Glocal Citizens

Women’s Herstory Month Greetings Glocal Citizens! If it’s March then it’s that time again for a month of conversations centering women’s stories and experiences. This week, we’re also kicking off the series with the launch of our Glocal Citizens x Black Women in Real Estate collaboration--Borderless Building. Founded in 2019, Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) is an organization that aims to bring together black women in property, creating opportunities for upcoming talent and organizing workshops for those already in the industry. Througout the year, we’re teaming up with BWRE to showcase the personal and professional journeys of Black women in the real estate industry; highlight how Black women in the industry invest and structure value in/around land/property across global markets; and offer valuable insight into the business/operational functions in the real estate industry to inspire a spirit of land stewardship. All ideas you’ll hear in this week's conversation. Kicking off the series is BWRE Founder, Hanna Afolabi. A few years after founding BWRE, Hanna found herself furthering her entrepreneurial journey with Mood and Space (MAS), a development company supporting clients in embedding social value in their development vision and strategy as well as efficiently managing processes delivering community focused building and urban neighborhoods. Prior to setting up MAS, Hanna was a Development Director for Balfour Beatty Investments seconded into East Wick and Sweetwater Ltd a joint venture with Places for People. She lead on the feasibility, business planning, budget, design, programming and planning of the mixed-use regeneration project of approx. 1,900 homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Her other notable projects in London, include Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town and Borough Triangle in Elephant and Castle. Additionally, she is Vice Chair of the University of Greenwich’s Construction, Property and Surveying Practices Industry Advisory Board and is on Estates Gazette's Diversity & Inclusion Content Advisory Panel, advocating for diverse representation in property. Where to find Hanna? Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) and get your tix to their International Women’s Day Gala @ Mood and Space On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Hanna watching? All her Fault Bridgerton on Netflix His & Hers on Netflix Other topics of interest: Oke-Ila in Osun State, Nigeria About Hackney Estates GazetteSpecial Guest: Hanna Afolabi.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week, though Black History Month in the Americas is winding down, here on the podcast we’re consistently aiming to learn, grow and inspire our sustained consciouness around #PanAfricanProgress and we’re deep diving with a son of the country that is at the foundation of liberation across the global Black Diaspora - Haiti. Marc Alain Boucicault is a social entrepreneur and ecosystem builder with over 15 years of experience working in international development and entrepreneurship with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, at MIT and with grassroots organizations focused on youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about leveraging the power of entrepreneurship, technology and communication to reshape socioeconomic dynamics. As the founder of Banj, Haiti’s largest coworking space and entrepreneurship hub connecting various communities to promote innovation in Haiti and the Caribbean he also supports change-makers globally. Marc Alain extends this work in service on the board of the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) addressing access to higher education in Haiti. He is a Fulbright scholar, a social media influencer and a fellow podcaster. Where to find Marc Alain? On the Executive Talk Podcast On [LinkedIn](linkedin.com/in/marcalainb) On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube What’s Marc Alain watching? Banj 4.0 Other topics of interest: On Hispaniola and how the Haitian Revolution stirred colonialism Haiti Tech Summit Africa Tech Summit - Nairobi On The Five Stakeholder Model What’s GDP really all about? The Assassination of Jovenel Moïse: What happened on July 7, 2021 in Haiti? The IDB Case Study: Seeking a Recipe to Support Entrepreneurs in a Fragile Country: Banj's Approach through the Mobilization of the Innovation Ecosystem in Haiti Haitians at Harvard On Barbados' Inspriational Prime Minister Mia Amor MottleySpecial Guest: Marc Alain Boucicault.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest, Nana Asomani-Poku in Jamestown, Accra during a walking tour through featuring stories told in images by Glocal Citizen, James Barnor. It was during the James Barnor @‌95 celebration in 2024. Nana, a UK-born Ghanaian legal professional, filmmaker, and community engagement specialist based in Australia was back in Ghana for a family celebration of his own. As we chatted along the route, he mentioned his work centering social impact in Australia and my curiosity was peaked. What you’ll learn in this conversation spans how he began his career as a legal advocate for asylum seekers and refugees with the UK’s largest not-for-profit immigration law firm to community and stakeholder engagement, building bridges between public sector organisations and marginalised communities in Australia. Alongside his human rights work, he pursued his passion for filmmaking, training at the New York Film Academy and going on to make his first feature film, Drawn. Let’s travel with Nana, to get to know more about his land down under and other stops across the globe. Where to find Nana? On IMDB On Instagram What’s Nana listening to? Whitney Houston, Al Green, The Jacksons, to name a few. Other topics of interest: Visit Porkyto's in Osu, Accra Correction about the Aquarius sun sign, an air sign not a water sign About Leytonstone and The Bow Bells Lifestyle in Perth vs Melbourne Sokoto, Nigeria Ombudsman Services in Australia About the film, The Dish Yoga Nidra + Sankalpa How many countries are there across the planet?Special Guest: Nana Asomani-Poku.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! My guest this week is building the financial infrastructure that Africa deserves. As Chief Operating Officer of KoinKoin and CEO + Country Manager of KoinKoin Ghana Ltd, a leading African digital asset exchange, Mimi Kufuor is creating digital assets solutions that work for real people. She comes to this work after spending 15 years navigating the most complex corners of institutional finance - from regulatory programmes at Bank of America and Barclays to compliance frameworks at Meta, working alongside the European Central Bank and managing initiatives worth £10m+. In that span, she learned how money actually moves, how regulators operate, and how to build systems that can scale with integrity. She continues working with companies navigating African markets, building compliant exchange operations, or trying to understand how digital assets can solve actual problems. Recognized as one of Africa’s “Top Fintech Voices,” she has shaped policy discourse at UK Parliamentary Summits, Financial Times Live events, and African Fintech Summits. Mimi champions financial inclusion, women’s leadership in fintech, and regulatory frameworks that position Africa as a pioneer in the global digital economy, building infrastructure that empowers individuals and businesses to access decentralized finance. As another certified Glocal Citizen, Mimi and I first connected as housemates in Morocco courtesy of mutual friend that you’ll hear about in our conversation Afua Dabanka, the inspired experience curator behind A Beautiful Life Travel. Last year on our trip to Kenya, I got to know about her work with KoinKoin and it is a pleasure to be able to share her progress a year later. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Mimi? On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Mimi reading? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Other topics of interest: About Old Street in London About East Legon, Accra Recognizing Bullying in the Workplace About INSEAD Executive Programs Kwaku Yaro at Gallery 1957 In conversation with Edward Larbi What is Binance? About the evolution of African currencies Digital Assets 101 CitiFM Breakfast Show, 26 January 2026Special Guest: Mimi Kufuor.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! For those listeners in North America, February is Black History Month. Week in and week out on this podcast, we’re all about how our Black present syncs with our history and all things forward for people of the Black diaspora worldwide. This week’s conversation zooms in on a healthcare infrastrucutre solution that has the potential to transform how emergency response services are designed and implemented with the realities of African communities in mind. My guest this week, Folake Owodunni is the co-founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa (ERA), a health tech company revolutionizing access to emergency care in Africa, beginning with Nigeria. With over 15 years of experience across healthcare, marketing, and consulting in Nigeria, the U.S., and Canada, she brings a dynamic and cross-sectoral approach to solving complex health challenges. Under her leadership, ERA has managed over 4,500 medical emergencies, reducing response times by up to 80%, and forging partnerships with forward-thinking state governments including Edo, Ogun, and Rivers. Also a certified First Responder with the Canadian Red Cross, she is passionate about Africa’s rising tech ecosystem and making fast, reliable emergency medical care accessible to all Africans using technology. Recognized for her innovation and impact, she has received multiple awards and development grants, including the Google Black Founders Fund, JICA’s Next Innovation with Japan Award, The Professor Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award, and most recently, the global Aurora Tech Award. As you’ll hear in the conversation, ERA is appealing to the the Black/African Diaspora to get involved! Health is wealth so #listenandlearn how you can forward ERA’s mission to deliver fast, reliable emergency care across Africa. Where to find Folake? On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Folake reading? Tessa Afshar’s Jewel of the Nile Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalhi [The CEO Only Does Three Things: Finding Your Focus in the C-Suite](link https://www.scribd.com/document/898002899/A-CEO-Only-Does-Three-Things) by Trey Taylor What’s Folake listening to? Diary of a CEO Podcast [The Lazy CEO](link https://www.thelazyceo.com/) Other topics of interest: Ogun State, Nigeria Kitchner - Waterloo, Canada Meet Dr. Ola Brown of Flying Doctors Nigeria About The Prosperity Paradox African Journal for Emergency Medicine About Biblical FictionSpecial Guest: Folake Owodunni.

This week the US commemorates the MLK Day holiday - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. He would have been 97. The third Monday of January has stood as the official holiday for 40 years, and no matter what the current US administration attempts at erasure, the Black American Diaspora will never forget. I remember growing up, before 1986 when the day became an official holiday, the majority of my Black classmates did not attend school on January 15th. This is the activism that the Civil Rights Movement inspired for two generations, and activism + grassroots organizing are prime topics in this two-part conversation with long-time comrade, fellow Brooklynite, poet, performer, jazz/soul vocalist, musician, producer, designer, and community strategist, Tai Allen. A native New Yorker by way of Panama, Jamaica, and Virginia, Tai’s life story is filled with a history of progressive stands. From his mother’s family being among those that contributed to the suit that integrated schools across the United States—Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka to his father’s influential network of academics and thought leaders, his craft was in the making for his entire upbringing—without him necessarily knowing it. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Tai? https://taiallen.com/ On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube On Soundcloud Other topics of interest: About Yonkers, New York Perspective on Jamaican Migration to Panama About Colón and Panama City in Panama About Saint Ann and Saint Elizabeth Jamaica The Maroons of Jamaica How Scots became a presence in Jamaica… Flyght Tyme, the band About Tai’s connection to Roots Author, Alex Palmer Haley and Palmer Family Ancestry The Five Cases that lead to Brown v. Board About recently shuttered community hotspot, The Brooklyn Moon Cafe and Michael Thompson What was Real Player? The Last Poets Amiri Baraka Yosef Ben-Jochannan “Dr. Ben” About Leonard Jeffries Who is Chi Ossé? Revisit Anna Malaika Tubbs on Glocal Citizens CBC - Congressional Black Caucus What’s happening in policy in Utah? A timeline of policing, law enforcement and resistance in the USSpecial Guest: Tai Allen.

This week the US commemorates the MLK Day holiday - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. He would have been 97. The third Monday of January has stood as the official holiday for 40 years, and no matter what the current US administration attempts at erasure, the Black American Diaspora will never forget. I remember growing up, before 1986 when the day became an official holiday, the majority of my Black classmates did not attend school on January 15th. This is the activism that the Civil Rights Movement inspired for two generations, and activism + grassroots organizing are prime topics in this two-part conversation with long-time comrade, fellow Brooklynite, poet, performer, jazz/soul vocalist, musician, producer, designer, and community strategist, Tai Allen. A native New Yorker by way of Panama, Jamaica, and Virginia, Tai’s life story is filled with a history of progressive stands. From his mother’s family being among those that contributed to the suit that integrated schools across the United States—Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka to his father’s influential network of academics and thought leaders, his craft was in the making for his entire upbringing—without him necessarily knowing it. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Tai? https://taiallen.com/ On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube On Soundcloud Other topics of interest: About Yonkers, New York Perspective on Jamaican Migration to Panama About Colón and Panama City in Panama About Saint Ann and Saint Elizabeth Jamaica The Maroons of Jamaica How Scots became a presence in Jamaica… Flyght Tyme, the band About Tai’s connection to Roots Author, Alex Palmer Haley and Palmer Family Ancestry The Five Cases that lead to Brown v. Board About recently shuttered community hotspot, The Brooklyn Moon Cafe and Michael Thompson What was Real Player? The Last Poets Amiri Baraka Yosef Ben-Jochannan “Dr. Ben” About Leonard Jeffries Who is Chi Ossé? Revisit Anna Malaika Tubbs on Glocal Citizens CBC - Congressional Black Caucus What’s happening in policy in Utah? A timeline of policing, law enforcement and resistance in the USSpecial Guest: Tai Allen.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast, I was thrilled to have been able to take advantage of the fact that this week’s guest and I were on the same timezone because he’s literally moving and shaking across Africa and the Middle East full time. Since he last joined us in early 2020, Oswald Osaretin Guobadia has stepped into multiple new roles on top of being an entrepreneur. This includes more roles on boards, becoming a published author--his book In Pursuit - Journeys in African Entrepreneurship, chronicles the journeys of two friends whose experiences in America shaped their approach to starting their own businesses in Nigeria; and a tireless champion for African innovation. Today, Oswald is a senior policy advisor and digital strategy leader with over 25 years building infrastructure and shaping transformative policy across Africa. He is Managing Partner at DigitA, where, since 2023 he has guided projects and policy innovations that have created impact in countries across Africa, helping to set the pace for inclusive digital development and entrepreneurial growth. Oswald’s advisory reach includes serving presidential offices, leading government agencies, collaborating with multilateral partners, and forging public–private partnerships to help build resilient infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. As Senior Special Assistant on Digital Transformation to the President of Nigeria, he steered Nigeria’s largest startup policy rollout, including the acclaimed Nigeria Startup Act—widely recognized as a benchmark for digital economies. He has shared his insights at TEDx, the United Nations General Assembly, BBC Africa, CNBC Africa, and the Wharton Africa Business Forum, and has graced numerous influential panels and stages globally. He believes, “the next startup to impact the world will start in an African village,” and in this conversation you’ll start to understand how this belief is daily practice. Where to find Oswald? On Glocal Citizens On LinkedIn On Instagram On Medium What’s Oswald reading? Ths Four by Scott Galloway Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan Other topics of interest: About the Benin Kingdom UNDP Timbuktu Policy Approach Digitization vs Digitalization What is Zoho? On Digital EstoniaSpecial Guest: Oswald Oseratin Guobadia.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s conversation is a milestone coming to you in two parts. We're 300+1! And my guest is a return voice with serious currency in the public service media and reparatory justice movements. Born in Sierra Leone, Makmid Kamara is a human rights leader, reparatory justice advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), where he is leading the organization’s grantmaking efforts to support independent media. He is also the Founder of Reform Initiatives (LBG), an organization working with policymakers, political leaders and affected communities to advance the cause of reparatory justice for historical crimes against Africans and people of African descent. When he last joined us, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. Prior to ATJLF, Makmid worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; he served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher. As a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow and an Obama Foundation Leader - Africa, Makmid seamlessly connects his service mindset with a level of technical expertise and professionalism that inspires and is consistently moving the dial on #PanAfricanProgress. Where to find Makmid? On Glocal Citizens On LinkedIn What’s Makmid watching? Manchester United Other topics of interest: Freetown, Sierra Leone and Reparatory Justice East Legon, Accra About James Deane, co-founder IFPM About Khadija Patel Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate About the Nama People and The Landless Peoples Movement in Namibia The [Wakati Weti Festival](link https://www.wakatiwetufestival.org/WWF2025#/aboutwakatiwetu?lang=en) African Futures Lab Deep South Solidarity Fund Baraza Media LabSpecial Guest: Makmid Kamara.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s conversation is a milestone coming to you in two parts. We're 300+1! And my guest is a return voice with serious currency in the public service media and reparatory justice movements. Born in Sierra Leone, Makmid Kamara is a human rights leader, reparatory justice advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), where he is leading the organization’s grantmaking efforts to support independent media. He is also the Founder of Reform Initiatives (LBG), an organization working with policymakers, political leaders and affected communities to advance the cause of reparatory justice for historical crimes against Africans and people of African descent. When he last joined us, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. Prior to ATJLF, Makmid worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; he served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher. As a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow and an Obama Foundation Leader - Africa, Makmid seamlessly connects his service mindset with a level of technical expertise and professionalism that inspires and is consistently moving the dial on #PanAfricanProgress. Where to find Makmid? On Glocal Citizens On LinkedIn What’s Makmid watching? Manchester United Other topics of interest: Freetown, Sierra Leone and Reparatory Justice East Legon, Accra About James Deane, co-founder IFPM About Khadija Patel Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate About the Nama People and The Landless Peoples Movement in Namibia The [Wakati Weti Festival](link https://www.wakatiwetufestival.org/WWF2025#/aboutwakatiwetu?lang=en) African Futures Lab Deep South Solidarity Fund Baraza Media LabSpecial Guest: Makmid Kamara.

Season’s Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest, Derrick N. Ashong, earlier this year in Nairobi at the Charter Cities Institute, 2025 New Cities Summit. 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 television 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 and 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 get 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 On Instagram On YouTube What’s Derrick reading? Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series Lord of the Rings by J.J.R Tolkien Other topics of interest: About Larteh in Ghana Where are Dansoman and Adabraka in Accra? What was music streaming like in the early 2000’s? Soulfege performs Sweet Remix About Uechi-Ryū Martial ArtsSpecial 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, my returning guest, 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 On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Anna reading and watching? The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese The Amazing Race All Her Fault Other topics of interest: Anna on The View The Reecie Colbert Show Higher Learning Podcast with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay The 19th News About Modo Yoga About Bikram YogaSpecial 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 in his new role leading Reform Initiatives, with Esther Armah and Nyamal Tutdeal participating as facilitators and storytellers Emmanual Etim and 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 , Co-Founder of the Andrée Blouin Cultural Center in Kinshasa, and a Development Consultant with Friends of the Congo. 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, helped shape global narrative and education ecosystems with Farafina: The Black Link, and advanced gender-responsive learning programs with the African Women Development Fund. Patricia currently serves as Fundraising and Partnerships Lead for SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College 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, 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 On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook What’s Patricia listening to? Lucky Dube Other topics of interest: About the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1993 About Congolese Activist Kambale Musuvili Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of Congo in his own words On (Pan)-African Feminism Kongo: Power and Majesty at the MET and thoughts from curator, Alisa LaGamma About Dossier No. 77 About Ernest Wamba dia Wamba USA for Africa + Marcia Thomas About Emira Woods About Coumba Toure About Hakima Abbas and the Black Feminist Fund About Filmmaker Thalia MavrosSpecial 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 in his new role leading Reform Initiatives, with Esther Armah and Nyamal Tutdeal participating as facilitators and storytellers Emmanual Etim and 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 , Co-Founder of the Andrée Blouin Cultural Center in Kinshasa, and a Development Consultant with Friends of the Congo. 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, helped shape global narrative and education ecosystems with Farafina: The Black Link, and advanced gender-responsive learning programs with the African Women Development Fund. Patricia currently serves as Fundraising and Partnerships Lead for SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College 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, 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 On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook What’s Patricia listening to? Lucky Dube Other topics of interest: About the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1993 About Congolese Activist Kambale Musuvili Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of Congo in his own words On (Pan)-African Feminism Kongo: Power and Majesty at the MET and thoughts from curator, Alisa LaGamma About Dossier No. 77 About Ernest Wamba dia Wamba USA for Africa + Marcia Thomas About Emira Woods About Coumba Toure About Hakima Abbas and the Black Feminist Fund About Filmmaker Thalia MavrosSpecial 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 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 On Apple Podcasts On Glocal Citizens What’s Baze reading, watching and listening to? Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff The Diplomat on Netflix The Pitt on HBOMax The Agency: Central Intelligence on Showtime In the Dark, a New Yorker podcast Other topics of interest: The Phoenician Resort About Paradise Valley About Tempe Who is Curtis Flowers? Revisit our conversation on AI in healthcare with David HutchfulSpecial 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 Crowdfunding African Agribusiness with Nana Opoku Ageyman-Prempeh Portal into Agro-Forestry with Wellington Baiden Connecting Communities with Asmeret Berhe-LumaxSpecial 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 On Instagram What’s Aretha cooking? Kontomire 101 Other topics of interest: About Okomfo Anokye Guan People of Ghana About Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka About KTA Mobile About H.E. Nana Konadu Ageyman Rawlings Capricorn Astrology DollHouse Jeans About the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in AccraSpecial 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, 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 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 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 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 EP135 on Glocal CitizensSpecial 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, 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 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. Where to find Martin? On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Martin reading? A Wreath for Udomo by Peter Abrahams Other topics of interest: About Mombasa, Kenya Nyeri, Kenya Kiambu, Kenya About the Kikuyu People Ambassador Kimani’s Security Council Speech The First Pan-African Congress in London The Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester Who was George Padmore? Necropolitics by Achille Mbembe African NationalismSpecial 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 On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook What’s Kalimah reading? All the Way to the River by Eizabeth Gilbert What’s Kalimah watching? aka Charlie Sheen on Netflix Orgasm Inc: The Story of One Taste on Netflix Other topics of Interest: About St. Croix Sleepy Hollow, New York About the United States Peace Corps About Brooklyn’s African Street Fair and International African Arts Festival Courageous Conversation + Glenn Singleton About the American University in Cairo On Montessori Education On Friends or Quaker SchoolsSpecial Guest: Kalimah Fergus Ayele.