while we were both based in New York City in the aughts, and we share Colorado and Northern California as places we’ve also called home. After living and working in the States and the UK, she finished her career in San Francisco, as a Senior Director at Meta, leading the content design team behind Facebook and Instagram’s billion-dollar ads business. At Meta, she was also a leader of the employee resource group Black@ Design and founder of the Black@ Content Design Leads group. Since retiring last year, She has now turned her experience of leading people in solving hard problems into a career coaching people through the challenging process of planning for retirement. Her super powers as a coach are being comfortable talking about money, being excited about other people’s dreams, and creating systems that drive action. Where to find Serene? serenelewis.coach (https://serenelewis.coach/) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/serenelewis/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/serenelewis/) On the Experts & Expats Podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2433741/episodes/16857573) What’s Serene reading and listening to? A History of the World in Six Glasses (https://tomstandage.wordpress.com) by Tom Standage Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks) by Oliver Burkeman Portuguese Lab Podcast (https://www.portugueselab.com/plp) Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (https://teamcoco.com/podcasts/conan-obrien-needs-a-friend) Other topics of interest: About Golden Visa Programs (https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/golden-visa-portugal/) More about international living in Uruguay (https://internationalliving.com/countries/uruguay/) San Francisco’s de Young Art Museum (https://www.famsf.org/visit/de-young) About the Forty Acres and a Mule (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_acres_and_a_mule) Blue Man Group (https://www.blueman.com) About Serene’s Mindset Hack @ 56:43 Special Guest: Serene Lewis Lyles.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast we’re flashing back to June 2020 when we first met Emmanual Agbeko Gamor (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/e-a-gamor) while he was based in South Africa attending Wits Business School (https://www.wbs.ac.za). Now glocal in his native Ghana and South Africa he continues to evolve on the personal and professional fronts. Widely known as Palmwine DJ, Emmanuel is a trailblazer in Ghana’s music scene, a digital professional, social entrepreneur, and music curator dedicated to preserving and celebrating African musical heritage. With over a decade of experience working remotely and collaboratively with local, regional, and multinational partners, he’s built a career that bridges the digital and physical worlds, creating impactful experiences through music, networking, and community building. As you’ll hear, this phase of E.A.Gamor is on the cusp of big moves in the coming year. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Emmanuel? Palmwine DJ (https://eagamor.com) On Glocal Citizens (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/e-a-gamor) What’s Emmanuel playing and listening to? M3NSA (https://www.mensaansah.com) Kwan Pa Band (https://www.kwanpagh.com) Ebo Taylor (https://www.jazzisdead.com/ebotaylor-1) Osibisa (https://www.facebook.com/OsibisaBand/) Kyekyeku (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFGpta66GQqZeraJ3NRuEKg) Oher topics of interest: What is Palm Wine? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_wine) On the roots of Palm-wine Music (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm-wine_music) Gome Drum (https://organology.net/instrument/gome/) Jùjú Music (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B9j%C3%BA_music) About EDM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dance_music) On FutureCasting (https://www.newmarketsadvisors.com/navigating-uncertainty-with-futurecasting.html) About MTN (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dance_music) and MTN Ghana (https://mtn.com.gh/about-home/) My iMali app (https://www.my-imali.com) Special Guest: Emmanuel Agbeko Gamor.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast we have Part 1 of a two-part conversation centering a favorite topic of mine - education. The effectivenss of LinkedIn and it’s networkinng superpower facilitated our connection through common connects, Adja Maymouna Sakho (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/adja-maymouna-sahko) and Laureen Adams (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/laureen-laury-adams). My guest, fellow educator Kwame Sarfo-Mensah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Temple University. For nine years, he served as a middle school math teacher. Currently, he is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting (https://www.identitytalk4educators.com/), a global educational consulting firm that specializes in developing K-12 teachers into identity-affirming educators. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has worked in the United States, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. Additionally, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work, which include being honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. and being recognized as a Top Education Influencer by brightbeam, Inc. in 2021 and 2022. His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", recently won the 2025 IPPY Award for Best Education Commentary Book and the 2024 Foreword INDIES Gold Book Award for Best Education Book. Another dimension of Kwame’s glocal citizenship is the way that he, as a “trailing spouse” has forged forward despite the obvious challenges and has found success and expansion in his craft. I hope your listening will shed additional light on the ways that borderless mindsets are indeed manifesting a new world! Where to find Kwame? On Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07L8MS615?ccs_id=ab1feada-c3e7-4b9d-b7d5-e06317e06e27) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-sarfo-mensah/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kwam_the_identity_shaper/) On Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/kwamesm.idtalk4ed/?_rdc=1&_rdr#) On Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@kwamesarfo-mensah5785) What’s Kwame reading and watching? The Message (https://ta-nehisicoates.com/books/the-message/) by Ta-Nehisi Coates Untold Fall of Favre (https://www.netflix.com/gh/title/81748451) Coach Prime (https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Coach-Prime/0J0DQNOK5IDQ0F9CH5SX59YYLC) Other topics of interest: About Mampong, Ghana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mampong) Where is Nsima, Ghana (https://satellites.pro/Nsima_map#google_vignette) About the Akwamu Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akwamu_Empire) Lusaka, Zambia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka) A bit about Nyanja and other Zambian languages (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewa_language) Education past and present in Sierra Leone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Sierra_Leone#:~:text=History,-The%20remains%20of&text=During%20the%20nineteenth%20century%2C%20Sierra,educational%20institute%20in%20the%20region.) Why Are All of the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZniOuoREU) by Beverly Daniel Tatum Special Guest: Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast we have Part 1 of a two-part conversation centering a favorite topic of mine - education. The effectivenss of LinkedIn and it’s networkinng superpower facilitated our connection through common connects, Adja Maymouna Sakho (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/adja-maymouna-sahko) and Laureen Adams (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/laureen-laury-adams). My guest, fellow educator Kwame Sarfo-Mensah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Temple University. For nine years, he served as a middle school math teacher. Currently, he is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting (https://www.identitytalk4educators.com/), a global educational consulting firm that specializes in developing K-12 teachers into identity-affirming educators. Throughout his 17-year career as a classroom teacher, author, and consultant, Kwame has worked in the United States, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. Additionally, Kwame has earned numerous accolades for this work, which include being honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. and being recognized as a Top Education Influencer by brightbeam, Inc. in 2021 and 2022. His newest book, "Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom", recently won the 2025 IPPY Award for Best Education Commentary Book and the 2024 Foreword INDIES Gold Book Award for Best Education Book. Another dimension of Kwame’s glocal citizenship is the way that he, as a “trailing spouse” has forged forward despite the obvious challenges and has found success and expansion in his craft. I hope your listening will shed additional light on the ways that borderless mindsets are indeed manifesting a new world! Where to find Kwame? On Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07L8MS615?ccs_id=ab1feada-c3e7-4b9d-b7d5-e06317e06e27) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-sarfo-mensah/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kwam_the_identity_shaper/) On Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/kwamesm.idtalk4ed/?_rdc=1&_rdr#) On Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@kwamesarfo-mensah5785) What’s Kwame reading and watching? The Message (https://ta-nehisicoates.com/books/the-message/) by Ta-Nehisi Coates Untold Fall of Favre (https://www.netflix.com/gh/title/81748451) Coach Prime (https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Coach-Prime/0J0DQNOK5IDQ0F9CH5SX59YYLC) Other topics of interest: About Mampong, Ghana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mampong) Where is Nsima, Ghana (https://satellites.pro/Nsima_map#google_vignette) About the Akwamu Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akwamu_Empire) Lusaka, Zambia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka) A bit about Nyanja and other Zambian languages (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewa_language) Education past and present in Sierra Leone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Sierra_Leone#:~:text=History,-The%20remains%20of&text=During%20the%20nineteenth%20century%2C%20Sierra,educational%20institute%20in%20the%20region.) Why Are All of the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZniOuoREU) by Beverly Daniel Tatum Special Guest: Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! The spirit of summers past visits with us this week; it’s another Glocal Citizens @‌5flashback forward episode. In 2023, my guest this week, Hawa Kombian (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/hawa-kombian) joined us for a two part conversation while she was based in her adopted home country, Canada. Today she's back in Ghana spreading new wings as a leadership strategist, resilience coach, and organizational advisor dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations sustain their impact without sacrificing their people. With 14+ years of experience in social impact leadership, public speaking, and organizational change, she has worked with leaders across North America, Africa, and Europe to prevent burnout, build resilient teams, and create lasting cultural shifts at both the individual and organizational levels. And that’s where we’re picking up this week’s conversation. As a sought-after speaker and facilitator, she integrates mental resilience, emotional intelligence, and strategic leadership to help leaders navigate high-pressure environments without falling into unproductive burnout loops. Where to find Hawa? Hawa Kombian Consulting (https://hawakombianconsulting.com/) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhkombian/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hkombian/) On Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/hawa-kombian) What’s Hawa reading? Dead Money (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746269/dead-money-by-jakob-kerr/) by Jakob Kerr Other topics of interest: Gambaga, Ghana (https://www.modernghana.com/news/909065/gambaga-the-capital-of-east-mamprusi-municipal-be-consider.html) About Najong #1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moba_people) “Yaya hanya” and other beginning Hausa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmBUzoN0F9Q) P4 Pilates, Accra (https://www.instagram.com/p4ghana/?hl=en) Kukun (https://www.kukun.co/) Open Mic in Accra Special Guest: Hawa Kombian.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast we have another gift from the Glocal Citizens community. In this two part conversation we meet Dr. Osei Alleyne. A joint PhD in Anthropology and Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and former inaugural postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Experimental Ethnography at Penn, Dr. Osei also holds an MA in Communications from Temple University. A still active internationally touring professional Canadian Hip hop artist and Spoken word poet of Trinidad & Tobago extract, his field research employs a multi-modal ethnography of Reggae, Rastafari, Afrobeat and Hip-hop performance communities and related social justice movements across the African diaspora, with an emphasis on the black Atlantic nexus between Jamaica and Ghana. We recently met while he was in Ghana working on his forthcoming book, Dancehall Diaspora: Rastafari and Rudeness in the African Postcolony, thanks to consumate connector, Muhammida el Muhajir (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/muhammida-el-muhajir). As Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University, his writing repertoire spans African diasporic art and philosophy movements such as afrofuturism, afropolitanism and afropessimism. In this conversation, Dr. Osei offers an insightful glimpse into the spaces he has navigated in honing this and his other crafts. Where to find Osei? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/osei-alleyne-456406301/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dreadless_dread/) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@oseialleyne7106) What’s Osei watching? First Peoples Documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqTMNdJem00) Other topics of interest: About Trinidad and Tobago (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_and_Tobago) History about Carnivals in the Black Diaspora (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Caribbean_carnivals_around_the_world) The Book of African Names (https://africaworldpressbooks.com/the-book-of-african-names-as-told-by-chief-osuntoki/#:~:text=Price:,want%20to%20claim%20their%20identity.) On Africana Studies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_studies) About Liberia’s Edward Wilmot Blyden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilmot_Blyden) About The Black Star Line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Star_Line), Garveyism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garveyism), and The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Negro_Improvement_Association_and_African_Communities_League) About Ethiopianism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_movement) Alex Haley’s Roots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots_(1977_miniseries)) Association of Black Anthropologists (https://aba.americananthro.org) Zora Neale Hurston, Novelist and Anthropologist (https://whyy.org/segments/novelist-zora-neale-hurston-was-a-cultural-anthropologist-first/) About Cheik Anta Diop (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheikh_Anta_Diop) About what was to be Akon City (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akon_City) Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Debate 1967 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtDup63f9t4) About Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Hall_(cultural_theorist)) About Author and Scholar, Paul Gilroy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilroy) Martin Bernal and Black Athena (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94shpS4_xQc) Reggie Rockston (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Rockstone) and HipLife (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiplife) About Shatta Wale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatta_Wale) What is the Theory of Mind (https://www.verywellmind.com/theory-of-mind-4176826) Black Holes and the Macro Universe (https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=108974) Special Guest: Osei Alleyne.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast we have another gift from the Glocal Citizens community. In this two part conversation we meet Dr. Osei Alleyne. A joint PhD in Anthropology and Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and former inaugural postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Experimental Ethnography at Penn, Dr. Osei also holds an MA in Communications from Temple University. A still active internationally touring professional Canadian Hip hop artist and Spoken word poet of Trinidad & Tobago extract, his field research employs a multi-modal ethnography of Reggae, Rastafari, Afrobeat and Hip-hop performance communities and related social justice movements across the African diaspora, with an emphasis on the black Atlantic nexus between Jamaica and Ghana. We recently met while he was in Ghana working on his forthcoming book, Dancehall Diaspora: Rastafari and Rudeness in the African Postcolony, thanks to consumate connector, Muhammida el Muhajir (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/muhammida-el-muhajir). As Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University, his writing repertoire spans African diasporic art and philosophy movements such as afrofuturism, afropolitanism and afropessimism. In this conversation, Dr. Osei offers an insightful glimpse into the spaces he has navigated in honing this and his other crafts. Where to find Osei? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/osei-alleyne-456406301/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dreadless_dread/) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@oseialleyne7106) What’s Osei watching? First Peoples Documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqTMNdJem00) Other topics of interest: About Trinidad and Tobago (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_and_Tobago) History about Carnivals in the Black Diaspora (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Caribbean_carnivals_around_the_world) The Book of African Names (https://africaworldpressbooks.com/the-book-of-african-names-as-told-by-chief-osuntoki/#:~:text=Price:,want%20to%20claim%20their%20identity.) On Africana Studies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_studies) About Liberia’s Edward Wilmot Blyden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilmot_Blyden) About The Black Star Line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Star_Line), Garveyism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garveyism), and The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Negro_Improvement_Association_and_African_Communities_League) About Ethiopianism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_movement) Alex Haley’s Roots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots_(1977_miniseries)) Association of Black Anthropologists (https://aba.americananthro.org) Zora Neale Hurston, Novelist and Anthropologist (https://whyy.org/segments/novelist-zora-neale-hurston-was-a-cultural-anthropologist-first/) About Cheik Anta Diop (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheikh_Anta_Diop) About what was to be Akon City (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akon_City) Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Debate 1967 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtDup63f9t4) About Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Hall_(cultural_theorist)) About Author and Scholar, Paul Gilroy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilroy) Martin Bernal and Black Athena (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94shpS4_xQc) Reggie Rockston (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Rockstone) and HipLife (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiplife) About Shatta Wale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatta_Wale) What is the Theory of Mind (https://www.verywellmind.com/theory-of-mind-4176826) Black Holes and the Macro Universe (https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=108974) Special Guest: Osei Alleyne.