September Issue 2014 by Afroelle Magazine

September Issue 2014

Celebrating Women of African Heritage

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Thank you to our lovely team!

IMAN FOLAYAN Writer HOUSTON, TEXAS

ASHLEY MAKUE Writer SOUTH AFRICA

TATENDA KANENGONI Writer HARARE, ZIMBABWE

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GENEVA BELL Writer FLORIDA

CORAZON ACHIENG Writer NAIROBI, KENYA

MICHELLE ATENGDEM Writer FLORIDA

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AFR ELLE Celebrating Women of African Heritage www.afroellemagazine.com

BRIDAL Bliss ISSUE 01

EAST AFRICA

the

PREMIERE ISSUE

Welcome to our Business Issue! Every year I look forward to putting together our Business issue and that’s because as an entrepreneur , I’m constantly looking for encouragement and inspiration from other female entrepreneurs on the same journey. Our team worked hard to compile profiles of women in business for our Special feature ‘Minding Her Business’. You will find a wealth of information and gems to take away , from the founders of She Leads Africa, who share about promoting entrepreneurship amongst women to chartered accountant Mamatsabu Maphike dispelling myths about entrepreneurship. In this issue, we also get a glimpse of Parisian fashion illustrator, Niki Kobi’s creative process as she captures women of color and learn about Florence Kamaitha founder of Pad Heaven Initiative and her work providing sanitary pads, undergarments and reproductive health information to girls in schools. Also, I recently launched East Africa’s first digital magazine,, Bridal Bliss East Africa for the independent women. Be sure to have a look.

Sami Khan Photography

Until next time, Peace & Blessings Patricia Miswa Editor-in-Chief

WE’RE SOCIAL FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM AfroElle@gmail.com

CONTENTS

INSIDE 10 In her good books with

Special Feature: Minding Her Business

34 Bruktawit Tigabu 14 Conversation with fashion 54 Tiguidanke Camara 58 She Leads Africa illustrator Niki Kobi 40 Lauren Maillian Bias 22 Focus on Pad Heaven 62 Sandra Appiah Initiative 48 Mamatsabu Maphike 30 #100daysoffashion 64 The Team Behind The Naana Orleans-Amissah

Curtain

In Her Good Books Naana Orleans-Amissah lives what she calls a patchwork life. She is a full time mother to a precocious, loving, pre-teen; a Global Digital Brand Director at a global communications network; she is just starting her training as a psychotherapist, and she is an aspiring author. These various aspects of her meet her passion as an all-round story lover. @orleansamissah I read everything from coffee

British Council Library in Accra. I don’t remember table glossies, to free weekly the names of the magazines. I am reading several books I read then, psychology books, and as a keen but I do have vivid Mysore Yogini I am also reading Iyengar’s ‘Life on Light.’ I will read memories of the anything. My requirements are that hushed coolness of the library, and the it has to teach me pleasure of something, it has checking out our to have an slim, hard covered interesting voice, Ladybird stories of and it has to move Dick and Dora. something in me. When we moved to Japan, I I have started remember reading the Laura reading a lot of Ingalls Wilder stories and falling contemporary into rapture. What didn’t I like poetry lately about Half Pint? Annie Freud, Warsan Shire, Everything about her Anthony Anaxagourou, - something impossibly challenging but I haven’t done in a long time, not ultimately since I read Nii Ayikwei Parkes’ triumphant collection ‘Eyes of a Boy, Lips of a experiences in the Man.’ Prairies, made me want to be a strong headed, Daddy’s girl with grit! My earliest memories of reading were of my mother I remember reading Alex Haley’s taking my brother and I to the Roots at ten, and for the first time

understanding the link between Black people of the Caribbean and Americas , who until then had seem impossibly glamorous, and people, African people, like me. I don’t remember liking the book - it was dense and exhausting, but I was determined to finish it.

I am concurrently reading Jon McGregor’s ‘This Isn’t The Sort of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You’; ‘The Casino; by Margaret Bonham; B.K.S Iyengar’s ‘Light on Life’ and Jonas Jonasson’s ‘The Hundred Year-Old…’ The first two fall out of my rediscovery of

short stories. They are such an undervalued art form! ‘In Winter the Sky’ from McGregor’s intimate collection is a master class in lyricism and dark anticipation. He is so sharp-eyed and creates these capsules of atmospheric tales. I especially like that he plays with language and mixes prose with the free-style of poetry in this piece. ‘The Casino’ is a collection I picked up from Persephone (www.persephonebooks.co.uk), a gorgeous independent press in London, on Lamb’s Conduit Street, that mainly reprints neglected works by women, for women, about women. As a keen Mysore Ashtanga Yogini, I am supplementing my practice with a written understanding of ‘The Science of Life.’ Iyengar, who died just last month at 95, writes with such concise honesty that he humbles and focuses you in your practice.

My favourite author? Giving a single name would be like sentencing yourself to eating one thing for the rest of your life! I firmly believe in flavour, texture and variety, and for me authors match moods. I admire Philip Roth. His ‘The Human Stain’ is the book I’d most shamelessly like to pretend is my own! It’s everything I like in a story; a big read that treads that

careful balance between the details of domesticity, and the incredulity of the lives we live. He’s able to combine complex, emotionally rich, and psychologically testing questions into a readable book. It’s that way he asks of you all the while, ‘what would you do?” provoking you page after page, to wage a moral debate with yourself. I love the sensitivity and humour with which Suri Hustvedt crafts her stories. She creates believable male characters, and her opening paragraph in ‘The Summer without Men’ has got to be a winner if ever there was one. It’s the disarming honesty with which she describes a woman about to lose it, that made me laugh, and laugh again to tears. She captures so well the disdain of having your heart broken by a man who isn’t all that great, but whom you love consumingly, anyway.

I don’t do reading lists. I think books find you when you are ready for them. Although somewhere at the back of my mind, I feel as if I ought to have read some bell hooks.

I have this dogged belief that you must finish reading a book you start. But I couldn’t get past the first few chapters of ‘ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’ I am told they read better as the series goes on but I just couldn’t and still can’t do it.

“ Heretic as this may no doubt be to many readers, I don’t like Maya Angelou’s books. She had a wonderful voice and was full of witticisms. I admit to quoting her many times, but I’ve always felt as if I am being lectured to. I want to find things out for myself….

”

At first I thought I wasn’t much into fantasy, but I devoured David Mitchell’s ‘Cloud Atlas’, which was truly magical, testing and layered. So I feel quite alright saying I don’t like the Harry Potter series even though I have, admittedly, only read a few chapters. Heretic as this may no doubt be to many readers, I don’t like Maya Angelou’s books. She had a wonderful voice and was full of witticisms. I admit to quoting her many times, but I’ve always felt as if I am being lectured to. I want to find things out for myself; to have something suggested to me, and then delight in the moment when like Eureka I say “Aha!”

So few movie adaptations of books are rendered convincingly. Either you take the spirit of the book, like Stephen Daldry’s beautiful version of Michael Cunningham’s ‘The Hours’ or you try and cram it all into a Hollywood moment and fail. I wonder if someone would be brave enough to attempt Paul Auster’s ‘New York Trilogy’? Perhaps I’d love to see any of the stories in Junot Diaz’s ‘This Is How You Lose Her’ adapted into a movie or TV show. Easily one of the most provocative, toe-curlingly-cringe-worthy, and yet devastatingly human set of short stories I have ever read.

I will read and reread books that have special meaning to me. I like to hold a book in my hands, to feel the weight of the paper stock. There’s a comfort in the familiarity of the story, the characters. It’s really soothing. And if I have to buy a book again , I need to buy the same edition and print. It doesn’t feel the same if it looks different. When I am feeling exhausted or sad, I like to

reread books from my childhood; Louise May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and anything by Judy Bloom. I’ve, for obvious reasons, reread Siri Hustvedt’s ‘What I Loved.’

I used to be quite strict about reading just the book at a time. It felt disloyal to mix stories. These days I am grateful to be reading what I chose to read at all – rather than what I must read for work - that I snackread when I can. This explains my gradual move towards short stories.

Books that changed my life include, Thomas Moore’s ‘Dark Nights of the Soul.’ A monk-turnedtherapist, he talks about the shadowy experiences of life that we often only medicalize and routinely dismiss. He speaks of ancient customs and rites that served our ancestors, giving examples from the mythologies of classical pantheons to dissect feelings of rage, destruction, depression and fear. He situates them in their rightful place as emotions with useful lessons, if we only we are willing to take the time and find the courage to explore them. I often return to this book especially over the winter months when there seems to be more time to think

through long held routines and plan for the spring months ahead. For entirely different reasons Arundhati Roy’s ‘The God of Small Things’ was a revelation. I read this with such ferocity when I was at University. I couldn’t believe the audacity of her writing about two small brown twins, and even more wonderfully her inventiveness with language. She seemed almost indifferent to what seemed, then to me, to be the solid rules of writing a book. And she made her magic seem entirely possible, ownable and inspirational. I was equally floored by her 2002 ‘Come September’ speech at Ohio University. Oh and I was titillated by Katie Roiphe’s ‘Uncommon Arrangements’ – a look at the love arrangements in the households of the Bloomsbury set. Love, it seems, will find its way through inconvenience and against convention. I recommend it to everyone!

Date with an author- live or dead, would probably Alice Walker. Her ‘The Way Forward is with a Broken Heart’ has a spare honesty that makes you wish for happiness for her. Her loss, and the tenderness of hindsight make you ache at what doesn’t work out for her. She is unflinchingly honest, and I can’t imagine being the subject of her writing, but I enjoy her solidity, and her bravery.[]

Naana’s Reading Habits I am often quite shallow and will browse a bookshop until a cover grabs my attention, or something about a book attracts me. Nothing quite compares to what can feel like an illicit hour, browsing a bookshop, knowing you'll leave with something new.

I am not always great with recommendations. It needs to come from someone whose reading history I know and who knows me well enough to understand what will move me. It’s that stubborn streak of mine that wants to discover things on my own.

I am uninterruptedly absorbed when I read. I can find it hard to return to the mundane task of everyday life, and I have been known to snap when called away from my book. So that is probably not a good habit. I read when I can, which is often on the tube, at work at lunch, and once a week at the weekends when I try and stay at home to enjoy pottering and well, read.

It’s hard for me to start a book and not finish it. Even if I dislike it, I feel I should read on through so I know exactly why I don’t like it. Sometimes books push buttons that can be masked as dislike, when really it’s forcing you understand something about yourself. That Harry Potter though hat’s the only book that has so far defeated me! []

Niki’s Groove Parisian illustrator, NIKI KOBI grew up in Normandy, France and moved to Paris to study. Niki always had the talent for illustrating but only did it professionally at a later point in her life. She was working in the financial industry when she made the decision to go into illustration as a full-time career. Niki studied Art History and Stylism and now works as a freelance illustrator and blogger. From all the pieces we have seen, we deem it safe to say that black women with afros and natural hair are Niki’s groove. She’s illustrated musicians such as Solange Knowles and pop culture icons. Niki Kobi spoke to AfroElle about her illustration of women of color and inspiration.

WORDS BY ASHLEY MAKUE

What and when was your first experience with illustration? I was seven, at a class and our teacher asked us to draw our neighbour and mine was a Senegalese girl with small braids. I was really nervous because our teacher took drawing seriously. I did it and my teacher was very impressed, even showing my illustration as an example of good work to the class. I became confident that day. What took you so long to get into it professionally? I think that it was just the lack of confidence, I did not know how to transform my passion into a business. Was your entry into the industry any difficult? Actually no, I cannot say that it was difficult. What was difficult though, was touching the French public, because they are very demanding of artists and are reluctant to support the art of anyone they do not know.

How were you received as an illustrator? Very good by Americans and the English, not so good by the French.

Do you wish you had gone into illustration from the very beginning? Yes, because drawing was in me. I did not know if I wanted to live my life as an illustrator because I had a job. I heard so many people tell me that you can never make money as an illustrator and I believed them and kept at my job. I always knew that I had to return to my passion.

What is a day like, in the life of an illustrator? There is no general experience because all the days are different. What I can say though, is that there is no counting of working hoursonly working hard. The first thing I do every day is to check my email, respond to them and finish the work I have previously started. It is important to be on time. I then call my partners and print some finished

work. Please walk us through your illustration process. I need to have a model; I look for one on the internet and from that I get an idea about what I want to do. It is never just one model, I need a lot of models; some for clothes and some for hair.

women are beautiful, really. Beauty is to be who we are and not to play being other people. What themes would you like to explore in the future? For photos, animation and more designer themes. What are your favourite pieces?

What is the focus of your illustration? I don’t have a favourite one because I draw different pieces. I like them all Beauty of black women, not them just because I finished them specifically African or American and I am thankful to God for each women, but black women in general. one. Why do you do so much of your work on black women with afros? Because I see her and I appreciate her. I also do some work on women with braids, bantuknots, some with dreadlocks and very few with straight hair. Maybe one day I will draw her with straight hair but I need her to look natural. What is Niki’s definition of black beauty? I do not have a definition of black beauty because I think that all black

If you could work with any other illustrator, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Dead illustrator, certainly Mark Rothko, I am in love with his work. I also like Basquiat. The living illustrator I really like is the French illustrator Garance doré.

Check out more from Niki’s Groove Nikisgroove.tumblr.com @theblakparisian

Focus on PAD HEAVEN INITIATIVE FLORENCE KAMAITHA, founder of Pad Heaven Initiative, describes herself as a world changer who is constantly looking at simple ways to solve the problems in the world and encouraging other young people to do so. Florence is doing her share to positively change the world. Her organization provides sanitary pads, undergarments and reproductive health information to girls in schools to help reduce absenteeism during menstruation. She among the forty-six people in Kenya selected out of 5,000 to be part of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative (Y.A.L.I.), now known as the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Florence shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. As her organization, Pad Heaven will be publishing a booklet that will focus on teaching girls about menstruation management, puberty, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and selfesteem. AfroElleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MICHELLE ATENGDEM caught up with Florence to learn more about her organization, what we can expect from her and so much more.

What is the driving force behind you wanting to influence policies about women and girls rights in Kenya? Educating a girl is educating a community. When you educate a girl, there are ripple effects of that. She is able to make better life decisions and choices about her life. She will be able to stand for herself. She is more likely to get less number of children she can provide for and she her children are more likely to get an education. Despite education being free in Kenya, girls in primary school still miss up to 5 days a month during their periods. This translates to over 2 weeks in a term. We have seen that if a girl misses school regularly, she is most likely to drop out. So for me, Education is a tool that every woman should have. It’s a weapon to fight poverty and that’s why I do what I do.

In regards to Pad Heaven, what made you set up such an organization and please tell us in detail what it’s all about? I decided to set up Pad Heaven Initiative after an encounter I had with a primary school in the rural areas. Despite being a mixed school, I did not see many girls around. Upon enquiry, I was told that it was ‘the time of the month’. It broke my heart that a natural process like

“ It broke my heart to learn that menstruation is not something that is talked about in schools and communities. That is why I decided to set up my organization.” menstruation would keep girls from school. Primary school is free in Kenya, but girls still miss school for at least 2 weeks in a term. These girls will never compete fairly in class with the boys. They will not participate in activities like drama and sports. They will not grow up with confidence. It also broke my heart to learn that menstruation is not something that is talked about in schools and communities. That is why I decided to set up my organization. To give these girls a chance. To equip them with information about their bodies and the changes happening to them and to try and boost their selfesteem. We give them sanitary pads for a whole year, 3 pairs of panties and we talk to them about menstruation management.

While starting out, what were some of the challenges you faced? I started as an NGO that was heavily reliant on donors and corporate companies to fund me as a Corporate Social Responsibility project so I could buy the pads for these girls. Come the following year, these companies theme will have moved from girl-child education to wildlife or environment. That would take me back to square one to do more fundraising and looking for sponsors. That was a big challenge. Now we are a social enterprise that will be able to earn revenue and sustain our operations.

How did it feel to have been among the Young African Leaders Initiative (Y.AL.I.) and what are you planning to do with the grant? First of all, it was a great honor to represent Kenya and the African continent for this fellowship. It was an amazing feeling. I felt like I was finally recognized for my efforts to keep girls in class. Out of 5,000 who applied in Kenya, I was among the 46 who were selected. In the Business and Entrepreneurship track, I won a US$ 25,000 grant from USADF and with this grant, I am going to purchase a machine that makes sanitary pads from agricultural by- products. I will be able to set up a factory thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll manufacture the first low-cost, hygienic, biodegradable pads made from 99% locally available materials.

Converting banana stems into fiber in order to create the sanitary towels is a brilliant idea. So as you have been recycling the banana stems, what are some difficulties that you have faced if any? For now we have tested manually with my partners. We are starting full production in November. One of the challenges we are facing pre-production is convincing the communities that a product made from banana fiber will be safe for them to use.

They are used to seeing imported products on the shelves, so convincing them they can make their own product that will be much cheaper and every girl and woman in the community can access to the product, is a hard sell. For this, we will put more resources on education to the communities and involve women groups in production, distribution and teaching reproductive health.

It must have been amazing that the First Lady selected Pad Heaven as one of the projects to carefully confront the difficulties that girls encounter in

You should expect the story of a woman who revived cottage industries in Kenya. I want to ensure each county in Kenya has its own sanitary pads production unit that serves the community and that each girl and woman can access the products. I also will be lobbying the local governments to include a sanitary pads budget to ensure sanitary pads are free for girls in schools.

As far as Pad Heaven is concerned, do you have any upcoming projects that will advance your organization? It made me feel special and more confident in my work. I felt that I am really making a big difference to the girls in my country. And that gave me confidence to take on more challenges, reach for more girls in my country and also East Africa. It made me realize that many countries in Africa are facing various challenges in getting girls to stay in school, but we have the solutions with us. We just need someone to believe in the young people and the simple solutions they have to solve these challenges.

We are publishing the first booklet that will teach girls about Menstruation management, puberty, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and self-esteem. We are hoping this booklet will be adopted in the curriculum so every girl will have information on what is happening to her body. We are also looking into having a line of comfortable panties for the girls. I want the girls to have dignity and high selfesteem as they grow into beautiful young women.

Find out more about Pad Heaven Initiative

So what can we expect next from Florence Kamaitha?

padheaven.org

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BLACK ETHNIC COLLECTION BY CELINE ANTUNES FOR ETHNIC FRENCH HAIRDRESSING AWARDS MODELS: Victotia Wacouboue & Mahady Vanparis HAIRDRESSER : Celine Antunes Schwarzkopf Ambassador ASSISTED : Yoel Georges PHOTOGRAPHER : Eric Ouaknine STYLLIST : Laura De Villebonne SALON : 52EME AVENUE MAKE UP : STEPHANE DUSSART

#100daysoffashion TEXT BY CORAZON ACHIENGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Unlike in the past where the catwalk was the hallowed ground for designers, the cyberspace is fast redefining trends thanks to fashion evangelists. Diana Opoti, the brains behind Diana Opoti PR, a fashion PR consultancy is one such evangelist. Following her successful execution of her role as the patron of the African Fashion Week in London earlier on this month, Diana embarked on #100daysoffashion campaign on social media. Spotting outfits and accessories by designers from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania and Rwanda, she has captivated both international and local audiences. Notable among the designs showcased by Diana are the simple, elegant leso

Diana Opoti wearing an outfit designed by Doreen Mashika from Tanzania

and Ankara outfits. Peggy Anyango’s long, A-shaped top pairs well with jeans whilst showcasing the beauty of African curves. The resulting contemporary look demonstrates the ease with which African designs can fit into one’s wardrobe. According to Diana, some of the designers have had inquiries directed to their online platforms following the commencement of the campaign. Some of the inquiries have turned into sales, a feat that Diana is glad to have been a part of. Diana promises she will be standing as a Diana wearing an outfit designed by Pistis from proud lover of Ghana African designs till the end.

Diana wearing a dress design by Durban based designer, Terence Bray

Like, share, retweet and regram as we appreciate #100daysoffashion with Diana Opoti. Diana spotting Kenya’s Peggy Anyango’s leso top

Minding Her Business

SPECIAL FEATURE Women in Business with Bruktawit Tigabu Tiguidanke Camara She Leads Africa Lauren Maillian Bias Sandra Appiah Mamatsabu Maphike The Team Behind The Curtain

BRUKTAWIT TIGABU On Improving Education in Ethiopia TEXT BY TATENDA KANENGONI

Bruktawit Tigabu also known as Brukty is an entrepreneur from Ethiopia who is passionate about childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education. A teacher by profession, Brukty sought to ensure that the next generation of children in Ethiopia does not face challenges in gaining access to education, and to help bridge this gap, she came up with the Whiz Kids workshop concept and Tsehai Loves Learning, which is an educational kids programme on television. The edutainment concept focuses on using a popular communication platform for children which is television, to communicate and educate children in an interesting way, ultimately fostering a learning culture amongst them. Brukty explains the drive behind the edutainment concept further.

hat inspired the creation of Whiz Kids Workshop?

The creation of Whiz Kids Workshop was inspired by my personal public education as well as my professional experience as a teacher in Addis Ababa. Like many others, I was born into a poor family in Addis Ababa. Unlike most kids, my mother had finished high school and dedicated herself to teaching me to read and study well. By age ten, I was already teaching other kids in the Saris neighbourhood how to read. By high school, I was earning a small fee for tutoring younger kids. After high school, I was assigned to study teaching in college, and I soon discovered I loved teaching because of its inherent rewards of empowering children. I taught for a while and was then promoted to director of a kindergarten. While I cherished inspiring children to love learning, I was frustrated with the educational system. The same issues that plagued my childhood schooling still prevailed in my beloved city and county, such as no public education for children under seven, sometimes a >60:1 studentteacher ratio, limited or nonexistent teaching materials, and a very high dropout rate at a very early age. I was disheartened by the status quo and believed passionately a remedy

â&#x20AC;&#x153; I was disheartened by the status quo and believed passionately a remedy was close at hand. These factors led me to want to improve education in Ethiopia.â&#x20AC;?

was close at hand. These factors led me to want to improve education in Ethiopia. While my mother fostered my love for learning, which inspired the creation of Tsehai, my father gifted me with the entrepreneurial spirit to create a company. My father was illiterate, but that did not diminish his hardworking, ambitious, and creative character. Starting as a bulldozer operator and working overtime, he saved

enthusiastically grabbed the challenge of using mass media to bring education to children who had no access to formal education before entering school at age seven. From our research, we knew this lack of early intervention put these children at risk and we were determined to fill the gap. Quitting our jobs, we devoted ourselves full time to learn how to create a show— something neither of us had ever done.

Having a father who shifted careers midlife gifted me with the confidence to do the same. enough to buy a house. When I was 13, he quit his operator job to buy and sell homes for a living. Having a father who shifted careers midlife gifted me with the confidence to do the same.

Experimenting in our home with green bed sheets attached to the wall to make a film studio, within a year, we had managed to produce our first 15 minute children’s educational program in Amharic!

As the kindergarten director, I serendipitously met Shane Etzenhouser, an American computer engineer. Shane had come to Ethiopia as a volunteer to support the school I worked in their interest in developing a children’s television show. The efforts to produce children’s television at the school fell through, but my relationship with Shane blossomed. Soon after we married and we

Testing it with a kindergarten class, we were delighted to see that they loved it and learned from it; hence, Tsehai Loves Learning and Whiz Kids Workshop were born!

Your show Tsehai loves learning is based on an edutainment concept on television, what impact do you think television has in communicating to young minds?

From my personal education and experience teaching, I knew the solution to reach the largest audience of Ethiopians with life saving information and reading instruction was through television. I have a bright vision for Ethiopia in which kids are getting smarter, finding their authentic voices, making great decisions for their lives and their country, and achieving their full potential through educational media. The positive impact educational children’s television can have on young children is well documented by over 40 years of educational television globally. Many studies conducted both in academic institutions and internally at production companies such as Sesame Workshop support the notion that educational children’s television works. Children who watch children’s television are more prepared entering school, and more successful academically and socially in school, and have seen life-long benefits in longitudinal studies. We have been fortunate to receive an All Children Reading grant from USAID with which we produced a full season of 32 new episodes of the Tsehai Loves Learning TV and Radio show. Through this grant we managed to use an Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) which is widely used globally including inside of Ethiopia, to measure the impact of the use of our TV show and reading materials in the class room.

I have a bright vision for Ethiopia in which kids are getting smarter, finding their authentic voices, making great decisions for their lives and their country, and achieving their full potential through educational media.

Early results indicate that children who use our materials in the classroom make better advancements in their reading skills than in the control group. It’s also great to see the enthusiasm the children have for our TV show, workbooks, and readers, begging the teacher to use the materials as part of the lesson plans.Each of our three television programs—Tsehai Loves Learning, Involve Me, and Little Investigators— are aimed to inspire and empower children in different age groups.

The programs have the potential to greatly impact young minds, by providing them with a readiness program that stimulates their natural curiosity, character development, creativity, and knowledge of basic health concepts. [] CLICK TO WATCH TSEHAI LOVES LEARNING

The Path Redefined: Getting to the Top on Your Own Terms Lauren Maillian Bias talks mixing business with pleasure, the entrepreneurial spirit, and her new book.

INTERVIEWD BY IMAN FOLAYAN

he corporate world can be fierce and much like the ABC hit show, it can feel like a shark tank. As an entrepreneur that shark tank can be even more overwhelming with competition, responsibility and risk at all-time highs. The measure of success almost always depends on the measure of hard work and Lauren Maillian Bias is no stranger to neither. The leap from having a small lemonade stand on a Spanish Harlem corner to being the founder of several companies, including an award-winning wine vineyard, is large to say the least. Her work as founder of Luxury Market Branding and Gen Y Capital Partners has landed her numerous awards including the Empact100 Award honoree by the Kauffman Foundation for being one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under 30 and by Essence magazine as one of the Class of 2013 African-American Shot Callers.

The consistent element in her journey, and one that is critical to anyone’s success was her dedication to cultivating relationships and expanding her network. It’s no wonder why the idea for writing the book was not one that she had personally, but one that various editors wanted to see into fruition. As a single mother of two and a serial entrepreneur you may be shocked to find a chapter entitled “There’s no such thing as work-life balanced” in her new book A Path Redefined, which after being released in May became an instant Amazon bestseller. According to her, work-life balance involves integration, where the two worlds of business and personal life blend together so perfectly that the fine line between them becomes transparent. What transpires from this delicate balance is peace of mind, which is as equally important to success as ambition and integrity. So while vacationing in the Hamptons and watching her children play, Ms. Maillian Bias still makes time to share with us her keys to success which are sure to spark the entrepreneurial flame fluttering within you. AfroElle: Writing a book can be challenging especially when meshing your personal life and professional life. What did you find to be the most difficult part?

success?

Lauren Maillian Bias: My biggest challenge was not in actually writing the book it was when we went through to edit the book. We realized that I had some redundant content and we needed to condense it. Another thing that was difficult for me was where to draw the line between the personal story of my life versus my personal story of my career.

LMB: I think that in order to be successful you have to be taken seriously. I think that as a successful woman you have to have rules. I have a rule, I don’t date people that I meet from work; and that’s just something I stand by. For me, that is because I don’t believe in crossing that line and not because I don’t think it’s a line that can’t be crossed. But I think that as a woman, and as a woman of color, crossing that line would come at a cost for how you’re viewed professionally.

AfroElle: How much is enough. Do you think women should sacrifice personal relationships, dating, for the sake of their

I think that when you make those sorts of decisions the perception is out of your hands. I think that more often than not

we end up working with all sorts of people but at some point we end up working with a fair amount of guys. This has been the case for nearly every industry I’ve been in and it’s something that successful woman need to be very cognizant of because it may come at the expense of how you’re respected and viewed in a particular arena or in a particular industry. For me that cost is just too high to bear and I have yet to meet anyone through work that is worth taking that risk. AfroElle: So what is your philosophy on mixing business with pleasure? LMB: I totally mix business with pleasure. I do it all the time. I go on vacation with work colleagues. I go grab dinner and drinks with work colleagues. If one of my company’s founders is coming into town sometimes they stay at my home; I consider that mixing business with pleasure. I believe in that 1000% and honestly believe that it can help create stronger relationships in that sort of scenario because people get to see who you are outside of wok and outside of your work personality. And depending on who you really are, that often times strengthens the relationships I have with people and they tend to have new found respect for all that they see me managing and responsible for in my personal life. AfroElle: Are there certain aspects you think

I think that in order to be successful you have to be taken seriously. I think that as a successful woman you have to have rules.

are fundamental to healthy business relationships that are different from personal relationships? LMB: For me they are the same because I look at it as people I’m going to spend a lot of time with so I have essentially the same expectations as someone I would want to go to the beach with or be in a relationship with. I think one of the big deal breakers for me on the business side is trust, which is also a deal breaker for me on the personal side. I think having someone with integrity, confidence, and a strong sense of self is someone I want to work with. That’s a baseline pre-requisite because I know that in my absence the people I have on my team are still going to make good decisions, have a good filter, still make good assessments, and still have a good head on their shoulders. AfroElle: The feminist movement has in many ways assisted in the upward mobility of women in the workplace. In corporate

I recognized where I needed to learn and recognized what I needed to teach them. Once I identified those areas I ended up earning their respect. They went from looking at me as the young girl who didn’t belong to the young girl they needed on their team if they were going to stay relevant and grow. America have you ever felt marginalized because of your gender, race or any other factor? How did you respond? LMB: Yes, I talk about it in my book. When I started my first business, Sugarleaf vineyard. I was a woman in a very old industry. It was a men’s industry, I was starting my own and I wasn’t inheriting it from previous generations in my family whereas a lot of them have been passed down from 2-3 generations at this point. So I was completely green in their eyes and I was a woman of color, and a woman of color in Virginia. How did I deal with it? I dealt with it by forcing them to respect me.

I talk about this a lot in the book and when I’m speaking to people I tell them that you have to find what you bring to the table that’s valuable, that they don’t have, and that they can’t do. In this particular case I was the fast-paced, sharp young woman from New York City and I knew about marketing, branding, and social media, all things that were very foreign to them and that they didn’t really care much about. This was ten years ago but now you see this huge boom in tech and social media. So not only was it my marketing expertise but it was my understanding of trends and how to

help grow our wine region and drive tourism and sales that would boost all of the businesses of this faceless, brand-less region and make them more attractive. So when I brought this to the table it forced them to respect me and value me for something that I can provide. I recognized where I needed to learn and recognized what I needed to teach them. Once I identified those areas I ended up earning their respect. They then went from looking at me as the young girl who didn’t belong to the young girl they needed on their team if they were going to stay relevant and grow. AfroElle: Aside from that were there any other experiences that you transformed from being a failure to a success? LMB: I’m sure there have been a lot of those. I think it happens all the time in marketing. I can’t really pinpoint one without divulging clients, but it happens all the time in marketing and that’s what makes a good marketer. A good marketer takes that moment and leverages it for exposure or for the opportunity to forge a stronger bond with the consumer. So much of this comes down to communication. How much of the mistakes in branding and marketing boil down to how you communicate it? In fact I’m often asked if I would reinvest in an entrepreneur who I gave money to and the company failed or went under. I always say it depends on how (s)he handled the fact that the company failed. If they handle it professionally, gracefully, and they

communicated it appropriately then absolutely, that’s someone I would invest in again. Now if they don’t communicate, they fade to black, and you can’t get in touch with them, then absolutely not. So many of these situations come down to how they are communicated. AfroElle: The entrepreneurial journey is not an easy one. Do you believe that it has to “be in you” or can anyone invigorate that spirit within them? LBM: I do think it is innate because there are so many people that say, “I would love to make my own schedule or I would love to be my own boss but that comes at the expense of having to work all the time and having to take all the responsibility and I just don’t want it.” And they can admit that and I’ve had it told to me so many times and I think it’s fascinating because I can’t imagine life any other way. Even if I worked for a company I see myself running a company. I’d be running a huge company and I’d still take on the same amount of responsibility as an entrepreneur. The expectations and the bar would still be as high and the risks would still feel as though they are mine even though it’s not my personal assets or money.

“ YOU MUST HAVE THAT LEVEL OF SELFMOTIVATION TO GET UP EVERYDAY WHEN YOU’RE YOUR OWN BOSS AND YOU DON’T HAVE BOSSES AROUND YOU TO SAY “HERE ARE THE GOALS OF THE DAY, LET’S GET MOTIVATED”. WHEN YOU’RE THE HEAD OF THE COMPANY YOU HAVE TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF AND MOTIVATE OTHERS.

When you’re running a company you still take on that level of ownership and I love that [this element] is a part of my life and career. I even joked that if I did work for a company it would be on a commission base because I want that level of ownership. But there are people who don’t. People have told me “I like the fact that I have to be at work at xyz time, I know what the consequences are for being late, I know what time I get off and I know that if I work over that time I’ll be getting overtime or a bonus. I also know that when I leave work it’s no longer my problem.” There are people that subscribe to that, they don’t want that level of ownership. So I think that you must have that level of selfmotivation to get up everyday when you’re your own boss and you don’t have bosses around you to say “here are the goals of the day, let’s get motivated”.

to get their skills down to a certain level and they want to coast. That’s not the innate spirit of an entrepreneur. It’s a skill of an entrepreneur to improve, to constantly grow and to never feel like you arrived or reached the pinnacle of success. You must be incredibly driven and desire to take ownership of everything you do. You can teach people these skills but I’m not convinced nor have I ever seen anyone formally taught entrepreneurship, who didn’t have that fire in their belly, to last long or go far. AfroElle: What upcoming ventures can we expect? LMB: We were on tour and we’re resuming the tour in September. There are some other things in the works that are in the staytuned department. You can always visit

When you’re the head of the company you have to motivate yourself and motivate others and those are things I feel are innate skills and desires. There are people who want to coast. They want to graduate from college, they want

apathredifined.com for more information on Lauren Maillian Bias and to order her lifechanging book![]

Conversation with

Mamatsabu Maphike On Taking Care of Business Mamatsabu Maphike CA, co-founded MOTHEO Chartered Accountants , a merger between two firms, with Nitha Dire (CA). MOTHEO is a 100% black female owned accounting firm where Mamatsabu now works as the Head of Advisory and the Operations Director. The firm is dedicated to formulating solutions relevant to the African continent.

One of Mail & Guardian’s 2013 Top 200 Young South Africans, Mamatsabu’s contribution to African entrepreneurship has been instrumental in supporting her passion for the economic development of South Africa and its course in job creation. AfroElle’s ASHLEY MAKUE talked with Mamatsabu to learn some invaluable entrepreneurship advice.

Did you always want to be a chartered accountant? I’ve always wanted to be a businesswoman. I became a CA because I was told that’s how you will learn about different businesses. And since I wasn’t sure exactly how you become a business woman I took the CA option and thought maybe along the way I will know how; (laughs) the younger Tsabu was a very smart and relentless girl, I’m grateful for her.

Could you have gone into your own business immediately after university? Is it any important to get the experience working in an established organisation? Yes, I could have but my CA journey required me to do a compulsory traineeship. My work experience has been invaluable to date. You learn the basics of how corporate or businesses run. I advise 2 years’ experience in any industry but spend that time watching how the systems and processes work and question them. Observe how your bosses conduct business, read their reports and learn from pure observation. Do whatever they hired you to do quickly and efficiently and spend the rest of the time finding out what worries your boss and her boss and her boss.

What was the starting point in the establishment of MOTHEO CA? We merged to leverage off our resources. Nitha and I were in the same space and it made sense for us to merge; we were duplicating our systems. It was a natural progression and it made business sense. Were you ready? I was as ready as I could be at the time. I could have been more prepared, I could

have built a clientele first, I could have saved more, I could have been more confident, I could have been more realistic, I could have done more research but I didn’t; I was as ready as I could be at the time. With entrepreneurship you’re ready the minute the entrepreneur bug bites. What do you know now, that you wish you had known before going into your own business?

Other than financial risks, what did you stand to lose if it didn’t do well and how did you handle that risk? Nothing really because all my risks are as calculated as they can be at the time; every risk I take has a strategy behind it. I’m obsessed with risk, I chase risk and if I fail I simply learn from it. I must say nothing hurts like a calculated risk gone wrong; the

I wish I had known “ In my journey to date I’ve noticed that that I would be nothing kills risk faster starting my life all over again. I would be like a than success. ” child but I will be unlearning instead of learning a lot of lessons there are intense because they’re things. I would be building blindfolded mostly a stab to the ego. I thrive on risk and and all I would have are my dreams, I chase it, overcoming uncertainty is my ambitions, confidence and high work ethic adrenalin rush; I love seeing how it all turns as my light. I read a couple of books out after all that drama. In my journey to alluding to this but at the time I didn’t date I’ve noticed that nothing kills risk believe it. Entrepreneurship is another faster than success. existence on its own; you’re your own student every single day. What is the value of having a good business partner? Did you know that MOTHEO would do Having a good business partner is well? invaluable. Every entrepreneur deserves to have a friend in business who understands. We are still on our journey and are Entrepreneurship can be a very lonely ambitious; but we know we will achieve experience but a good business partner our vision because we are loyal to the process of entrepreneurship. We are clear makes it lighter. When things go-everythingbut-right I pick up my phone and call her about the space MOTHEO will occupy in and by the end of the call we are laughing the big world of business and every day about it. I couldn’t do this alone. I wouldn’t we are driving it towards that. We are want to do this alone. grateful for this.

Do you have a sort of barometer for the sacrifices you are willing to make for the growth of MOTHEO? We have sacrificed so much already. I always tweet: “Constant state of sacrifice”, that’s how my life has been. I don’t have a barometer but I’ve accepted that sacrifice is the order of the day especially since I want MOTHEO to outlive me.

Do you think that the business industries in Africa encourage entrepreneurship? The opportunities are there but we don’t have intentional structures that support every level of the entrepreneurship process. They support to an extent. Existing business industries are mainly global multi-nationals who push their own agenda. We spend a lot of money on incubation and mentoring which is an early level of the entrepreneurship process but nothing on accessing the market and selling. Accessing the market is a business in itself and funds need to be pumped into this. As Africa we are competing against the global billion dollar marketing machine and we don’t invest in this. African products and services will struggle to be global giants unless they get the big sales or marketing machine to turn on their favour. We are becoming consumer nations because of the global marketing machine but we don’t fight back by investing in our own products and services and flooding the global market with our products and services. And this is true with every sector of Africa-as-a-country. So as an ambitious entrepreneur you know that you’re fighting against global giants’ nevermind your neighbour down the road. There’s talk about a growing African middleclass but it’s pointless to Africa if it’s going to just be a consumer base for global companies

“ Start what you can start with whatever skills or any other advantage you have and make it work. It sounds like I’m selling dreams but that’s how we did and many others. Don’t wait for funding it will only kill your spirit; start and then go searching for funds and if you don’t get funded go find out why and fix and go back to find funds.”

and not African businesses. We can incubate and mentor entrepreneurs all we like but if they don’t have the funds to sell and market their products they are just going to add to the failure statistics, which is unfortunate not only for them but Africa as a whole.

Reward has been hiring unemployed graduates, then having to retrench them and then re-hiring them back. Entrepreneurship is tough but I’ve learnt that I’m tough, I might not look it but I’m tough and I would never have known this, I love knowing I’m tough.

Is there a network that exclusively supports black-women owned start-up companies?

What entrepreneurship myth can you dispel?

There’s a few out there but I don’t encourage anyone to wait for such funds. My business partner and I just dived into all this, we just wanted to disrupt and we’re well on our way. I don’t encourage anyone to wait for support; forge ahead don’t wait. The support and networks will find you along the way. Funds don’t like risk so the more successful you become the more everyone wants to fund you. If you have R1, start a R1 business, focus on making it the most well run R1 business out there that operates like it’s a R10 business, stay loyal to the process and eventually you will have a R100 business – what I’m saying is start what you can start with whatever skills or any other advantage you have and make it work. It sounds like I’m selling dreams but that’s how we did and many others. Don’t wait for funding it will only kill your spirit; start and then go searching for funds and if you don’t get funded go find out why and fix and go back to find funds. There’s a couple who run a R30 million engineering business but it took them 10 years of failure after failure to get there and now every venture capitalist and funder alike wants a piece and they are refusing and good for them, where were those funds when they had to sell their house? Don’t wait for a funder, just naively forge ahead.

What have been the most rewarding moments in your work?

You need to have funding in place. Not true. Start with R1 if that’s all you have. Start anything that needs R1 to start. That you need to have this long list of connections to make things happen. Again not true. You just need to go out there and find people who believe in you, the rest finds you. That to succeed in our era you must invent this great new high-tech business and be this hightech genius. Not true. Great inventions are not what’s driving our world, it’s reshaping but not driving. Not everyone is a Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerbergs but there are endless lists of Others. Most of us are Others. Go make your billions doing Other things which are not necessarily high-tech. The guy who supplies Bidvest with their cleaning materials is happy, very happy actually. Entrepreneurs are born. Doctors are not born. Engineers are not born. Lawyers are not born and so are entrepreneurs, you learn like everything else in life. Successful people don’t sleep. This is not true. Sleep when your body needs sleep and wake up when it’s refreshed, you can’t build anything if you’re a zombie. I don’t sleep much but that’s how I’ve always been not because I’m following this great big formula of successful people who wake up at 4am or something.[]

www.motheo.co.za

Tiguidanke Camara MINING ENTREPRENEUR If ever you had any doubts about pursuing a career in a traditionally perceived male environment as a woman, look no further than Tiguidanke Camara for inspiration. A mining entrepreneur, and former model from Guinea, Tigui is the only female mine owner in her country. A go-getter of note, Tigui has featured in music videos and starred in movies alongside Alisters in Hollywood. What makes her story interesting is her ability to balance motherhood and a demanding business crediting this to a winning formula constituting will power, passion and hard work. Tigui shares her empowering journey to successful entrepreneurship with AfroElleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TATENDA KANENGONI.

Can you please share your background with us. My name is Tiguidanke Camara, I am a former model turned mining entrepreneur. I am the Chairman and Founder of Tigui Mining Group and Camara Diamond & Gold Mining Trading Network. Since creating my group in 2009, we have achieved expansion in several West African countries. I am also one of the few and youngest women executives in the African mining industry. As the sole woman mine owner in Guinea, the proudest job I have is being a mom to my twins Hawa and Mohamed Mounir Sakho.

Mining can be seen as a predominantly male industry, How did you breakthrough into the industry? Over the years, I have seen a positive trend in women entering the industry. However, I think we have a lot more to do as an industry to ensure womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full participation; that is one of my focuses. As far as my journey, as a model, I interacted a lot with people in the fashion and jewelry world. Many of my friends were also jewelers. I noticed that all of them brought their gems from Africa or had business ventures in the mining industry operating in Africa and specifically in my native country Guinea. This made me pay closer attention to the industry. Additionally, I knew the power

the industry has in shaping economies so I decided to get involved. Corporate responsibility is a key part of my ventures. Through my work, we are able to provide economic opportunities to people living in the communities within which we operate. This is my way of giving back.

What can you share with us about the business of mining? The business of mining is a challenging one. It demands a lot of capital, great management and technology in order to succeed. One of the biggest challenges is raising funds especially in the early stages and to find a proven reserve. It takes a lot of energy and resources but the reward is worth it.

Please tell us about your modeling days. My modeling days were one of the best moments of my life. Fashion is something I have always been passionate about so I was blessed to live one of my dreams and to work with some of the best designers, artists and models worldwide. The lessons I learnt while modeling contributed to the person I am today. I learnt to be strong, confident and to not be afraid of rejection. I also learnt to put myself out there and to not be embarrassed. Whether I was walking the runway at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion week, doing a video or a magazine shoot, I was proud to represent my country and continent. I worked hard to always present a positive image of Africa.

You have acted with and featured in movies with iconic stars such as Nicholas Cage, how was that experience for you? The experience was great! He is someone I admire and respect. Playing my role in the movie “Bringing out the dead’’ was definitely emotional because the character was complex. It was also difficult because I come from a conservative Muslim family, so I had to think about it a lot. I decided to do play the role because I realized you have to start somewhere. Even great actresses like Halle Berry play roles that push the envelope. In short, it was great to act in the movie, it’s a memory I cherish.

What lessons have you learnt from being in the company of accomplished stars during the days you pursued the entertainment industry?

“ Always act professionally, be respectful to people you meet and end things on a good note. You never know if that person is one day going to hold one of the keys to your success.

”

I learnt that there is no limit. Always dream big. You also have to add hard work and focus to your dream if you want to see it happen. The celebrities you see are just like you and me. They struggled but believed in their dream and never gave up. Keep working hard and believe. Nothing is impossible.

Please tell us about your high-end clothing line? Foudis is a high-end handmade fashion line with a focus on African textile. It is named after my mother. I work in collaboration with over 300 artisans throughout Africa to create unique pieces that convey the elegance, style and culture of modern Africa. We create products such as clothes, shoes, accessories and home goods exclusively for

a select clientele to satisfy their needs.

How do you balance running multiple businesses and your personal life, especially motherhood? It is definitely challenging. It’s hard to sometimes miss key milestones in my children’s lives because of travel and other obligations. However, it has also made us closer because we appreciate each other more. I am lucky to see my kids grow into strong and independent people. I am also lucky to have an amazing family. They support me and help me with my kids. We have all learnt to adapt and shift roles as necessary. I am fortunate to be able to live my dream, as a woman, I don’t think I have to choose between the two. Women always have to reconcile working or being at home. It’s important to have supportive people who can support you in whatever decision you make.

In your opinion, what is the key to successful entrepreneurship?

The key to success in my opinion is to have a vision. You need a clear path you want to follow and do what it takes to reach your goal. You have to persevere and never give up no matter the obstacles life throws your way. It’s also important to be passionate about what you are doing so it doesn’t feel like work. Finally, professionalism is paramount. Always act professionally, be respectful to people you meet and end things on a good note. You never know if that person is one day going to hold one of the keys to your success. []

Yasmin Belo-Osagie and Afua Osei are the co -founders of She Leads Africa, a groundbreaking organisation promoting entrepreneurship amongst women. Having realised a gap in the promotion of female entrepreneurs, the duo came together to facilitate provision of guidance and relevant financial support from industry veterans to up-coming female entrepreneurs in order to propel the latter to higher level in terms of their businesses. Yasmin is a management consultant focusing primarily on developing growth strategies for a number of local and international corporates. In 2011, she spent a year attending culinary school and working as a sous-chef in the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. Yasmin is a graduate of Princeton University with degrees in history and finance. While Afua is a management consultant advising large scale public and private sector organisations on strategy and operations. She previously served as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia and communications staffer for Michelle Obama. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago with masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees in business administration and public policy. In this interview TATENDA KANENGONI, they explain the inspiration behind their initiative and angel networks through which female entrepreneurs are mentored; they also let us in on their personal journeys to success.

Yasmin Belo-Osagie How did She Leads Africa begin? We started this company because we noticed a critical gap in the market â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a lack of investment focus on high growth African female entrepreneurs. Policymakers, governments and other development oriented institutions readily acknowledge that

When it comes to the issue of supporting female entrepreneurs, the majority of focus is almost exclusively on low income, bottom of the pyramid women who are supported in creating micro and small businesses.

women who are supported in creating micro and small businesses.

Afua Osei entrepreneurship will be the broad based driver of economic growth for Africa with the potential to create jobs for the more than 200 million young Africans between ages 15 and 24. However, when it comes to the issue of supporting female entrepreneurs, the majority of focus is almost exclusively on low income, bottom of the pyramid

While this is certainly an area of need we identified a gap in products and services for female entrepreneurs looking to create scalable and high growth enterprises. Limited attention has been paid towards investing in these entrepreneurs and we believe they will be an important source of economic growth, innovation, and public leadership for the next phase of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development. She Leads Africa is a platform that provides the most talented female entrepreneurs across the continent with access to the knowledge, networks and financing needed to build and scale strong businesses. Our goal is to jumpstart female entrepreneurs from SMEs to pan-African industry leaders.

EVEN WHEN A WOMAN IS ABLE TO SUCCEED ON A NATIONAL OR PAN-AFRICAN LEVEL, SOCIETY EITHER LINKS HER SUCCESS TO A MALE PATRON OR FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. Your work focuses on assisting female entrepreneurs, why is it important to promote entrepreneurship amongst females and what are some of the challenges faced in achieving this goal in Africa particularly? Unequal access to education Women in Africa have unequal access to education from the primary to tertiary level. The resulting lack of qualifications is a critical barrier to the valuable work experience that is needed to create a successful business.

Constraining cultural stereotypes Though women in Africa are prominent among small business owners, African societies frown on more ambitious entrepreneurial aspirations which take women away from their traditional roles as home-makers and child bearers. Even when a woman is able to succeed on a national/ pan-African level, society either links her success to a male patron or fails to acknowledge it. The result is that young women with entrepreneurial ambitions often struggle to identify female role models whilst their male counterparts have a plethora of options to choose from – a cursory glance at well publicised lists such as the Forbes Africa Rich List is enough to see this dynamic.

Limited opportunities to develop useful networks

Business circles in Africa remain very much an old boys’ network. The most lucrative business deals and allegiances are often formed in maledominated social spaces such as bars and exclusively male members’ clubs. Women’s interacting with men in these settings, in the absence of designated male companions, is often considered taboo. These dynamics make it very difficult for women to participate freely in African business networks. Though there are a growing number of formal female networks that link like-minded women, there are still not enough. Moreover, women, as a whole, do not have enough financial and political power to make these networks as powerful as their male-dominated equivalents.

Limited access to financing Surveys have shown that terms of borrowing across the continent are less favourable to women than men. Women are more likely to face higher interest rates, be required to collateralise a higher share of loans and have shorter term loans. Additionally, studies show that when investors are given identical pitches one delivered by a man and the other by a woman, they are much more likely to invest in the business with a male founder.

TIPS ON SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURSHIP 1

Learn the language of investors. When engaging with investors all start ups need to have a basic understanding of key financial concepts including ROI, Cash Flow, Income Statements, Balance Sheets. This financial literacy will make you more appealing to investors. Contrary to popular belief there is a lot of venture capital floating around Africa. Start-ups need to learn how to present themselves as real businesses rather than “cool ideas”. It is this business savvy that will attract investors.

Done is better than perfect; be 80:20 The start-up scene moves quickly and relentlessly. Instead of waiting to design the perfect product, we would encourage entrepreneurs to go 80:20 and strive to create a product that is 80% perfect. Get this product out quickly and iterate as you go. This strategy will also make it much easier to get feedback from the market quickly and adjust as needed.

Think bold and dream big When we initially started She Leads Africa we thought it would be one off pitch contest. In essence we limited our own dreams. After a period of self reflection and many long conversations with mentors we were encouraged to think bold and dream big. Our ambition is to become a household name amongst African female entrepreneurs who see us as their one stop shop support system as well as shrewd investors who are looking for lucrative and

exciting investment opportunities on the continent.

Teamwork is key

We’re very used to the Big Man culture in Africa. We see Dangote as the force behind the Dangote group, Tony Elumelu as the force behind Heirs Holdings but thousands of individuals drive the success of those organisations. When building your company it is critical to build a team that will challenge each other, think creatively, and dig in to get the hard work done.

Do your homework

Getting to market quickly is one thing, jumping in without any prior research is folly. Entrepreneurs need to learn to how to listen for, rather than guess, what the market wants. You may have hypotheses about what the market wants but until you have tested that, it’s little more than your gut feel. One of the first things that we did was to create a survey which we sent out to 100 female entrepreneurs. The responses from this survey gave us excellent insights into what female entrepreneurs wanted and needed. In many cases our initial hypotheses were right and this gave us the confidence to forge ahead. In other cases the responses surprised us and forced us to rethink some of our initial assumptions. []

www.sheleadsafrica.com

Ghanaian beauty

SANDRA APPIAH is an admirable mediapreneur. Host of her own TV show, The Sandra Appiah Show and co-founder of media group Face2face Africa, she provides a platform serving the digitally active market with updates on breaking news on the continent and beyond. Her passion for telling the Africa story is evident as the common denominator in her projects, a credible entrepreneur in her own right, Sandra shares her views with AfroElleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TATENDA KANENGONI on pursuing your dreams and the keys to success.

You recently launched The Sandra Appiah Show, please tell us about the show. I am very excited about this show. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always longed to have a platform where I can share the many success stories within the African Diaspora. I think it is desperately needed. We must start telling our stories. There are so many things happening in Africa now, and Face2face Africa and my show will be leading the way in ensuring that those stories are heard.

“ My advice to women everywhere is that discovering your purpose is a journey. It doesn’t happen overnight. But learn to listen to your inner instincts and do not be afraid to step out of the ordinary. Be bold, take risks, and know that greatness only comes when we overcome our fears and take that step of faith.”

What challenges have you faced in the media industry? The challenges are so many but no different from what any entrepreneur is bound to encounterfinancing, marketing, ,etc, but we’ve been successful by not focusing on the challenges but rather on the impact that we are making and our vision for the future. We continue to work hard each day towards our vision. There are simply no excuses.

Would you say you are serving your life purpose and what advice can you give to women struggling to discover their own purposes in life? Absolutely! I’ve been in the corporate world before. I couldn’t stand it! But now I wake every morning with a smile on my face because I know I am exactly where I need to be. Although I have only achieved a small percentage of my goals, I know I am on the right track. My advice to

women everywhere is that discovering your purpose is a journey. It doesn’t happen overnight. But learn to listen to your inner instincts and do not be afraid to step out of the ordinary. Be bold, take risks, and know that greatness only comes when we overcome our fears and take that step of faith.

Lessons on life and Success Passion is key to success in everything. If you are not passionate about it, then you are wasting your time. Strive for excellence. Put 110% into everything you do whether it is exactly what you want to do or if its only part of your journey. Always think positive and just go ahead and do it. []

sandraappiah.com @ms_sandraappiah

The Team Behin For well over two decades now, Anita Wilson and Athena Cameron, founders of A-Team Studios, an artist development and management company have had, and continue to have, prosperous careers in one of the toughest industries - breaking into behind the scenes to contribute to the careers of some of the industry’s most well known artists. GENEVA BELL goes behind the scenes to find out what their secret is to lasting success in the entertainment business.

Geneva: How did this partnership come about? Anita: Athena and I had worked together for many years in separate areas. Almost all of our clients were the same. So one day we sat down and decided to come under one roof and create somewhat of a “one-stop-shop” artist development facility.

Geneva: I know that you both have been in the business for many years, what about women today that are interested in starting a career in entertainment? Do you think it’s easier or more difficult from when you started out?

Athena: As time progresses I think it’s easier. So many brave women have paved the way for us. We would encourage any woman to not limit themselves, but to maximize every moment and every dream and make it a reality.

Geneva: Has there been anyone in your career that has left a lasting impression on you? Or perhaps, someone that has made the most impact on your career? Anita: For me it would be legendary, yet very relevant, R&B Artist/Producer, Betty Wright. She took me under her wing at a young age and taught me so much about the music industry. I would not be who I am today without her.

nd The Curtain Athena: In high school, I was in a dance company and had a mentor named Tony Lardge who inspired and encouraged me. When someone believes in you, it leaves a lasting impression and motivates you to strive to become the best.

Geneva: What about now? Do you ladies still have mentors or someone that encourages you? Athena: In this business, we mentor each other. Anita is such a woman of faith and so am I. When one of us is a little weary, the other one stands in the gap. We have leaned on each other through this journey. Women who join together can create a solid bond. I think it’s very healthy to have that.

Geneva: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self? Anita: I would tell myself to do this a lot sooner. I never knew how fulfilling this could be. If I could change anything, it would be that Athena and I start this company 10 years earlier than we did; by now we would be pioneers. Geneva: I’ve always heard that it’s hard to get into the entertainment business and equally as difficult

to have more than the allotted 5 minutes of fame. Is there a secret to having a long lasting career in the entertainment industry? Anita: I don’t know if there is a secret, but I would say that if you are doing what you love, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t do it for many years.

For more information about A-Team Studios, you may visit their website at ateamstudios.com

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