JUNE 2016
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BUSINESS Think you have the best IDEA? Think again
LIFESTYLE Business or School? Make the Choice
FASHION FACE Abs! Colour! Hijabs!
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Love &
Healing One and Only by Adele, 21, is always on my playlist. The lyrics give me the feels and my heart warms to every single word in that perfect composition of love and healing. She says, or sings, ‘you never know if you never try to forgive your past…’ Unfortunately, this is the story of our lives. MOST of us. Here’s why. In reading a devotional text by Crystal Williams titled ‘Our Sacred Reflections’ she says, “you know when your mirror is foggy after a shower, and you really can’t even see your own face? Well, that’s often how we see ourselves; we aren’t getting a clear picture.” It goes without saying that most of us aren’t quite happy with ourselves. We are not good enough, not thin enough, not attractive enough, like Pamela said in her Banza interview, we are just not enough. And our foggy mirrors have for a long time shown us a glimpse of who we are; bleak outlines that hint but don’t detail. Our parents have also played a role in this. Crystal calls it one of the three mirrors we turn to in a bid to finding ourselves.
EDITOR’S NOTE
They say, ‘Oh! you look like a doctor. You’ll become a doctor.’ And all our lives, we believe we are doctors. Or our peers who tell us we need to post more pictures on Instagram because we need affirmation. It is as if we, keep lying and insist on trying to be something we are not. And finally, the societal mirror which sets the norm; dictates the outcomes for our lives failure to which, we are doomed to eternal condemnation. Here’s the problem. We run away from our true selves, and finding the true self is a feat too huge to dare try. Here’s the solution. Dare yourself to be you. When we wipe off the fog in our mirrors, we will see ourselves. And maybe we might not like who we see. But, it’s still us. And our creator loves us for who we are. So why should we not love ourselves? Loving you for you is the first step towards self-healing. The pain that is underlying for years has left a wound. And you can heal that wound if you choose to see where it is. But you have to start looking inside. In the words of Jordan Rakei, your yearning and search for something [or someone else] will wear you thin. Quit lying and stop trying to be someone you’re not. Maybe you can’t see, but you are the masterpiece. Happy reading.
Eric Maingi Editor-in-Chief
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Banza Magazine The CREW herein represents all individuals who facilitate the Banza Expereince JUNE 2016
THE CREW
CEO - JOSEPH RUTAKANGWA
COLUMNISTS BUSINESS Kabo Madigele Maatla Kgasa Mohamed Maalainine CONTRIBUTORS Eric Maingi Editor-in-Chief Ermias Mehari Lead Designer Elsa Yeboah-Boateng Creative Director Ebenezer Graham Asst. Graphic Designer Linda Admassu Sookara Akshee Rene Solomon Photography COMMUNICATIONS Baraka Pilipili MARKETING Andrew Wani
GUEST WRITER Barbara Bernstein
FASHION FACE Mary Mang’eni Meklit Baye
LIFESTYLE Torey Foss Kaone Tlagae Fanidh Senanta Charles Msilanga Joseph Rutakangwa
MODELS Wiem Boubaker Samuel Kanu Allen Bernard Lea Umurerwa
FEATURED Lunden De’Leon
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BEHIND THE LENSES
Editor’s Note on Love & Healing
Banza Talk to Us. We wish to publish you! Send in your work to our email address on the page
Banza Crew
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Writer Kaone follows up with the depression story, this time, with a new twist; happily never after?
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60 SECONDS WITH MEKLIT BAYE
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Health & Fitness
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Letter from Uncle Charles
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Failure, Friend or Foe? Kabo shares the two cents of Jack Ma and other successful failures
You think you have the best idea? THINK AGAIN
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CASE FILES Intellectual Prostitution
You can be anything you want, even yourself. Maatla’s best piece of advice yet
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Degree V School? Make a choice
TALK TO US We feature an upcoming actrees, entrepreneur and inpiring force to reckon with
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FEATURE STORY
of Shadows by Kaone Tlagae
July 22nd, 1990. Bliss. My folks got married, my brother Chukwuemeka, conceived barely two months later. I was on the tail end of my childhood years, living a life that can be construed as glamorous through the lens of an ordinarily, below average person. My mother was a petite, enormously loving homemaker and my father, a giant, towering figure whose muscles sworn, even when he was asleep. He was the typical, African man with a character deeply marinated in ancient ancestral beliefs and customs with which he led the family. My brother and I were acquainted with my mother because of her demure character reflected in the gentle and mild Countenance with which she approached everyone. She was a calm soul, cast a few words on rare occasions and only when necessary. We were the traditional type of family where children and parents had clearly set boundaries and with my father working as a military man; we became more estranged to his presence because he was rarely home due to his extensive traveling. Although, we knew very well of how much he was fond of his family. He came once in a while, and whenever he was around, the home became complete.
S
oon afterward, my three other young siblings were begotten; Bankole, Chuka, and Audu. Life was merrier with every addition to the family, but our happiness was short lived when my father announced one morning that his job as a military man had come to an end because he had reached retirement age.
Despite this sudden dismissal, my father was still a well-built figure who refuted his five decades of existence. He could still partake in any activity a young person could without flinching. Needless to say, my father came back home few months later with a fat purse and few gifts as a reward for his long-term service to the military department. In spite of the uncertainty that lay ahead, we enjoyed life together as a family. The disconnection we’d once experienced with him slowly evolved into a great relationship with which we drew discipline. On one particular red-lettered day, my father came home from the market with so much joy in his face. We’d never seen him that happy in a long time, and as we gracefully joined the unknown delight, he took his seat and began to unfold the cause of his ecstasy. “I am very happy my children,” he began as he assumed his normal upright posture on the Uche made of wood and exposed his set of brown-tainted teeth. “I met a group of brilliant young men today at the market, and they promised to increase my wealth if I invest my money with them. The things they said are real and wonderful. My children, no more shall I worry about the future!”
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A long, awkward pause followed a symptom of disapproval from my mother and the rest of my siblings. We all knew that my father was the kind of man who’d never take any objections or second opinions from my mother and because of that, we’d grown to adhere to that kind of system. My mother, knowing very well that her counsels fell on thorny ground, emerged to her feet and left the room. Since then, silence made the loudest noise at home- a clear indication that we were not happy with my father’s decision but, couldn’t say anything. He went back to the market the following day, clad with joy and gratitude on his face. He came back happier than yesterday, escorted by a young fellow we’d never seen before and had a bottle of palm wine on the arm-length bag he always carried. They sat down and drank their palm wine, bursting into massive laughter in between the murmuring sessions they’d exchange. As the sun began to snuggle in between the clouds, my mother walked up to the two men who’d been sitting outside and the young fellow quickly rose to his feet and left. “ Olamide, I shall not die in silence. For so long I have kept quiet about this, but I refuse to allow you to give away our money just like that!” Exclaimed my mother. “Our? Did you just say our? This money is not ours woman; it’s mine. I do everything I want to do with it. It’s mine and mine alone.
| BANZA
FEATURE STORY I don’t remember you joining the military force, or, have you?” Embarrassment skimmed through my mother’s face as she gazed squarely at my father who’s back was turned against her. Days gave birth to weeks, and my father grew resentful towards everyone. He’d get up and make for the market, only to return at sunset but on one, unforgettable day, my father left and never came back. On that day, something was particularly peculiar about his trip to the market. Unlike the other days, he persistently assured us of the good returns he’d reap from his investment and of how grateful we would be afterward. My mother begged him to stay home that day, saying that she had a bad feeling about his investment but as usual, he wouldn’t listen. That was the last time I saw my father alive. The men he had dealings with abducted and murdered him instantly so that they would have his money. Then, without shame, they came home and demanded that we leave in silence before they killed all of us and we hastily packed our belongings and headed out of the village. We moved to another village where my great grandparents lived and without further explanation, summoned to keep quiet about what had happened because my mother and great grandparents were terrified of what could happen if the matter was reported.
Fear. We endured two years of silence and weeping but then one day; I decided it was enough. Without anyone’s consent, I got up and headed to my father’s house, and there, I met young, beautiful women with babies. They welcomed me, offered me tea, but I was too cold and uninviting. I immediately left and headed to the Police station who then escorted me back to my house. Upon our arrival, we were confronted by men who’d driven my family and me out of our home. When asked about this, the men denied everything, stating that these were just false accusations by a potentially disturbed mind. I demanded that they hand their land certificates to the police, which they failed to produce. The men were dragged to the police; my mother, called and a case, which took a full year was established. I uncovered other demons they had of killing my father and even though I had no evidence to back me up, the men were jailed for forcefully obtaining property that was not theirs and for stealing money by false pretenses, this evidenced by their flourishing bank accounts that contradicted their state of unemployment.
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In less than a week, about ten people had come to lodge complaints of the money stolen by a group of men who lured them to invest with good returns and all victims would hysterically jump in anger when they saw the jailed men when brought for identification. One of the victims further went to confirm, murder of her husband soon after he invested and the men had no choice but to serve long term in jail. Three years later, I sat in an empty room waiting for my other guests and when I lifted my head, he came, dressed in a khaki two-piece and handcuffed. He sat down on a chair opposite mine. I recalled a time he and my father sat under a shade drinking palm wine, happily then later, a flashback of his image dragging my mother towards the main gate at midnight. “I have always wondered if I’d ever have the courage to face you or ran away my whole life but I thank God I did, in this perfect set-up. I guess you are where you belong to be; jail and I hope you rot in here.� I said as I stood up and left the man weeping bitterly. This became a lesson to me that there is nothing to fear. We are all powerful beyond measure.
MODELS | BANZA
SAMUEL KANU WIEM BOUBAKER
Fashion is what you buy. Style is what you do with it. Dare to be different. Dare to be bold. Stand out in your own style. Be Original. Be Amazing. Be Fearless. Be the daring you. by MARY MANG’ENI
PHOTOGRAPHERS ELSA YEBOAH-BOATENG RENE SOLOMON FASHION TEAM MARY MANG’ENI LINDA ADMASSU HAWI TIYO
F A S H I O N F A C E
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Dare to be you Jackets are a classic piece that can easily go with many different outfits, and won’t look out of place as they are one of the most versatile pieces. Pull them off. Match up with some skinny jeans, choosing a darker colour, black preferably, if you want to make a daring statement.
Do not overthink this look. Just give it a more simplistic, less layered combination. Accessorie are essential to completing this look. A matching leather white belt would go well with a matching silver timepiece and chains.
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Dare to be creative Ramadhan is approaching; be floral and cover up in style. Pick up a dress that is comfortable and easy-to-handle. Chic dresses, for instance, are available in timeless styles with wide range of fabrication, colour, prints and styles that are an ultimate source of elegance and portability. Maxi dresses with floral prints are definitely a Muslim lady staple, because they’re already so modest and look so chic. When it comes to the hijab, it totally depends on taste and mood of ladies while selecting it with flower dresses. For this floral maxi, it is better to combine it with a floral hijab that shares the same colour, or go for a plain one of any of the colours on the dress, to balance things.
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Dare to be fabulous Make your outfit simple but significant. Pair up your long plain top with coordinated loose pants or jeans. Top it with a vibrant wrap hijab, accessorize with some inspirational jewelry to keep your look elegant. The floral hijab adds a definite charm in your style as it gives a gorgeous look. It is the trendiest style of hijab that gives an inspirational flash for any styling.
Tying the Hijab Fold the scarf into a triangle. Place the scarf on your head with one side longer than the other and one under the chin. Take the longer side and wrap it behind your head and bring it to the other side. Put the scarf behind your head and on the shoulder. Other than the face-shape, one needs to make sure that they don’t completely hide their forehead.
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Dare to be swaggerific Make a green neon or plain long fit shirt and your ripped knee skinny jeans an outfit choice for a trendy and easy going look. To match up your outfit, complete the look with black suede low top sneakers. Accessorize with a black face, silver strap timepiece to complement the look. Team it up with a beaded or silver necklace to complete the look.
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Dare to be different A black leather tank top is the go-to shirt for the fashion man on the go. Pair it up with black leggings under your tribal shorts to give it a fresh look. Accessorize with a silver necklace to match up your silver timepiece. A matching bandana is a good way to finish up the look.
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Dare to be daring in Aladdin style The jumpsuits or pants give a trendy and pleasing look to ladies. Muslim ladies pair the outfit with elegant hijabs that blend in with their modesty and beauty. Aladdin outfits bring versatility in casual and formal styling. You can also pair the outfit with long cardigans and blazers. This attire is modern. And because everyone appreciates the jumpsuits trend, bring the Aladdin style to your closet.
Dare to Be
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BEHIND THE LENSES
60
seconds with Meklit Baye
Allen Bernard What I Love about my shirt is that, it reminds me never to hold back on anything.
I looked Up to the way my father presents himself; simple, chilled and classic. That’s what I want.
I define my fashion as creativity; No matter what I wear it looks fly!
I feel that comfort comes before fashion. I don’t have to compromise my comfort just to please your eyes.
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What I Love
Lea Umurerwa
about my fashion is that it contributes to my everyday happiness. I like the fact that fashion allows everyone to restyle their outfits to express themselves however they feel. I looked Up to no one. I don’t really have someone that I look up to, but I can say that I look up to any woman who looks sure and confident of what she is wearing. I incorporate different type of clothes to make and match my outfits. I also love to add necklaces to spice up my outfit. I define my fashion as the extension of my personality, I can connect, respect, and admire people through fashion. I feel like my style is an inspiration of any uniqueness that I see in other people’s styles, and it motivates me to see a new day with positivity.
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BUSIN | BANZA
NESS
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
DOERS AND MAKERS | BANZA
DOERS AND MAKERS
One of my biggest fears is conformity.
That is living an ordinary life without challenging myself to go out of typical human formation to create and invent, do something that’s never been done before. Funny enough, when we are young, as young as primary school, teachers ask what we want to be when we grow up. The responses are always in the line of a nurse, doctor, soldier, police officer or teacher. Only few will say, singer, bodyguard or professional wrestler. “Be realistic, choose something else,” is what teachers respond when you want something that no one has chosen. They ask us what we want to be when we grow up; then they tell us what we cannot be. We are kids, what else can we be?
by Maatla Kgasa
Typically, you have dreams and aspirations, but there is always something or someone that wants you to do something else. There is always that factor, that obstacle that makes you second oneself. Why choose to be a typical, uninspired, normal being? In his song Views, Canadian-born rapper, Drake sings, “You don’t worry ‘bout fitting in when you custom made...”
Almost always, the creatively maladjusted are the very ones who save the world, the very people who challenge themselves to deviate from dreaming in black and white and infuse colour. It becomes a much clearer and beautiful world. It’s a personal challenge to dare and be different, do the unthinkable and the unimaginable yet, if all men were the same, the world would be a dull and frustrating place. We are talented and innovative beyond comprehension, not to mention the only species on earth who bear logical and superior intelligence to fight diseases, produce food and save themselves from harm. With such power, it is our responsibility to commit all we have to the realization of our dreams. Aspire to inspire before you expire. As the youth, we are more than capable. Age has never been a deterrent. You can be anything you want to be, even yourself, and that means greatness. People who are shaping the world, leading nations to utter prosperity and those who have pioneered great companies and so forth, dared to achieve what no man has ever done. Jan Koum was turned down by Facebook in 2012 when he was looking for a job; he went on to start WhatsApp. Will Smith was bankrupt at a certain point in his career, turned down for numerous acting roles, and today he is the most bankable Hollywood actor. All of his last 7 latest films have grossed over 100 million Dollars in Box office. What is your excuse not to be great? What is holding you back? Dare to be
different; you can be anything you want in this world. You pain, and current tribulation is a challenge and tests to see how bad you want it. See it, imagine it, plan for it and make it a reality. Take your time. You will get there in due course. Tomorrow knows more the future than yesterday. Day by day you will get there, challenge yourself. I dare you.
You can be
anything you want to be, even
YOURSELF and that means
greatness
Failure is not Fatal
by Kabo Madigele
E
ntrepreneurship is not an easy feat. Why? Most of us venture into it with wrong expectations, like overnight windfalls. Some, when the bank account bulges, they embezzle all the funds instead of reinvesting them to scale their businesses. Others quickly cease to exist as a result of occasional failures because, for them, failure is a sign of stupidity or incompetence. Little do they know that failure is a secret to success.
Jack Ma Alibaba I came across an article in the Business Insider and found something interesting about failure. “If you haven’t had a failure, you aren’t pushing the limits. If you are really an entrepreneur, you are a risk taker and less cautious by nature, so failures should be expected. Wear your start up failure as a badge of courage. Don’t go after failure, but embrace it when it does happen and grow from it.” But those who try fail and quit are way better than you and me. They have at least given it a shot. What about us? We are afraid of just starting. Most of us resort to taking the easy route to a comfortable life (which does not necessarily mean you are happy and fulfilled.) We end up being swallowed by multinational corporate behemoths, with their air-conditioned corner offices and posh residential addresses. But for the most part, we are entrapped in ourselves, with little courage to do what we really passionate about. Lack of courage continues to alienate us from daring to be ourselves. Therefore, it is pertinent to draw lessons from the world’s top entrepreneurs, have encountered many instances of failure in the past.
Jack was born during a very difficult time in Chinese history, during the Cultural Revolution. His parents were endlessly harassed and mistreated for opposing the Communist regime of that time. Throughout his life, until he founded the successful e-commerce goliath, Alibaba, Jack terribly failed many times. He always got rejected and criticized even by his own parents who strongly advised against his risky ideas which could have landed him in prison. While talking to Davos’ Charlie Rose, he said, “I failed a key primary school test 2 times, I failed the middle school test 3 times, I failed the college entrance exam 2 times and when I graduated, I was rejected for most jobs I applied for out of college. (Ma was the only one out of 5 applicants to the police force to be rejected and the only one of 24 applicants to be a KFC manager to be rejected. I applied for Harvard ten times, got rejected ten times and I told myself that Someday I should go teach there.” Just like many creative minds, Jack performed terribly at school, especially during his early years in primary and secondary schools, where he failed repeatedly. However, he shone in his passions, for example, learning English on his own. During these early years, he believed that as long as he was firm in achieving his goals, he too had a chance to be successful. He once said, “If you never tried, how do you know there’s no chance?” Even in the 90’s when he was raising capital for Alibaba, he was heavily criticized and rejected for having an unprofitable and unsustainable business model.
Jack continued to fight and finally succeeded in taking the company off the ground. Alibaba had a record breaking IPO in the New York Stock Exchange in September 2014, raising $25 billion on the first day and is currently valued at around $ 60 billion. Jack Ma is now the second richest person in China.
Brian Chesky
Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk Airbnb
Investors we very skeptical about Airbnb business model years ago. It was tough to convince them that it was something they can buy into. Even though Airbnb’s market valuations is on the border of $25 billion, it is still battling with resistance from critics who still renounce the viability of their model and others who simply refuse to accept it.
Many investors that the three co-founders approached for funding during the early stages of the business didn’t even sit throughout the pitches; they walked out.
Nathan, one of the co-founders, said in an interview with the Business Insider, “If you wait for perfection, you will miss some epic opportunities.”
Joe Gebbia, the CEO once advised that rather than a “No, don’t do that” attitude, entrepreneurs need to have a “Yes, but please come up with a solution [attitude],” he said.
Nathan went on to say “Entrepreneurial success is less about the idea and more about the person. “All along the way, people said, ‘No, this isn’t going to work, don’t do this.”
Failure shouldn’t tantamount the end of our journeys. Instead, it should strengthen us to take risks and disrupt the status quo with greater force.
Despite those hard hitting rejections and struggles, Airbnb has shown remarkable growth over the years. Airbnb now has over one million listings in over 190 countries.
Joe Gebbia
Nathan Blecharczyk
How to not dwell on the idea phase Mohamed Maalainine
T
he best way to move on from the idea stage is to understand that ideas are overrated. Don’t believe me? So you think you have a GREAT idea? Let’s prove you wrong. Regardless of your entrepreneurial aspirations, I am confident that at some point in your life, you heard about a great business idea that you wish you owned. I am also sure that some of you think they have the best idea in the world and probably they do. Others are still looking for it. But guess what?
All that you have or will get is a mere idea, nothing more nothing less. An entrepreneurial venture is not built around an idea; it is built around a vision and a problem to be solved. An idea is never and will never be enough; this is why: Your idea is unlikely to be unique As much as we try to convince ourselves that we are smart, there are people out there who outsmart us.
I once visited Ideas Bank, an online platform with a shared resource where you find, discuss and exchange ideas. I was amazed to find one of my ideas described by someone else. I learned my lesson: even if your idea seems to be unique, the probability that a person can start a similar one is very high. So next time you hear your fellow entrepreneur pronouncing the same idea you had in mind, or you hear about a rising competitor to your business, prevent yourself from saying “he stole my idea.”
Ideas are cheap I know this is a disappointment for hopeful entrepreneurs but ideas can be bought at a very low price. Experts always advice to not seek initial funding from a VC partner or outsiders because they know that the moment you do, you lose a significant share of your company. Why? Because you can’t exactly evaluate an idea. As much as you think it is the best idea in the world when negotiation begins, you lose.
Timing’s King One of my best readings, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, touched on the importance of timing. How the rich became wealthy not because they were the most innovative people, but because their timing was so perfect that no one could say no to their business. Look at Google Glass, for instance. We all know about them, but how many of us use them? Don’t expect your consumers to accommodate to your business. Let them call for it. Let them be ready for your product. Choose a timing where a market of consumers beg for your business not where you beg for customers. Similarly, an idea that comes too late will not get welcomed. Targeting the sweet spot is critical in starting a business. “Never too late, never too early” should be your new motto.
Team’s Queen If timing is King, let your team marry it. No matter how great your idea is, if you fail to constitute an able team, your business will get squashed. Imagine this; you are in a Formula One race where right after the start signal, you manage to be the first. You keep being in the frontline, happy with your driving, feeling the victory getting closer until your car is asking you to refuel. You try to maintain the pace, waiting for the entrance to your garage. You get there. Your team is too slow, too careless, and too lazy to do anything for you. Do you think you will still be the first?
Execution v Planning Whether we like or not, the real world experience proves that business is all about execution. Most entrepreneurs prepare a business plan in the hope of convincing themselves or investors that they are on the right track. However; most of them learn the hard way that “on-paper” hardly translates to reality. So is planning worthless? I wouldn’t go that far. The inception phase of an idea is a discovery moment for both the entrepreneur and the customer. Spending too much time on the idea phase (or the planning) is not necessarily the wisest thing to do. I would rather go for creating a minimum viable product that proves my concept. Let’s restate it again, an idea is not enough.
L I F E ST
| BANZA
TYLE
A Piece of Paper or a Business ? By Joseph Rutakangwa
BETTER ME
Dare to Choose
C
hemical and Process Engineering was a major my good friend pursued while attending the University of Dar es Salaam. His tuition fees plus other costs amounted to $3,000 per year; that’s a fortune in Tanzania. For five years now, he’s been out of college, and nowhere close to paying off his loan. He works for a non-governmental organization. As might be expected, that aforestated major hasn’t been valuable to his current position, or any job he’s ever had in his career.
Leading a full-scale reinvention of education remains a dream challenged by reality.
The current education system is outdated. We have seen many social entrepreneurs taking shots at reinventing, upgrading, and fixing the outdated model with courses and boot camps focusing on skills and online education.
The answer is NO.
Are you going to wait until someone somewhere has succeeded on reinventing education before you acquire the education you want? Do you plan to start off your career with a pile of student loan debt? The real question is whether college education opens doors to your dream life.
Instead of drowning in student loan debts in the pursuit of a piece of paper you should be running your own business.
www.forbes.com
I have 6 reasons why a piece of paper doesn’t beat Wstarting a business:
1. “The Composite Law” Business. Experience. Money. It takes a long time to get the compounding value that any business owner needs. That’s why you want to start an earlier age, preferably your late teens or 20s. If you kick-off today you’ll gain ground on these variables.
2. Un-idealistic Experience
3. Freedom
Putting both your feet on the ground can’t be compared to looking down from a vehicle. You can spend four years in college on theory-based learning, but fail to gather much practically. How many people have degrees in business and entrepreneurship but are afraid of starting businesses? A lot. Start that business you’ve been thinking about, make mistakes, and know what the world needs. You will learn most from running a business than reading about it.
Imagine starting life with a student loan debt that will take you 10 years to pay off. Or living under your boss’s mercy: behaving in a certain way because you don’t want to lose your job. Running a business puts you in control of your destiny. Live life on your terms, make the amount of money you want and set your hours. Or get up at 7 AM for a mechanics class that programs you to serve someone else for the rest of your life. It’s your call.
4. College can wait. Can life wait? You have probably heard of 60-year olds who enroll in colleges or know some. You can choose to attend college at any point in your life and for different reasons. Some people do it for pleasure, some out of curiosity. What about life? If there’s a need and a good market in some place, it’s only there for a period of time and under certain circumstances. In this case, starting a company can’t wait. If Mark Zuckerberg had waited to finish college in 2006, Twitter would have been there first. Countries which are considered emerging markets today, won’t be in a few years. Life can’t wait; you shouldn’t either.
5. Minimum risk The fact that it’s less risky to build a business at a young age can make a huge difference. When you’re single (or maybe not), and you don’t have dependants, you have a higher chance of getting a business off the ground without pressure from external responsibilities. You’re also not stressing on paying bills and student loan debts. It’s an entrepreneur’s ideal plot.
6. Connect An increased network is important when it comes to running a successful business. You meet tons of new people and learn from successful business people. All these opportunities open up doors for whatever you’re pursuing. Take this article with a pinch of salt. In this world, there are employees and entrepreneurs. If you’re an entrepreneur, you have seen value in this column. If not, you might want to get back to taking notes on the effects of dark matter in the cosmic microwave background.
www.cdn.phys.org
Be-you-tiful 101
by Hawi Tiyo
why
do I have eye bags and dark circles
Simply put, periorbital dark circles, commonly known as dark circles, are a result of the very thin layer of skin below your eyes visibly exposing the blood vessels and the blood they contain.
www.youthhealthmag.com
The common cause of eye bags and dark circles is the retention of water due to high salt concentration in the area under your eyes. After a salty dinner or crying, you might wake up with the eye bags. The salt draws water to your face and thus, the dark circles. Aging, allergies, lack of sleep and stress are other common causes of dark circles.
HEALTH Periorbital Hyperpigmentation can cause dark circles too. The condition results in higher melanin production by the skin below the eyes, resulting in it appearing to be a darker colour.
HOW TO GET RID OF THEM? No Salt?!
Flash excess salt from your body by drinking water, try to stay away from salty food and drinks that cause you to become dehydrated, like alcohol.
Sleep well
Double up your pillows if you have bigger eye bags. Watch out for dust and other particles on your bed that may result in allergies. Apply an eye cream containing either tannin or caffeine around your eyes because these chemicals will help the vessels constraint due to their anti-inflammatory action. Use of tea bags or circle of a cucumber ring on our eyes also serves the same purpose.
Quick fix
Go and put on some concealer. Concealing eye bags and dark circles with a little makeup is the quickest solution. Start with a moisturizer as usual. Then apply your creamy concealer. Don’t forget to choose a concealer that matches your skin tone, or one shade lighter if the eye bags are a bit darker. Finish by patting a translucent powder with a wedge sponge under your eyes to set the concealer and blend it out with a shadow to your cheek bones to make your eyes open more.
a case for
intellectual prostitution
CASE FILES
If you are reading this, you are most likely to be a prostitute. More specifically, an intellectual prostitute.
Prostitution is one of the oldest profession in the world. Forget about geishas. It breaks my heart to admit it, but I used to be an intellectual prostitute as well. I am sure you don’t think you are an intellectual prostitute, but trust me, by the end of this article, you will understand why I think most of us are. Let’s first understand what I mean by “Intellectual prostitute.” According to the Collins dictionary; an intellectual prostitute is a person with superb qualities of mind and heart, but these qualities are for sale and often used for illegitimate purposes. ‘For sale’ does not necessarily mean for real money. It may be in exchange for a particular service, or product. In my view, there are three main types of intellectual prostitutes.
by Fanidh Senanta
The selfish Ninjas These guys are the most selfish and wicked people on the planet. And ninjas because it sounds cool. I used to be one of them. They are the guys who will never help anybody unless they’re getting something in return; despite having the skills, and material necessary to do so. As a matter of fact, they would watch Game of Thrones rather than helping a friend in need. They just won’t help if they don’t gain anything from it. Their services are basically for sale. Please do not confuse them with the typical worker that works to earn money as these are two different contexts.
The Travellers They deny their own land and migrate to ‘wealthier’ areas because they think their motherland doesn’t have enough money to make them happy. I am talking about the thousands of brilliant Africans that leave their beautiful continent each year in the pursuit of money. By doing so, they strip the continent of its best assets, them, and slow its development. I am conscious of the difficulties that come with unemployment or low salaries in Africa, but if young Africans do not stay home to develop their motherland, who will?
The Subconscious They are my favourite! I describe it as subconscious intellectual prostitution. I believe most young people; especially young Africans, are affected by this type. What makes it worse is that most of us are not aware of it. This kind of prostitution is similar to the second category in the sense that young people invest most of their time and energy
reading and learning about leaders and scientists from another land when they know almost nothing about their homeland. I believe this is a direct effect of post-colonization. We constantly get the impression that western products are automatically better than African products, so we don’t even bother to learn about African scientists or great leaders. Indeed, most of the great leaders’ we know are non-African. We often paraphrase European and American scholars who were most likely negro-phobic. Most of us do not know that the first ever Mathematicians and
astrologists were Africans. For example, the Dogon tribe of Mali had discovered the star Sirius B long before modern European scientists did. Most of us do not know the stories of great African Kings and Queens like Kankan Moussa, Soundjata Keita, or Yenega. We do not know that there were African scholars such as Cheick Anta Diop, who studied the origins of human race and pre-colonial African culture. He was as brilliant as the European physician, Albert Einstein. There is also Amadou Ampate Ba, a great writer and ethnologist, Bazoumana Sissoko, who was a living encyclopedia, and much more.
Now tell me, are you an intellectual prostitute or not? If you do not fall into any of the categories, congratulations; you are not a prostitute! If you do, congratulations too! At least now you know you are a prostitute, and you can start doing something about it. I think the world would be a better place if there were fewer prostitutes, of any kind for that matter, but hey, you can remain a proud prostitute if that’s the most appealing option for you! The choice is yours.
SP
E
AL I C
AT E F
E R U
Lunden De’Leon By
Barbara Bernstein
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S
S
YOUR SAY
ome women are go-getters. Others are business-minded. A select few use personal struggles as building blocks for personal success. Actress and music entrepreneur Lunden De’Leon is all of these women.
According to dictionary.com, an entrepreneur is a person “who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.”
It was then that she decided to chase her dreams and chase them she did. Homeless in Hollywood with a $200 price tag firmly clamped onto her name; De’Leon was in trouble.
De’Leon’s embellishing smile would have accompanied this impressively quick definition in an ideal world.
Through a roommate, De’Leon’s life was offset in ways she could never imagine; things began looking up. After attending a model calling, De’Leon —primarily motivated to overcome her ‘hungry and penniless’ state— booked the audition and scored a one-year modeling contract the very same day.
Barbados-born and South Carolina-bred, De’Leon was entitled to her fair share of successes and failures before she constructed herself as the present-day powerhouse. Landing a brief stint as a Burger King employee during her teenage years was just the beginning. De’Leon soon succumbed to the entertainment bug after witnessing her gospel-singing father performing.
Not long after that, De’Leon made her small screen debut on the hit series, Vital Signs, which was filmed in Los Angeles but broadcast in Germany. She starred as a young woman trying to make it in the United States — a storyline not too far off from the
rising star’s life. De’Leon continued making a name for herself with a host of subsequent movie and television series appearances including the blockbuster comedy, We’re the Millers, alongside Jennifer Aniston (F.R.I.E.N.D.S), Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses), and Ed Helms (The Hangover.) De’Leon was also featured on the Award-nominated drama, Somebody’s Child, with Lynn Whitfield ( Josephine Baker Story) and Michael Jai White (Batman Returns). More recently, she joined the cast of the Investigation Discovery Channel series, Murder Chose Me, portraying the role of Ms. Demery. De’Leon’s biggest break came when she launched her very own record label, Dirrty Records. The label’s major success in its Los Angeles headquarters made it possible for a second branch to set up in South Carolina — a place the entrepreneur still recalls as home. With an eclectic roster of artists signed to her label including the Seattle-based punk band, The Slumps, and the British indie rock quartet, The Fades —whose music has already been featured on the NBC hits, Life and Friday Night Lights — De’Leon proved that she was an innovative force to be reckoned. People took notice. De’Leon’s emergence as “one of the most significant women in entertainment” was followed by induction into the Caribbean Hall of Fame alongside entertainment legends like Bob Marley and Sidney Poitier. Since then, De’Leon, proud recipient of her day in Los Angeles (February 7) as proclaimed by its former mayor, James K. Hahn, has been careful to avoid complacency with her laurels. De’Leon started her movie production company, Palmetto Film Studios in Marion, South Carolina, which distributes between five and seven films a year. Her legacy is furthered by her creation of The Lunden De’Leon Foundation in which young children are encouraged to follow their dreams in the same determined manner where her roots can be traced.
“[she was] primarily motivated to overcome her ‘hungry and penniless’ state”
I
JUST DO IT…
I
HEALTH
da
re
yo u
by Torey Foss
…
Y
ou have reached the halfway point. 2016 is slowly slipping away from you, and what have you achieved? What are you proud of? How are you different from the person you started out as in January?
These are all questions that come up when one reflects back in time, and often health goals (fitness, exercise, healthy eating) are the first goals that fall when life catches up with us. Think of times when you sat writing endless goals for all the runs you are going for this year, all the mornings to wake up early and exercise, and all the chocolate NOT to eat! How long did each of the goals last? If you are anything like the average human- by the second-week things started wavering, and the firm commitment made to being the ‘new you’ became a somewhat distant memory after about a month. These are the first to be sidelined, because usually, they are packaged as the least enjoyable things to do. Sportswear company NIKE was seeing this all too clearly in America shortly before the launch of their infamous Nike, Just do it campaign. In an article titled ‘The Brand Brief Behind Nike’s Just Do It Campaign’, Jerome Conlon describes the economic recession in America and the fact that at this time, one of the first aspects of monetary expenditure to fall was sports money- specifically school’s budgets for sports programs. The majority of citizens were, hitherto, described by Conlon as suffering from obesity, and being great procrastinators.
The aim of the Nike campaign was therefore to change the mindset of sports and exercise. From something that only an elite few participated in, to showing the absolute joy of moving and using your body- receiving the multiple benefits meant for every human, the campaign rocked! Labelled by the campaign as the inner glow which comes from a ‘sports experience’, Nike achieved their objectives and created a brand which not only changed the way people view exercise but has taken it to being one of the catalysts of sportswear merging into chic everyday attire. Nike has done incredible work in the marketplace as a whole in making exercise more accessible and desirable, however, in most of our daily lives, it would still be the first to come off of our to-do lists. Therefore, as we are halfway through this year, I would like to pose a challenge to you- to reset that health goals-, recommit to bettering yourself and treating your body the way it deserves. Before you start following the same goals which had you failing when you first set them, let’s do some modifications on them- create our Nike campaign to shift the way we view health in our lives. With every goal that you set, there are a couple of tests you need to run them by and questions you need to ask. These are particularly important in health goals as they can often be very broad and generalized and therefore easy to neglect.
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Why do you want to achieve these goals? For a health goal to succeed, you have to be very specific about why you are setting the goal in the first place. Answers such as ‘to feel better’, or ‘to look better’ are not tangible, and it is very hard to visualize the end goal if it does not have a clear narrative. You need to reach the root reason for why you would like to ‘feel better’ or ‘look better’, and work off that. A technique I have often used with clients is the ‘3 whys’. With this, you ask the initial question and follow with 3 why’s to understand why you want this particular goal for yourself. Once you establish that and find the true connection to it, it is much easier to stick to it.
Are they well organized? Planning is essential. Before the week begins, plan out your meals to ensure that you don’t find yourself caught off guard and reaching for a snack bar. 80% of the trick to having a healthy diet comes in the planning of it. The same applies to exercise; if you structure your week in a way that you make time for exercise and schedule it to your day, you are much more likely to do it than if you only say that you will exercise when you have time.
Are they realistic? Health goals can often be very unrealistic- if you know that you have lectures starting at 7.30 AM, it is unlikely that you will be able to fit in 2-hours of exercise every morning and still be able to achieve everything else you need to in a day. Look carefully at your schedule and plan your day out to see what you can realistically fit into a day. No one can lose 30kgs of body fat in 2 weeks, and if this is your expectation going into it you will find yourself disappointed and demotivated- give yourself time and determine exactly what is realistic for YOUR body.
Don’t skip a day When it comes to health goals, consistency is key as it is all about forming habits. The number one rule is not to skip a day. This doesn’t mean not taking a rest day (this is very important), but not skipping planned days. Often missing a day can have a spiral effect and break your habit entirely. Now that you know the tricks for keeping to your health goals go back to the new year’s resolutions, the goals that seemed to disappear before they even started, and modify them to the above guidelines.
BLAST For this month’s blast workout, I want you to challenge yourselves- set a new goal.
Week
Like Nike- Just do it! ‘Cardio’ is definitely not a welcomed word in the fitness community. However, if you do it right, it can be extremely beneficialand even really enjoyable! A basic form of cardio that you can do anywhere, anytime, is running.
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Here is a 5-week guide to running your first 10km! I would recommend having a partner with you to keep you motivated. Remember the guidelines- plan it at a realistic time, and set yourself goals that are realistic with very clear reasons for wanting to achieve them.
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Good luck!
5
W
Workout Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Light stretching / Rest
5km run/ walk 1min intervals
30min
5km run + 20min Strength
4km Easy run
Light stretching / Rest
5km run/ walk 1min intervals
6km run + 20min Strength
4km Easy run
Light stretching / Rest
6km run/ walk 1min intervals
7km run + 20min Strength
5km Easy run
Light stretching / Rest
6km run/ walk 30sec Intervals
8km run + 20min Strength
5km
Light stretching / Rest
7km run/ walk 30sec intervals
6km run + 20min Strength
6km Easy run
Tempo run 30min Tempo run 30min Tempo run 30min Tempo run 30min Tempo run
Friday Saturday Sunday
Easy run
Interval run 10 x 0.5km Interval run
Strength 45min
Strength 45min
5 x 1km Interval run Strength 45min 10 x 0.5km Interval run 5 x 1km Interval run 10 x 0.5km
Strength 45min
10km Easy run
New Album Releases
MUSIC RECOMMENDATION
Last Year Was Complicated
“
Sh*t is too real sometimes... Reliving some of these real life experiences through this music is hard, but I know it’s important that I do it. I want to be an open book in my art. – Nick Jonas
”
HIGHEST RATED ALBUMS OF 2016
Hollowed Ital Tek
Alas Salvanton Yak
Lemonade Beyonce
Blackstar David Bowie
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth Sturgill Simpson
A Moon Shaped Pool Radiohead
Teens of Denial Car Seat Headrest
Varmints Anna Meredith
RECOMMENDED
MOVIE RECOMMENDATION
Now You See Me 2
“
The question is what Morgan Freeman will be up to this time, after being spoofed in an unpredictable twist at the end of the first movie. Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco and Mark Ruffalo pull off new visual tricks. There’s nothing more entertaining than watching the four horsemen pull off their most dangerous heist yet.
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JUNE MOVIE RELEASES
Now You See Me 2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Genre: Crime Out of the Shadows Release Date: 10/06/2016 Genre: Action Release Date:03/06/2016
The Conjuring 2: The Endfield Experiment Genre: Fairy Suspense Release Date: 10/06/2016
Finding Dory Genre: Animation Release Date: 17/06/2016
Me Before You Genre: Adaptation Release Date: 03/06/2016
Central Intelligence Genre: Spy Release Date: 17/06/2016
Free State of Jones Genre: True Story Release Date: 24/06/2016
Alice The Shallows Genre: Thriller Release Date: 29/06/2016
A letter from Uncle Charles I do not know about you, but what I seek in life is happiness. I’ve gone through tough times in my life which made me discouraged, sad and cry. I’ve also gone through times in my life where I’ve experienced so much joy; joy which made me want to live more. The happiness feeling is one great experience, and that’s what I seek in my life. Life is too short; we are past the halfway line of the year, and it feels like yesterday when we ushered in the new year. Are there experiences throughout the first half of the year that made you happy? Are you currently in a job that makes you happy? A relationship that makes you happy? Or even studying, learning or doing things that make you happy? It will be painful to live so many years in your life only to realize that you never lived life, or the years you lived never gave you meaning. I was privileged to be at a meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, where a great logistician, Issac Baluch, was facilitating. He introduced me to “The Science of Happiness.” And this is what he had to say.
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THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS
1) YOUR JOB
3) WORSHIP
To live a happy life, you must love your job. A lot of people are in jobs that they do not like, and thus, the lack of passion sucks out fulfilment. They feel forced to work, and this may lead to adverse effects.
Worship influences your happiness. Realizing that God has kept you as a steward for all He has given you, and you believing in Him and praising Him, recognizing where you came from and appreciating His goodness does influence our happiness.
Loving your job guarantees a happy life.
We, therefore, need to dare ourselves, evaluate our choices and see if the end results will indeed make us happy or sad.
2) THE PERSON YOU MARRY I’ve come to realize that the person you marry will either make you the happiest person in the world or morose. For singles, like me, let’s take time and know what exactly we want in a person for marriage. It plays a significant role in our life’s happiness.
Dare to be happy! Apply the science of happiness. Thank you and God bless you abundantly. Kind regards, Charles Msilanga.
See you in July | BANZA