On the 24th of April the OSER l’Afrique association launched a recruitment of young African ambassadors. If you wish to contribute to the uprising of Africa, and engage our generation in this effort, you can, by joining the OSER l’Afrique team and be-coming a young African am-bassador.

INSPIR’ NEWS

The Beni American University is officially

open. Applications are open since the 22nd of

April and will closein the 5th of July 2012.

Classes will begin on the 20th of August.

INSPIR’ NEWSEthnicia is launching a unique

concept event: “limitless beau-

ty”. Prices start between 79

to 249 Euros monthly, avail-

able in any Ethnicia store. The

“limitless beauty” access al-

lows members to take advan-

tage of all the services at the

beauty store: make-up, facials,

hair extensions...etc.

Light And Water for Africa

(L.A.W.A.) is looking for volunteers

in order to launch new activities!

If you are dynamique, ambitious,

motivated and concerned about

the development of the continent,

join L.A.W.A by sending your re-

sume to contact@lawa.fr

re, African youth is the most mobile in the world when it comes to high-er education. Most of our featured personalities started or finished their education abroad, luckily some returned home.Going abroad presents great opportunities for growth but what about those who seize opportunities in their home countries? Isn’t it a little un-fair to push them aside? That is why we intend to change our perspective this month. The truth is many young Africans choose to start, continue and finish their education in their homelands despite the difficulties this may imply. In an increasingly globalized world, the concept of staying in your home country for education may come as a surprise to many. Eve-ryone wants to get out of the continent to discover; we all desire change and access to knowledge otherwise out of our reach. No matter the reasons that motivate us, leaving has become a cultural reflex more than anything else. Our featured guests this month are proof that all roads lead to Rome. Whether we decide to conquer more knowl-edge abroad or to harness the knowledge and skills already acquired at home, the result is the same, even for those who chose to stay in order to change the face of the African continent. Kweku, Bethleem, Amy and Mariam are among those who chose to stay and conquer; they are more than proud of their choice as you will see. Finally, this month’s issue holds a surprise...we have added two new col-umns to the magazine...can you guess what they are? I am sure you will.

Enjoy the issue!

Joan. Y

BUILDING FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

Let’s go back to the beginning. Up until this point we have presented you with remarkable entrepreneurs that demonstrate excellence in various domains. What they all have in com-mon so far is their academic achievements. As we have mentioned countless times befo-

8 INSPIR’ FAVORITE Discover Dora Moti

10 INSPIR’ ASSOCIATION Africa Rising Foundation, Mandela’s heritage?

12 INSPIR’ INTERVIEW Bethlem Tilahun Alemu, for the environment

16 FOCULTUREUMOJA, a place where women rule

18 INSPIR’ START-UP The movie adventures of Henri Melingui

22 INSPIR’ POLITICS’ A Malian perspective with Mariam Diallo Drame

26 INSPIR’ CAREER Amy Maiga, Woman of action

28 INSPIR’ THOUGHTSElise Mballa Meka

30 4 QUESTIONS TOSteve Amara on Mwanamke Afrika

8 INSPIR’ FAVORITE Discover Dora Moti

10 INSPIR’ ASSOCIATION Africa Rising Foundation, Mandela’s heritage?

12 INSPIR’ INTERVIEW Bethlem Tilahun Alemu, for the environment

16 FOCULTUREUMOJA, a place where women rule

18 INSPIR’ START-UP The movie adventures of Henri Melingui

22 INSPIR’ POLITICS’ A Malian perspective with Mariam Diallo Drame

26 INSPIR’ CAREER Amy Maiga, Woman of action

28 INSPIR’ THOUGHTSElise Mballa Meka

30 4 QUESTIONS TOSteve Amara on Mwanamke Afrika

After three years of studies in Styling and a certified diploma, this young lady decided in 2010 to set up her clothing and accessory line. With a few savings, she decided to go for it. Dora just began but already has many loyal fans on Facebook.

From drawing to conceptualizing, she is the sole worker in the creation of her clothes and accessories. She occa-sionally employs specialised artisans for the creation of her shoes.

Dora sets an example of real asser-

tiveness. She imports her batiks from Ivory Coast and sells her work in dif-ferent places, specifically in Tunisia and Morocco. Despite the difficulties, Dora perseveres: “ At first some people encourage you but a lot don’t believe in you. It is important to weigh the pros and cons and then go for it! Always move forward.”

She doesn’t have a website yet but you can check out her work on her Face-book page. Like she says, “there are many lovely things to discover.” Joan Y.

Portrait

Name: Dora Moukala Moti

Age: 24 years old

Profession: Fashion creator and styl-

ist

City: Tunis

From: Ivoiry Coast and Cameroon

INSPIR’ FAVORITE

INSPIR’ ASSOCIATION

REDEFINE THE IMAGE OF THE CONTINENT

As Africans, we have all been asked those cliché questions such as “does your father go to work on a lion?” or “have you ever touched a lion?”. People living overseas still imagine Africa as a continent with nothing but people living with animals in the jun-gle or savannah. It’s because of such percep-tions that Africa Rising was founded.

After a trip to France in 2009, Ndaba and Kweku Mandela felt unsettled about peo-ple’s misleading image of Africa: “We were getting asked kind of misleading questions about Africa like how big are the animals or how does it feel to look out of your back-yard and see a zebra”. They then decided to do something to change this view when they got back to their home country, South Africa. They decided it was important to showcase the fast and progressive develop-ment the continent has seen in the past two decades and also showcase a pride in being African. This is how Africa Rising was born.

Composed of a group of 9 core trustees and 120 members, Africa Rising’s goal is to change the perception people have of Afri-

ca. It is a composition of young like-minded Africans, tired of seeing the misleading por-trayal of their continent, knowing there is so much going on, knowing that it is thriv-ing. To shape this new image, the organi-zation first focuses on senior students in High School. According to Samke Zondo, one of the trustees, this leadership program is important because “we need to create a population with quality education and qualifications that can compete at a global level”. Nowadays many young Africans do not have access to basic education and as a consequence cannot handle themselves at a global scale. Africa Rising aims at support-ing education by centering its attention on students, teachers and professionals.

They want to create a stimulating learning environment to motivate and make high school students aware of who they are. They have to gain confidence by first realizing that they are the future of the continent, by understanding that being African today comes with a lot of responsibilities. The Af-rica Rising team is convinced that a stimu-lating learning environment leads to excel-lent results. By making more tools available

INSPIR’ ASSOCIATIONto African students and by increasing competi-tion among them, the continent’s youth will be able to face upcom-ing challenges. These initiatives are based on the idea that Africans cannot expect the world to have a perception of Africa if Africans them-selves don’t have one. It is all about building that confidence in the youth and having the next generation say: “I am African, I am proud of being African and I know what it is to be an African!”

Africa Rising also wants to support teachers by helping them to have access to adequate tools so they can do their job

Furthermore, the Af-rica Rising team rec-ognizes that the conti-nent’s diversity can be a difficulty for the expan-sion of their organiza-tion. However, the team also knows that one organization cannot change the idea that the rest of the world has of our continent. For that reason, Africa Rising wants to create syner-gies with other organi-zations based in central, west and east Africa. In other words, they will approach each poten-tial country with an an-gle that will make the association appealling to that country. Before that, they are aware of the need for a solid foundation with a cle-

job comfortably. They also need to be aware of new teaching techniques so they can also pro-vide students with the best available knowledge in the best possible way. The leadership program also tries to bring young professionals and young people together so students can be mentored. This mentorship will help and inspire them to achieve their potential.

Africa Rising is also involved in media campaigns still with the goal of shaping a new African image: an image that communicates potential. One of their campaigns involves photography. Through Walk With Me - the name of the program - kids living in underdeveloped areas are given a cam-era and asked to shoot “stories” and happenings in their community that are important to them. Expositions are then created by the organization with selected photos to get the kids noticed by professionals and get them hired, which has hap-pened in certain cases.

-ar agenda.Kweku Mandela Amuah carries the name and legacy of his grandfather Nelson Mandela; he is proud of that name and acknowledges its advan-tages. However, he doesn’t see it as any different from anyone carrying any other name: “We are who we are, and we all have expectations from our family, friends and society. My family and I try not to think in terms of our name, we appreci-ate the interest people have in it but it is not nec-essarily what drives us” he says. The organization was not built on a name but rather because of the faith and belief the members and others have in its potential to change the face of the continent. Africa Rising is not necessarily a continuation of what his grandfather started, but as a young Afri-can, Kweku simply wants to do something to not only help his country, but also his continent by showing Africa on an equal plain as the rest of the world. Chrys N.

INSPIR’ INTERVIEW

She’s been awarded many times as an African entrepreneur. SoleRebels is an eco-friendly fabric company symbolising fair trade in Africa today! Recognised and ac-credited by the World Trade Organisation, SoleRebels claims the title of a new type of business : “ethnic business”.We met Bethlehem Tilahum Alemu, general director and creator of soleRebels.

How did the soleRebels adventure begin?SoleRebels began in 2004 as an idea to bring jobs to our community, Zenabwork, a small village in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A place where there literally were no jobs. Having grown up watching our family and neigh-bours struggling, we decided to create the “better life” we were all waiting for by har-nessing our community’s incredible artisan skills and channelling them into a sustain-able, global, fair trade footwear business. We took this wonderful indigenous age-old recycling tradition and fused it with fan-tastic Ethiopian artisan crafts and excellent modern design sensibilities and turned it into footwear that has universal flavour and appeal. For us at Sole Rebels creating great

footwear is also a means of creating hope and prosperity. This is the concept behind sole Rebels.

The idea that the shoe is more than a product seems to have a specific meaning for soleRe-bels. What is the meaning behind that idea? Why did you decide to focus on footwear and not clothes as well?Great question! The brand name was actu-ally a piece of beautiful serendipitous poetry that sprang from the whole idea of giving deeply marginalized folks who once had no hope, the chance to become self sufficient, independent and full of hope by crafting in-novative footwear from recycled tires, inner tubes, organic cottons and other great natu-

FOR THE COMMUNITY,

FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

INSPIR’ INTERVIEW

ral materials! We thought, “now THAT is be-ing a sole Rebel!” It was a magical bonus to our whole idea and one that we still believe in passionately to this day. We selected shoes because we saw that foot-wear was an excellent platform to begin to share many of the indigenous eco-sensible craft heritages and artisan talents that we have here in Ethiopia with the world. It also meant that based on the approach we were taking to footwear creation (being hand crafted and eco-sensible) that we could source and make almost all our materials locally thereby creating an export product from 100% local inputs.This allowed us to recreate and re-imag-ine the traditional “selate” and “barabasso”

shoes, a recycled car tire soled shoe that has existed in Ethiopia for a long time. In fact it was the footwear from back in the day when the original “soleRebels” fought off the in-vading forces and kept Ethiopia as the only African nation to never be colonized!

Your work is based on traditional Ethiopian handicraft; how do you manage to merge tra-dition and modernity?We, at soleRebels aim to make the purchaser feel involved in our work. As a result, when our footwear is bought, the purchaser can see, feel and enjoy all the elements of heart, soul and creative craftsmanship that have gone into their construction.In a world of faceless production line assem-

INSPIR’ INTERVIEWbled, made-in-who-knows-where shoes, soleRebels proudly stands apart and offers a much-desired alternative. Our business model canters on eco-sensibility and community em-powerment. The product design and develop-ment involves a great deal of effort to achieve fashionable and appealing quality products that use local materials. Our model maxi-mizes local development by creating a vibrant local supply chain while creating world class footwear that are loaded with style, comfort

have as a company and as a brand that real-ly appeals to people and that’s really hard for others to claim. Our DNA at Sole Rebels is the fair trade prin-ciples we founded the company upon. We wanted to share this “values DNA” with every-one in the most transparent way possible. So in 2006 we began an almost two year process became the planet first and only World Fair Trade Federation [WFTO] fair trade certified Footwear Company. This certification is im-

their shoe design to big design firms whereas we conceive and develop everything by our-selves.

Not only do you offer original products, you pro-mote fair trade and environmental sustainabil-ity. How does this work in terms of production quantity and cost? Are you at a disadvantage with your competitors who do not have the same roadblocks?Actually the way we work is a distinct advan-tage. Its another level of authenticity that we

portant because it is the only one that lets consumers know in a verifiable manner that a company’s entire practices: labour, wages, en-vironment are fair trade compliant.Everyone today is concerned about reducing their car-bon footprint, which is great. And at soleRe-bels we also believe that people around the world want much more from their brands.They want to see that the company that makes their product care as much about their work-ers asnthey do about reducing their carbon footprint. We believe preserving our environ-

and appeal. We do this by di-rectly training and employing artisans who craft each and every one of our shoes by hand one pair at a time making it a truly zero carbon production process. Sole Rebels products are proudly made in this low-impact manner because his-torically that is the way it’s been done in Ethiopia.As other footwear manufactur-ers buy mass-produced mate-rials to make their shoes, we hand craft our Abyssinian pure leathers, repurpose materials like car and truck tires soles and incorporate as many recyl-ced and sustainable materials as possible. Also other foot-wear manufacturers outsource

INSPIR’ INTERVIEWment with real concern for workers is real style and something that never goes out of fashion!How many countries are you in at the moment?We ship to retailers and people in over 40 countries around the planet.And now as part of our strategy to fully maximize our globalbrand and the revenue from direct consumer sales, on September 1, 2011 we launched the first in series of groundbreaking soleRebels global retail locations!Located in our hometown of Addis Ababa, the

achieved several critical firsts for an Afri-can controlled brand. First, soleRebel is the first brand from Africa to undertake a global branded retail roll-out. Secondly, we are the first African brand to successfully franchise its brand globally as stand alone retail stores. Finally, soleRebel is the first African brand to become an international job creation power-house with its international stores forecasted to create over 600 jobs in the countries where they are located by end 2005, proof that growth

in Africa equals real global economics and job growths around the planet!

What is a typical day at Sole Rebel?Our focus at SoleRebels is to craft the coolest and most comfortable footwear so we spend a good part of our day making that happen; obsessing over the thousand little details that make that possible including being religious about our quality and our craftsmanship. What is your advice to the youth who want to take up entrepreneurship but do not have the courage to do so?I would say get a good education first and foremost. Also find something you can be passionate about. That may not be self evident at first so challenge your-self, ask yourself what can I do really well.

interactive store serves as both a destination retail outlet for the soleRebels brand and the hub store for our global roll-out of fran-chised soleRebels stores.Since the flagship store opened we have im-plemented franchise agreements for soleRe-bels branded retail stores in Switzerland and Taïwan and are concluding franchise agree-ments for stores in the United States, Italy, Canada, the UK, France, Spain, Japan, Ma-laysia, Thailand and Israel.With the launch and rollout of stores we have

Then never be afraid of hard work. Believe me there is no such thing as “overnight suc-cess”, so get ready to work extremely hard. Be ready to do whatever is needed to make the customer ecstatic about your product. If that means getting dirty, and staying up late be ready for that.And never ever be afraid to both dream big and then find the strength to bring those dreams to reality. Valérie F.

FOCULTURE

UMOJA: A PLACE WHERE WOMEN RULE

Who ever said that feminism was a mod-ern concept only understood in developed countries, needs to think twice! Welcome to the village of Umoja where feminism and the empowerment of women has flourished like no other place in the world.

In the middle of a deserted field in northern Kenya, Umoja is a women only village. It is refuge to women who have escaped their hus-band’s beatings, forced marriages, circumci-sion and any suffering at the hands of men.

Rebecca Lolosoli is the matri-arch of the village. Ten yearsago, she was a part of the group of fifteen Samburu (pe-ople from North Central Ke-nya) women who establishedthe village of UMOJA. In Swahili, it means unity and it has indeed united women in Ke-nya like never before. Most of these women had been raped but then abandoned by their husbands who could only claim they had shamed their communities. They got togeth-er to form Umoja and decided it would be a women only village to keep out the harm af-flicted on women by men.

What started out as a simple attempt to build themselves a home has become a tour de force for the rise of feminism in Kenya. Today it

houses approximately three dozen women.The village has raised controversy as men are challenged and often offended by the idea that women make their own laws in this village. Rebecca Lolosoli has received death threats by men who simply cannot tolerate the success of the village. It is welcoming more and more women who are drawn in by its success and the idea of refuge from men.

The success of UMOJA is due to the women’s unique sense of business. They have esta-blished and run a cultural center and camping site for tourists close to the Samburu National Reserve. Tourists come and visit the vil- lage purchase the traditional crafts the women make and camp for a price. The revenue from these ventures is the eco- nomy of UMOJA. Many of the women have been able to send their children to school for the first time. They have even hired men to haul firewood, which is traditionally women’s work!

Male reactions about the village have been strong; a male village counterpart was built by men but merely in spite and jealousy of the success of the female village. They have not had the same success. Its leader Sebastian Les-inik claims that Umoja is questioning Kenya’s very culture. He claims the “woes” of modern society, which have led to the emergence of

FOCULTURE

troubling women like Lolosoli. In Kenyan culture, a saying goes like this: “Men are the head of the body and women are the neck”. The head always towers over the neck; it can never be the other way round. Umoja ques-tions this very principle to the disapproval of men like Sebastian Lesinik. He however ad-mits that the success of the women’s village is baffling and that men have not had the same “luck”. But, this is not a question of luck. This type of feminism purposefully generated by Rebecca Lolosoli is shifting the power struc-ture established by men; a structure that un-dermines women and gives them no voice. Umoja is fighting against that structure and changing the cultural landscape, a change that is more than needed. It may worry men because their power is being questioned, but they are aware they can’t stop it. Rebecca Lo-losoli was summoned by the UN to the con-

ference in New York as a woman of change in 2005. She is being encouraged on the world stage to keep empowering women despite the threats of men and can seek protection from the world community whenever nec-essary. She is increasingly able to push laws to Kenyan parliament in order to improve women’s rights and conditions.

Unity is the law of Umoja, realizing that there is power in numbers, especially power in the unity of numerous women. Umoja is sure to bring about more change in the condition of women in not only Kenya but also in the Af-rican continent.

Amma O.

INSPIR’ START-UP

THE MOVIEADVENTURES OF

HENRI MELINGUIAt just 22, Henri Melingui can add the title of film producer to his resume. An impressive job ti-tle when you consider the work involved in leading a film pro-ject. However, what he should really be praised for is his cour-age to awaken a movie industry that has been forgotten for al-most 30 years now.Here’s an insight on the new Jean Pierre Bekolo

Hi Henri, can you please introduce yourself to our readers?I am 22 years old. I am a producer and screenwriter and my first movie was “Sexe, Champagne & Chocolat”. It was filmed at the end of 2010 and it is currently available for download on our website h7films.com as well as on the 100% African VOD platform: africafilms. tv.

What is your educational background?After obtaining my baccalaureate in Came-roon, I studied at USC (University of South-

ern California) in L.A where I got my bach-elor in Business and Cinema.

Today you are at the head of a film produc-tion firm. How did you get to that position, when was the tipping point for you?About two years ago, I simply created my own structure in Yaoundé in order to be able to lead my movie ideas to success. The tip-ping point for me was realizing that nobody would build this structure for me (at least not in Cameroun). So I decided to do it myself.

INSPIR’ START-UP

What exactly do you do at H7 films?We mainly work on writing up the vari-ous projects before getting into finding potential investors. We are currently very advanced in the development of a web se-ries for a telecommunications company in Cameroun. I am also the writer of the movie blog of our website (www.h7films.com) which is increasingly successful. I write about cur-rent affairs in cinema with an original an-gle.

You returned to Cameroon quite quickly af-ter being abroad. Did you feel disconnected when you arrived? Culturally, did you notice any progress or were things rather unpro-gressive?Honestly, I don’t think that anyone who lived in Cameroon for many years and who came back on a regular basis while abroad can be very disconnected when they come back. However, someone who has essen-tially lived abroad in western countries

would obviously need time to adapt.Things progress too slowly in my opinion, but they are still progressing and that’s a start.

Today, there are no cinemas in Cameroon. Why is that? Doesn’t this make getting into the film business risky?If there are no cinemas in Cameroon, there is only one explanation: cultural institu-tions are not prioritized in the economy. Also, we are very reluctant at the idea of innovation, of doing something out of the ordinary. We imitate rather than innovate. That is why we have streets where there are three pharmacies or with three bars facing each other, not to mention all the “call box-es” that are at every street corner. As soon as something has the least success, every-one wants to do the same thing without looking to do something different.

INSPIR’ START-UP

INSPIR’ START-UP

Your first movie: « Sexe, Champagne et Chocolat » came out in 2010. How did the public react to it?Unfortunately due to the lack of support of the Cameroonian media especially, the film was very poorly exposed to the public. However, the reactions of professionals in the industry were generally positive, which was encourag-ing and pushed us to move forward.

How did you get the idea for the scenario?Fairly easily actually, during one of my numer-ous brainstorming sessions (in reality when a screenwriter tells you he spent his day writing, he rather spent his time on the net thinking instead of writing), I asked myself what would happen if two simple friends decided to spend the night together with no consequences, un-fortunately a slight “malfunction” on the man’s part complicates things. I thought “why not?” and started writing the project.

How long did it take you to produce the sce-nario?Three intense weeks.

With the possibility of downloading movies for

free on the net, how do you plan to gain profit from your movies?To the disadvantage of illegal downloading websites, platforms for legal downloading are gaining more and more space on the web and this allows profits to be made. Illegal down-loading, just like illegal counterfeits of luxu-ry products is all apart of the job and doesn’t mean the digital industry cannot function.

When is your next movie?The scenario for the next movie is officially ready. We are currently looking for co-pro-ducers on the French and US market. That is why we can’t give further details.

Do you have any advice for those who want to enter the film industry?Good luck. Really. Because in this industry luck is a key player!

Joan Y.

INSPIR’ POLITIC’

Mariam Diallo Drame: “ A mass awakening of young intellectuals is what will

pull Africa upwards”

This young Malian has been in the game of politics for a long time now. First as president of the children’s parliament, she sets an example today by being apart of various associations with the goal of further involv-ing the youth in politics.

Who is Miriam Diallo Drame?My name is Mariam Diallo, I’m 31, married with two kids. I am the third of five siblings. Today, I am the African regional coordinator of the International Knowledge of women in poli-tics network: iKNOW politics. It is a worldwide network that promotes women in politics. I am also president of the Women for leadership and Sustainable Development association AFLED.

You had an early interest in politics, as president of the national parliament for children in Mali, what motivated you to choose this path?Yes, I was president of the children’s parliament. We were very young, between the ages 13 and 14. We were already conscious of the prob-lems children faced. Thanks to the support and

training of our mentors, we became defenders of the convention for the right of children. We held many activities in aid of poor and beggar kids. We mainly volunteered. Today, I am sad-dened when children demand transportation infrastructures or money before wanting to par-ticipate in community development projects. We need to teach the youth to be implicated in causes for the greater good no matter the cir-cumstances. During our time at the Children’s parliament, we had the chance to meet impor-tant people from Mali and from other African countries, for example we got to meet the Gha-naian president Rawlings and others. This al-lowed for a sort of “disenchantment” of the po-litical world and made me want to get further involved. I think in some ways my choice to be

INSPIR’ POLITIC’

involved in politics came from being inspired by other men and women. It is crucial to devel-op an interest for public affairs in order to not just bear the decisions of others. I believe, it is not enough to criticize; you also need to be at the heart of decisions and contribute to politi-cal debates. That is what I force myself to teach the youth. Everyday, I see the enthusiasm of the members of the association and new leadership figures emerge. This motivates me and pushes me forward.

You fight for the right of women to have important roles in Mali, as president of the women’s associa-tion for leadership and sustainable development, what specific actions do you implement on the grounds? How do you bring to light the entrepre-neurship and commitment of Malian women?Actually I get to kill more than two birds with one stone through my work as coordinator of the i’KNOW politics as well as with the AF-LED, I am able to defend women’s’ right in many ways. Malian women are very assertive,

we can’t say they are not implicated in public af-fairs. Throughout our history women have been authors of major acts. When the movement for the promotion of women’s right began, women were very present, women like Assa Diallo and Ba Aminata Diallo. They participated in all the major conferences, specifically the Mexico con-ference in 1975. Also, to allow democracy many women lost their lives. Today the problem is in passing the flame to the next generation of women. This generation of women has to take under their wings the new generation of young women ready to continue the fight. The creation of the AFLED was with the purpose of allowing this new generation of women to emerge as lead-ers. Our first activities consisted of getting the attention of organizations for women and pitch that very idea to them. Today we have achieved that and these organizations partner with us for events…etc. We have other projects involving education, such as school help for young girls. Education is the greatest weapon. In these dif-ficult times in Mali, we also fight for

INSPIR’ POLITICS’the protection of young girls who are victims of rape in the north of the country. We are raising funds to support them psychological-ly as well as for physical needs.

Please tell us more about iKNOW politics, how do you raise awareness about the role of wom-en?The main goal of iKNOW politics is to in-crease women’s participation in politics. Spe-cifically, through a website that allows political women to get in touch, discuss and exchange opinions and experiences. In Africa, women are poorly represented in decision making processes. The countries that are an exception to this are Rwanda and Namibia and other countries who adopted the laws on quota. We need to analyze these countries and lay the grounds for new solutions that will encourage women in politics to fight for equality. Sen-egal for example has adopted a more equal political playing field through such methods. Working with men also helps raise awareness on the equality of men and women in politics. This concept is often apprehended because people attach it to feminism. Truth be told,

equality between men and women, leads to a better democratization as it raises awareness on is-sues from both male and female perspectives. Also, when we look at the various aspects of politics, taking into account the two sexes is a powerful weapon for development and economic growth. Women themselves have to follow up on such development in their favor. Our partners such as UN for women and UNDP offer countless amounts of training programs so that women as well as men can implement the idea at all levels. This will only benefit Africa as a whole.

Mali is currently under a territorial “seizure”, between the government and different forces of the north. What is your opinion on the situation?The state of affairs at the moment is discouraging. In my opinion, the worst is the lack of anticipa-tion. There were many signs that a crisis was on its way but everyone chose to ignore them. How can we talk about an election when a big part of the population is displaced and threatened by death? When the army is trapped and discouraged? However, I would like to underline that the fault comes from the political actors of Mali who failed to do their work. They failed to criticize the current government, rushing towards elections that every party expected to win. This idea of “consensus” that ruled our country for ten years did not help it and our leaders are now paying the price. I hope that despite it all, we can have a strong opposition and civil society detached from the current government. The solution today is “concertation”: the framing agreement that was signed must be respected by all those who signed it. It’s true that the ECOWAS did not conform comple-

INSPIR’ POLITICS’completely with the framing agreement by voting Mr. Dioncounda as transition presi-dent for a year; however this was done with the hope of a rapid and effective restoration of constitutional order. While internal turmoil disturbs the peace at Bamako, our brothers and sisters in the north feel forgotten. I wish that all parties involved in the turmoil as well as the people would put their bitterness aside. The only battle worth fighting is the one for Mali.

Where do you see Africa in the next 20 years? What message do you have for the young men and women who want to get into the politics in their country?In 20 years I see an Africa that would have de-veloped by fulfilling its potential! For that to happen we need to negotiate effectively with our partners, know how to defend our inter-ests and develop our exchanges on the conti-nent. I was apart of President Obama’s forum with African youth and a Ghanaian delegate clearly stated that we want a win win partner-ship. I also see an Africa where the youth are well educated and trained, where we would

have built grand educational institutions. The brain drain will be a thing of the past, those des-perate to flee the misery by illegally entering into Europe will also only be a thing of the past. That is the promise of Africa...and we will succeed. There is great lack of motivation from our youth. When associations are created today, it is to raise money that will be badly managed or worse to dabble in politics to the advantage of the most profitable parties. It’s all about placing yourself on the “winning” team! I totally disagree with that, it is true that in my case I can say something like that, I have a degree and a job and I’m independent. For those not in the same situation, it is more difficult but this is what I have to say to them: let us invest time in a transpar-ent and honest future. The problem in Mali is that there is no such thing as a “deserved reward”, everything is about networks and who you know. The youth have consequently given up their convictions. For the youth fortunate enough to get educated and work, I say reach out to your brothers and sisters who are in difficulty. Do not indulge only in personal occupations but par-ticipate in public affairs. There needs to be a vast awakening of young African intellectuals to pull those in despair upwards. To all the youth out there, we are the hope of our continent! Let us never compromise our con-victions and dignity, let us work together to develop our continent.

Karl N.

INSPIR’ CAREER

Amy Maiga never left Niger, to-day she is lawyer, an activist for the African Network for Inte-greted Development (ANIF) for the promotion and defense of the right of women and a founding member of the Global Youth In-novation Network (GYIN). This young woman of 31 has a passion in fighting for good causes!

Her real name is actually Daouda Hainikoya Aminatou. According to her, Amy Maiga is a way to communicate easier with others: “It is better to have a short and easily remembered name,” she said. She never trained to be a lawyer initially. She had studied to be a journalist, but decided to quit the national institute of audio-vis-uals in 2001 to focus on her involvement with associations. From then on, she ob-tained a degree for the defense of the rights of women and youth, an obvious step for her she says.

Her work at ANIF is about the effectiveness of women’s’ economic rights. It involves im-plementing investigations on the grounds, on the activities of women and their real contribution to the global economy. As a defender of women, she is proud of the progress they have made in terms of their living conditions, specifically, the educa-

tion of young women as well their political achievements: implementation of the quo-ta laws, equality of the sexes…etc

Amy completed her entire education in Ni-ger and is very proud of that: « I am proud of being a product of the Nigerian educa-tional system. » She admits that after her baccalaureate, she had wanted to continue her studies abroad, like many youth today. However her father disagreed and today she is more that happy with that choice. She emphasizes that education is easier when there is a moral and financial support from family. She also claims it is easier in Niger to find job opportunities when you are on the grounds and know the country to a cer-tain extent.

The only problem she finds in the African educational system is the lack of practice. It is very focused on theory. The infrastruc-

INSPIR’ CAREER

tures that allow educational practice (elab-orate libraries, cultural centers…etc) are practically non existent. For Amy, this is only a matter of time and organization. When we asked if it is easier to succeed in Niger with foreign diplomas, she answered: “Those who have succeeded in Niger did not necessarily go abroad or have foreign diplomas. It is often only a secondary con-sideration for recruiters.”

Amy loves defending good causes. Since 2001, she has been apart of the ambassa-dors of GYIN (Global Youth Innovation Network), initiated by the President of Be-nin. The goal of the association is to reduce poverty within the young population in un-derdevelopped countries, no matter where they are. The ultimate goal is to contribute for a long term development of commu-nities within which young entrepreneurs are actors for change. Sadly, young entre-

preneurs are not well integrated in certain countries, which is the case of Niger. The conditions for setting up a business are rigid and laws do not take into account the needs of young entrepreneurs. The hardest for them is access to finance: “The youth are not supported in their endeavors. No matter the potential of their projects, they often are asked for financial guaranties that they do not have.”

Amy Maiga’s determination and her work within the GYIN caught the attention of President Obama who invited her to the re-cent annual forum for young African lead-ers in Washington.

Joan Y.

INSPIR’ THOUGHTS

ELISE MBALLA MEKA:

CULTURE CREATES WEALTH

President of SOCILADRA and cultural event organiser in Cam-eroon, Miss Elise Meka Mballa is here to talk to us not only about culture, but also to introduce the latest festival that will soon take place in the Cameroonian capital. She is one of those elders that speaks for a joining of moderniza-tion and culture. According to her, this is the root of wealth. Have a listen by following clicking here.

4 QUESTIONS TO

THE ANSWER TO MICRO FINANCE BANKING:

We met Steve Amara, founder of Mwanamke Afrika, which provides gen-eral support for women’s entrepreneurship and micro-projects.

In a few words, describe Mwanamke Af-rika?Mwanamke Afrika is two words in Swa-hili that mean African women. For our purposes, Mwanamke Afrika is a fund-ing investment with the goal of giving African women the opportunity to be entrepreneurs in the food industry (ag-riculture, agricultural industries or any other sectors involving the food growing industry). We offer these women starter

funds in order for them to begin their activities.

What are the specific projects you work on?We are working on four specific projects right now. The first and most advanced is a pork investment project (increase of farmed pigs) in Nakaseke, Uganda. The second is the increase of farmed chick-ens in Burkina Faso. The third one is in

4 QUESTIONS TO

Tchad: we would like to put in place a ten year support program for female farmers. The final project is setting up 6O hectares of three different types of agricultures: 30 hectares of cassava, 20 hectares for plantain and ten hectares of poultry farming in certain of our Afri-can locations.

What is the selection process for these pro-jects?We select and carefully examine all projects. When we receive operational resumes for projects, we verify if the project is more or less linked to the de-velopment of a sector of the food indus-try and if consequently it would help towards the increase of food security in rural zones. Furthermore, we verify if the project has the potential of develop-ing the independence of women in the

food and agricultural the industry. Last-ly, we analyze the possible investment returns for the coming 5 to 10 years. Our aim is to multiply our investment by two or better two and a half in terms of re-turns.

What about the financial aspect?The financing involves classic invest-ment; we only avoid asking for impos-sible amounts of money. However, the logic behind it is the same: for example a woman who wants to set up a chicken farm in Yaoundé wants to gather about

two million to start up. However, only 1,500,000 CFA is available to her. We would offer the woman the remaining 500 000 in exchange of a quarter of her enterprise. We take it a step further by providing her with support to profes-sionalize the management of her enter-prise while increasing its value to its best potential.

Chrys N.

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