Pánsá Pánsá Podcast Ms Kemi Seriki

Madam Alimatu Dimonekene MBE is an award-winning women and girls' rights advocate. Madam Dimonekene is a high-profile British and Sierra Leonean award-winning Human Rights Activist, Child Protection and Safeguarding Expert, Keynote Speaker at Girl Summit in 2014, FGM Consultant, Philanthropist, and mentor. She is a member of Equality Now, an Op-ed Public Voices Fellow on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls, and a member of the African Achievers Awards honorees. In 2023, Alimatu was honored and recognized by King Charles III as she was awarded MBE. This award was to acknowledge dedication to the prevention of violence against women and girls. This award also highlighted her tireless work in global education and crusade to eradicate female genital mutilation/cutting.



She is a tireless activist who has dedicated her life's purpose to enhancing the reproductive health rights of women and girls, especially those affected by harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation\cutting (FGM/C) with child and early forced marriage and exploitation.



Winner of the Rosie McGrath Activist 2018, Alimatu has also been recognized for her dedicated work by winning the African Achievers Award 2017 for her work in raising the voices of African women and girls through empowering the next generation.



She is also the founder of A Girl At A Time (SL), a leading platform to engage, empower, and educate young people about the issues of gender-based violence and advocacy.

I had the pleasure of meeting Alimatu Dimonekene coincidently when she attended Pansa Pansa's conversation and recording with Lola Aforo as a lister and a supporter of my guest. She briefly talked about her own experience with FGM and the activism she is engaged in globally on this topic. Alimatu accepted my invitation to come on the platform to discuss her experiences and educate the public about her dedication to eradicating FGM in Sierra Leone and globally.

During our conversation, Alimatu talked about her family background, her close relationship with her parents, and their opposition to FGM. She spoke extensively about her grandmother's influence, who initiated the cut against your parents' will. She shared her insight into how cultural expectations obstruct her parents' inability to protest against her grandmother's will. She further talked about the taboo imposed on the victims of FGM as they are forbidden to speak about it. Alimatu explained how this taboo created fear in her to talk about her experiences with FGM in public. Alimatu further educates the audience on the history of FGM globally, its origination and the different types of FGM performed worldwide. She further spoke about February 6th, the day that commemorates The International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, its history, and the impact of this day on world awareness of FGM. She discussed the physical, emotional, and psychological effects on the victims of FGM and many more.

To follow Alimatu's work, please visit her website @ https://www.agdgetitdone.co.uk/




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Ms. Esther Lola Aforo was born and raised in Sierra Leone. Growing up in Sierra Leone, she attended Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School. In her late teens, Ms. Aforo relocated to America with her husband and developed skills to work in numerous jobs. Ms. Aforo completed her undergraduate work at Florida State University and later pursued post-graduate work at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She later relocated to Sierra Leone, worked for the University of Sierra Leone as the Public Relations Officer, and assisted students with Career Development. She worked with the Florida Department of Education, Emory University, and Georgetown University. Ms. Aforo is an educator, a feminist, a storyteller, and a researcher.



Ms. Aforo authored her life experience of childhood trauma as a victim of female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, and physical, emotional, and mental abuse growing up in Sierra Leone. The book Lupus or Me? I Chose Me! She tells her story, which creates an eye-opener into some of the deep-rooted events that describe how girls and women suffer from marginalization in Sierra Leone, including many other similar countries. Her faith in God, resilience, and braveness through these battles have equipped her to deal with lupus! Her story is one to read to understand the life of an African girl who doesn't speak as much but has so much to tell! Now that she speaks and writes about her experiences, she tells it all without fear. She is a survivor who vouches to choose herself over lupus, along with all the challenges she has been through in her life's journey.



During our conversation, Ms. Aforo shared some memories from her childhood about the abuse she experienced as a child growing up in Sierra Leone. She discussed the abuses she suffered as a child, which included sexual, emotional, physical, and mental abuse. In addition to these traumatic experiences as a child, Ms. Aforo went through the horrific ordeals of female genital mutilation (FGM), early marriage, and numerous spousal abuses, and we talked about how these traumas impacted her both physically and emotionally. We further discussed the book Lupus or Me? I Chose Me!. We spoke about many challenges and adverse experiences of young girls who grow up in a society where girls and women are marginalized. We reflected on how cultural beliefs, societal expectations, and poverty played a role in parents' decisions and the situation women found themselves in in many African countries. On a light note, we spotlighted Ms. Aforo's academic achievement despite these traumatic experiences. Ms Aforo reflected on how her background has helped build self-discipline and resiliency, the ability to overcome this adversity and adjust positively to a new life, and many more.


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Gugulethu Makhari is an entrepreneur and an immigrant from South Africa. Gugu as she prefers to be called is a business person in many avenues and also and she is whom I would call a global activist for Women’s rights, Human rights, and Youth advocacy. Gugu and I recently met when I attended the African Animation Film festival hosted by one of my previous guests on this podcast Prof.  Boukary Sawadogo. I was impressed by her community and global engagement in human rights activism, and her positive and warm approach. I couldn’t resist but invite her to be a guest on Pansa Pansa Podcast as the first South African on the podcast and I appreciate her coming on to talk about her experience as an African immigrant in America and her unfortunate traumatic childhood experience growing up in South Africa. 

 

Bio:

 

Gugulethu Makhari Global Sustainable Development Goals Inc NGO: *Chair Commission on Women's Rights, Human Rights and Youth Council for March for our Planet: *USA National Organizer and Coordinator for "March for Our Planet''. Also, global coalition. Studied health & skincare (Somatologist) or an esthetician and graduated from the International Academy of Health and Skincare. She studied Business Management at Millpark Business *and Project Management at Regenneys Business School. She is a qualified peer training worker from the Alliance for Positive Change. Gugu studied Fashion Marketing at New School and she studied Retail Management at Lisof Business School Entrepreneur: She is a cook and her food recipe was listed on Wood Spoon. She is an artist, a painter, a dancer, an actress, and a model. She is a mother of a 16-year-old son and she has been married twice.

 

During our conversation, we talked about Gugu’s experience as an African immigrant in America and her understanding of racial inequality in America as a South African who was raised in apartheid, South Africa. We talked about what surprised her most about racial discussion in American society. As a South African immigrant in America, it is easier for her to understand the racial struggles in America and the continuous institutionalized racism. The question was if she was able to connect more with African Americans' struggles due to some shared experience of living in a racialized country. 

 

The bulk of her conversation focuses on Gugu’s traumatic childhood experience and forced marriage at an early age. Gugu gave an account of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and early forced marriage that led to her addiction to alcoholism and how these unfortunate experiences have driven her interest in Women’s rights, Human rights, and Youth advocacy. She shared the circumstances surrounding her early marriage and how it was arranged against your will. Gugu talked about her initial reactions or thoughts when she first learned about forced marriage, what reason your parents gave you surrounding their decisions and many more.  




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I learned about Dr. Mathero Michelle Nkhalamba on The More Sibyl Podcast. She was invited along with other experts in the field of mental health and mental illness to talk about one of the most pressing issues globally "Suicide in Preteens. I was one of the attendees, and I will say that her contribution to intergenerational trauma in African societies could be relatable to many African families in the diaspora. I was confident that she would be a perfect guest on the Pánsá Pánsá podcast to discuss intergeneration trauma further.





Dr Mathero Michelle Nkhalamba is a Clinical Psychologist based in Malawi. She holds a Philosophy and Psychology degree from the University of Malawi, earned her Master's in Clinical Psychology at Bangor University in the UK, and completed her PhD at Rhodes University in South Africa under the prestigious Beit Trust Scholarship.



She provides psychosocial support to various client groups, including students in higher education institutions, staff in international organizations working in humanitarian contexts, human rights activists, and staff supporting survivors of violence.



Dr. Nkhalamba's work with human rights activists and digital rights activists involved holding space for peer support while processing the mental health challenges of working in the human rights activist space. She also delivered talks to promote a culture of self-care in the activist community.

In her work, she uses evidence-based interventions and psychological techniques, considering the unique lived experiences of her clients. Dr Nkhalamba incorporates motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and solution-focused techniques, and she trained in mindfulness and trauma-informed approaches.



She has developed and delivered psycho-educational webinars and workshops on various topics, including stress management, dealing with anxiety and depression, trauma and vicarious trauma, coping skills, sleep hygiene, self-care, and other mental health topics.



Dr Mathero Michelle Nkhalamba is a chartered psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a registered clinical psychologist with the Malawi Medical Council. She is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Malawi, and her teaching areas are Counselling Psychology, Clinical and Abnormal Psychology, Health Psychology, and Forensic Psychology.



During the conversation, we talked about mental health and mental illness and when someone should seek mental health care. We discussed the taboo associated with mental health and mental illness in many parts of the world, especially among Africans on the continent and the Africans in the diaspora, which includes immigrants and refugee families who may have gone through traumatic experiences before migration into a new country. We also talked about generational trauma and how someone can recognize that someone might be suffering from generational trauma within the family dynamics and many more.




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In 2017, Pánsá Pánsá Forum established the normalizing conversation on the importance of community engagement about African immigrant experiences in America. I created this forum to dialogue on the issue of our adjustment to our new homes as immigrants and to discuss complex issues within our community openly. I have held many community conversations on intergenerational relationships that featured conversations between African parents and their children. In the summer of 2018, Ms. Mariem Sanoe was one of the panelists as the daughter of an African immigrant mother from Liberia to the USA in 1999 at eight years old. Ms. Sanoe spoke passionately about her experiences as a child of African immigrants in the public school system.



Ms. Mariem Sanoe used her childhood experience to become a dynamic force in personal development and empowerment within the community. She is the CEO and Founder of 'Let Us Talk About IT, Coaching,' Ms. Sanoe is more than just a seasoned Life Development Coach; she does what she does to transform people's lives. Her mission is to inspire youth, ignite the potential of young professionals, and provide a guiding light for African immigrants navigating uncharted waters.



Ms. Mariem Sanoe is one of the executive members of African Immigrant Family Services (AIFS) in Nebraska, where she works as a youth family service life developmental coach. She stated on her website, "Since 2016, I have dedicated my time to researching human interactions. I have mentored individuals of all ages, religions, backgrounds, lifestyles, occupations, and even family and friends. I have also trained professional managers in workplace environments, providing them the tools to transfer their skills and abilities into coaching others".



During our conversation, we discussed her migration with her family to the USA at a tender age and navigating the school system without understanding a word of English. Our discussion on this subject included her challenges in learning English, especially communicating with fellow students and school staff. The bullying from fellow students and staff is, unfortunately, an everyday experience most immigrant children are exposed to, and Ms. Sanoe was not exempt from that experience. Today, we have many African immigrant children who join gangs for protection as a result of bullying experiences. These children lack support from the school community and parents who may not understand how both physical and emotional aggression negatively affect their children's growth. Ms. Sanoe talked about her experiences and provided tangible advice to parents during our discussion. We further talked about her role at AIFS in Nebraska and the organization's positive impact on our community in Nebraska.



To further contact Ms. Mariem Sanoe, please go to her website @ https://www.letustalkcoaching.com/

 




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I learned about Ms. Onipede after seeing a short clip of her Instagram post on racial healing during Black History Month of 2023, and the powerful message she shared was very moving. Looking at her name, I was also interested in learning more about her family background, with a prominent last name from Lagos, Nigeria, and her advocacy for equality in America for the underserved members of society. Wanting to know more about Ms. Onipede, I went on her website to learn about her profession and what more of her expertise she could render as advice to African immigrants in the diaspora. After reading on her website that Ms. Onipede is a facilitator, keynote speaker, and consultant for organizations that are on a mission to eliminate racism, dismantle oppressive systems, and grow equitable culture, I knew that I definitely wanted her to be a guest on Pansa Pansa Podcast.



During our conversation, I learned that Ms. Onipede was biracial, born in Lagos, Nigeria, to a Nigerian father and a White American mother who identified mostly as Irish American and her father was a Polish Jew. She spent most of her formative years in Lagos, Nigeria, before relocating to America to go to college. We discussed her childhood and what it was like for her, growing up in Nigeria as a biracial child and navigating through early childhood and adolescence. We talked about her mother's adjustment in Nigeria socially, professionally, and within her husband's extended family. We discussed her adjustment after she came to the USA to attend college and how she navigated through diverse spaces and defined her identity.



We talked about her area of expertise in diversity and inclusion. Ms. Onipede is a qualified Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) administrator and a certified Emotional Intelligence Coach. She founded The CARA Model, an integrative liberation framework that moves learners through exploring Anti-Racist and eliminating racism, dismantling oppressive systems, and growing equitable culture. This discussion extends our conversation to talk about Black Americans' historical experiences in America and African immigrant experiences. We further discussed misconceptions both groups have against each other, which led to our discussion on affirmative action as it relates to who benefits from it. We discussed Black-on-Black discrimination and how African immigrants are left out of conversations regarding race and ethnicity issues.



There may be a belief that the African immigrant population is insignificant compared to other growing immigrant communities, and many in the field of research may feel that the experiences of African immigrants may not warrant being studied. Without investigation, there would be no understanding of the immigrant experience unique to the African immigrant community in the area of adaptation to American society, and their identity may be different from or in opposition to existing racial and ethnic identity.



Bio:

Iyabo Onipede is a facilitator, speaker, and consultant who curates deep dives into the heart of inclusion, equity, and racial justice. She is an effective community builder and seasoned equity consultant committed to creating spaces of belonging.



Iyabo's work opens pathways for organizations to build just and equitable environments through education, experiential and guided self-reflection, and facilitating challenging exchanges. Her high-touch customized workshops use compassion, storytelling, and education for participants to shift identities into mutuality and accountability while creating and sustaining spaces of belonging.



A self-described "recovering attorney," she obtained a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University after a 20-year legal career. When she is not consulting, writing, and playing with dogs, she has fun and inspiration with the other professional hats she wears, advancing the culture and ethic of compassion through her work at Compassionate