Taman’Art: Cultural Entrepreneurship For Change
By Hicham Bekkali - Aissa Joud, a local artist based a few kilometers from the Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco, challenged himself as he set out to create a space for art and culture in his region. A work of art in itself, Taman’Art Space houses original artwork and today is a residency for artists, a cafeteria for locals and bystanders, and a place to connect with others.
This child writer's greatest ambition: positive mindsets for millions of kids
By Humphrey Njoku (bird) - Her fictional debut, ‘The King Must Not Die’, is a beautiful collection of inspiring short stories mainly for children and young minds alike. It is filled with life-changing stories that will positively change children’s orientation, behaviors, and perspectives about themselves, their environments, and life. Meet Osamudiamen Favour Okunmwendia, 10.
'Memoirs of a Black Girl’—reflecting on the resilience and determination of the black girl child
By Caleb Ijioma - Thato Mwosa, a Botswana-born award-winning illustrator, playwright, and filmmaker, has continued her graceful rise with her first feature movie, 'Memoirs of a Black Girl'.
Djebli Club: the Moroccan ecolodge raising social and educational consciousness
By Hicham Bekkali - Allae Hammioui is one of these ambitious youth that decided to stop hoping and start building positive change. After a few years in France working in the famous La Défense in Paris, he decided to go back to Morocco and start his journey as a social entrepreneur in the land of his grandfathers. Dejbli Club is an ecolodge situated in a small village in the north of Morocco called Mokrisset.
Ghanaian entrepreneur Salma Abdulai: empowering marginalized women by producing fonio — a nearly-extinct West African grain
By Pearl Akanya Afori (bird) - Ghana’s Salma Abdulai is empowering marginalized women in her country by encouraging them to produce fonio - a “miracle crop” and one of Africa’s “ancient grains”.
David Wachira: ‘We are all in need of mentors and role models’
By Cindy Nyaga - Besides being an accomplished fintech entrepreneur, Dr. David Wachira is a public service specialist at the World Bank, and is the co-founder of the Youth Engagement Society.
He opened up to Ambitious.Africa about his journey, how YES strives to empower youth, and his personal advice to the new generation .
Akili Dada fostering female leadership in Africa: a conversation with Diana Njuguna
By Ollus Ndomu (Interview by Angelina Ngunje) - The Kenya-based NGO nurtures transformative leadership in girls and young women from underserved backgrounds to meet the urgent need for more African women in leadership. Its Deputy Program Manager Diana Njuguna explains its activities and offers a glimpse into her professional life.
Weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet: from battling depression to representing 80 million refugees in the Olympics.
Seven years ago, Cameroonian weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet was battling depression and even considered ending his life. This weekend, he will compete at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, representing the Refugee Team.
By Jasmin Nyqvist
Angelina Vunge: the extraordinary story of Uruguay’s first African member of parliament
Angelina Vunge landed in Uruguay 20 years ago as an undocumented war-fleeing immigrant who did not speak the language. Last month, she became the first African legislator in Uruguay.
Lola Åkerström’s Journey from Nigeria to Sweden
Meet Lola Akinmade Åkerström - the Award-winning Geotraveler dedicated to helping the next generation of travel storytellers.
Håkan Lidbo: Meet the Swedish innovator who created technology for Kenyans to enjoy traditional music!
Kenyans no longer have to wait for the next state event or national holiday to listen to their favorite traditional instruments! All thanks to Håkan Libdo, a Swedish music producer and innovator, who explores the intersection between art, music, science, games, technology, and society.
South African social entrepreneur Dintle Nkosi: Promoting equal opportunities by striving for information access
Dintle Nkosi first considered pursuing social entrepreneurship during a session with her mentor, where she expressed that she would like to join Africa's population of innovative problem solvers. Spending time raising her children outside South Africa brought her to appreciating different education systems. She was motivated by education systems that provide a good standard of education to citizens, regardless of their household income.
Singer Mad Ice: Building Bridges between the Nordics and East Africa through Music
Ahmed Mohamed Kakoyi popularly known as Mad Ice has been living in Finland since 2004. Famous for songs like Baby Girl, Delilah, and Beautiful, the Ugandan brought up in Tanzania has been in the showbiz industry for almost 20 years now. He is also among the few lucky musicians who have managed to stay relevant in East Africa and also build a very strong presence in Finland where he is a radio host, organizer of AfroSundays, a Scandinavian award-winning club show, and music producer. He shared with Cate Mukei how he uses his platform and experience to build bridges between the Nordics and East Africa, how he managed to remain relevant, and his current and upcoming projects.
Ugandan Educator Elizabeth Kalemera’s Journey to Teaching Boys How to Support Girls Through School
Ugandan Educator Elizabeth Kalemera, 36, teaches boys how to make sanitary towels, helping them become more supportive towards the girls in their life. Her gender responsive pedagogy methods adapt teaching to the specific needs of girls and boys. She works as National Coordinator for Anthill Foundation and previously organisations such as FAWE Uganda.
Kenyan Entrepreneur Jessica Colaço Defies “Luck” By Networking with Intention
Kenyan entrepreneur Jessica Colaço, 37, believes in shaping one’s own career through intentional serendipity. Make your own luck. She co-founded Brave Venture Labs, a data-driven company helping African companies find the right talent. She also co-founded iHub, the first tech-hub in East Africa. Colaço is a computer scientist, speaker, TED Fellow and bass player.