Those who have made a career out of bashing the youth fail to realize that every generation engages with the world the way they find it. We are pursuing different ways of engaging with our world, constantly learning from the disappointments of generations past and quietly evaluating new avenues for involvement.
I have often been asked what prompted me to establish the ALA Model African Union (ALAMAU) in 2013. Truthfully, I cannot take sole credit for the idea. The bottom line is that I was inspired by the passion of the young people whom I found at African Leadership Academy when I arrived in August 2012. So, let’s rewind. I was… Read More »Why I Founded The ALA Model African Union
I think back very often to the time when I was 13 years old. Being an adult seemed so far away and I was not sure I could wait long enough to do all the things for which I needed to be grown-up: have a job, run my own company, get married, be my own person and every imaginable set… Read More »Memories
Louise Linton was incredibly reckless with her memoir, and she deserves all the criticism that her book will get. In attempting to justify herself, she wrote on Twitter that “I wrote with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia…” No, you did not! You disparaged, belittled and disrespected Zambia. You perpetuated the exact same stereotypes of Zambia and the rest of Africa that little white saviours like you have publicized over many generations.
I was beyond delighted when I got the invitation. For many years, I had heard, watched and read so much about Rwanda and I could not wait to be on the ground. For a nation that had come to be defined almost solely by one word, I could not wait to take the environment all in for myself and make… Read More »Kwibuka! A Week in Rwanda
I have just returned from a three-day experience in Istanbul, Turkey, where I had the great privilege of attending the third edition of the annual Al Sharq Youth Forum, and to network with leaders of some of the world’s foremost youth organizations. My insights from the weekend supersede the fact that global change is indeed possible, and that consensus on… Read More »Change Is Possible; Consensus Requires Effort
In December 2015, I had the privilege of being in Madrid to attend the inaugural meeting of the Common Action Forum, a new attempt to engineer solutions to political, social and economic challenges globally. Learning from and sharing ideas with world-leading experts on social justice, political reform and economic ideology was a welcome addition to my regular investments in education… Read More »The Burden of History, Tradition and Reputation
Nigeria has come a very long way as a democratic entity in 16 short years, and the promise of democracy is only just beginning to yield its first bud. Nigeria is not a changed country because a new president was sworn-in on the 29th of May, it is a new country because catalysts in positions of authority demonstrated exceptional leadership in the days leading up to and succeeding the 28th of March, 2015.
Success is not too far from the person who sees the right things even when things aren’t right. #ThinkLikeFaith
Every single day is a gift, but it is not very often that such a humbling thought stays front and centre of a person’s consciousness. I am tremendously blessed to be able to spend most of my days doing things that bring me the utmost pleasure and satisfaction. I am also immensely privileged to have a truly global community of… Read More »2015: Finding My Feet
On this day, June 16, 38 years ago, about 20,000 students from across schools in Soweto, South Africa took to the streets to protest the injustice in the South African education system. These protests were in concert with the nationwide outrage against the oppressive Apartheid regime. As those children stared down bullets and police batons, they demanded for an education… Read More »Day of the African Child
Having spent the last seven years of my life in and out of education – teaching in six schools in three different countries -, I attended the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE 2013) in Doha, Qatar seeking clarity about my capacity and my role in helping to transform education, with a strong focus on Africa. As a young African… Read More »Emerging Thoughts on 21st Century Learning Skills