DAMN STRAIGHT Naimah

What does it take to make it? “FAITH IT TILL YOU MAKE IT" Is probably the new mantra of 2020 as this year came with a wave of surprises that brought the whole world to a stand still and nobody (at least so we hope) could have predicted it.

The success of many people's educations and careers stood on the line for weeks before some kind of normalcy could be anticipated.

If you were not already earning an income from more than one source you may have been one of many people who was immediately affected financially if you didn't figure something out, act on your feet and be quick about it.

In this episode, Naimah discusses how this pandemic was all the proof we needed for us to conclude that we might be seriously overlooking just how LIMITING and FLAWED society's way of thinking is when it comes to preparing young people for the world and their success in life by assuming that they can just rely on an educational background and a "good" job to become the highly functioning and productive members of society we are all made to strive to become.

But maybe there is more to life than being raised to believe you become your best version simply by going to school, getting that qualification and securing that job, which by the way, could be taken away from you at any point. Could the family and other institutions be limiting our true potential or even making us miss our opportunity to use our gifts by conditioning us to abandon our God given callings just to fit in to society or are we born different for a reason and can we all begin this quest of becoming who we are really meant to become without sacrificing our beliefs, loved ones and even the acceptance of institutions? And if we can, HOW DO WE DO IT and overcome the obstacles and challenges we face in the process??

COVID 19 brought with it the kind of uncertainty that, if you were not working in essential services, could send anyone into depression, illegal bootlegging of alcohol and selling black market cigarettes and COINING IT. So uncertain if you were not changing careers real quick to becoming a supplier or manufacturer of protective wear and hand sanitizer, you were really not going to survive the lockdown anxiety and instability it brought with it.

Looking back 6 months later since it all started in South Africa, it is really still a question of "how do we survive in such an unpredictable economy?" when even what "they" tell us what to do to secure our futures through academic achievement coupled with employment, and benefits that come with being educated corporate professionals doesn't guarantee any form of security. We have seen how even this esteemed process couldn't stop the retrenchments and business closures, the losses of income and shutting down of industries which bring billions in revenue, from travel to entertainment, you name it. The whole system couldn't even hide its racial inequalities as we saw a majority of black people being negatively affected the most.

However, the few people who thrived seemed to demonstrate that they understood different principles and used this lockdown for new opportunities. Whether it was venturing into personal growth or new business projects, these people's determination to defy the odds, consistency and dedication in their works made them exceptionally unaffected by the economy, the pandemic or the opinions of other people. Could this be the not so secret thinking behind successful people?

Naimah, asks these and more questions to Hip Hop artist and arts educator, Konshens the MC to get some insight on what it takes to make it during through tough times, while going against the grain of rules, expectations,  norms and still being true to yourself and your purpose.