Banana Island Living Podcasts Banana Island Living

With nearly 30 years as an international civil servant working with the UN, Yewande Odia has been in all the hotspots - Somalia, Haiti, Goma, Tchad and yes, even New York (the original hotspot)! In this episode, we discuss:UN or bust - how to get your foot through the door;Trevor Noah, Chris Rock and the attraction of the educated comic;Theatre arts, school band, UN? Not the most obvious of career paths;Dangerous situations and intense friendships - the correlation;Korean dramas, Old sc...

As if Sarah Boulos’s backstory (past imperfect?) was not epic enough, her present continuous one merits its own Hollywood (or is it Nollywood?) biopic. Born in Burkina Faso, schooled in France and US, Lebanese father and French mother; living in Nigeria for many decades, Sarah has truly bloomed where she was planted.Vibrant, passionate and a muse, Sarah’s life has been one of great highs and horrible lows, heady peaks and shattering troughs, filled with sublime moments and truly ridicul...

Blessing Adesiyan established WorkLife Africa, a think-tank focussed on transforming the continent's workforce and work spaces. She has made quite a journey from tech to care, not the first pivot that springs to mind but as the mistress of making lemonade from lemons, she now sits comfortably in her own skin.In this episode, we discuss:Finding yourself pregnant in Uni and making it work;The incredible power of a loving father;Growing up in Nigeria, being fearless and that unquantifiable...

Ugoma Ebilah is a polymath - she has been an economist, successful financier, clothes designer, art dealer and now, one word which might just work when trying to box the unboxable would be 'creative entrepreneur'. In this episode, we discuss:The corporate lane, having an eye, wanting more and the side hustle mission creep. Clarity vs choosing not to know.The indefinable attractiveness of being light.The secret dream job, the Mercedes Benz dream car and that most un-pc of creatures -...

Only the paranoid survive! Only the paranoid survive? Yes! Tokunboh George - Taylor lives by that mantra and she really should know. She is THE foremost PR strategist in Nigeria and founding Managing Director at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Nigeria. Served her and her clients well (very well) and in this episode, we discuss:branding, self branding and positioning;that line between branding and pushiness;knowing what you want and getting ready to get it;Ikoyi Club, Golf and strategising;Char...

Uzo Nzeogu, a talented artist who studied Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with greats like Bruce Onobrakpeya and El Anatsui seemed all set to claim his place as a fine artist. But then, he did the maths, ditched paint and chose pragmatism. Pragmatism led him to Newswatch, to Dele Giwa, to Ray Ekpu, to Dan Agbese and to 'the happiest time of my life'. The newsroom rush, the boardroom manoeuvring, the tragic, shocking murder of Dele Giwa, Uzo was in the thi...