Glocal Citizens Florence Adu

Greetings Glocal Citizens!


This week on the podcast, it’s another gem of a conversation that started at the Pa Gya! Literary Festival in Accra. My guest, Nigerian geologist turned journalist, Pelu Awofeso and I met in passing between his moderating sessions and communing with fellow writers. Pelu has made it his mission to promote local and international awareness of Nigerian arts, culture and traditional architecture, among other national assets, especially as they relate to or impact on domestic tourism. His writings have appeared in the Sunday Mirror, Lonely Planet,_ Kinfolk_,_ World Policy Journal_,_ Africa Today_,_ Africa in Words_, LOJEL, 234Next and The Sowetan, among many others. He has published five travel books all focused on his experiences traveling in Nigeria (and Africa).


A winner of the CNN/Multichoice African Journalists Awards in tourism reporting, in late 2019, Pelu was also named the Best Travel Journalist in Nigeria by Nigeria Travel Week. He is currently at work on a documentary on one of Africa's pioneer indigenous missionaries and first Black bishop of the Anglican Church, Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809-91). When he is not traveling or writing, he divides his time between attending creative arts events in Lagos or working as a city guide to tourists.


Where to find Pelu?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Twitter
On Facebook


What’s Pelu reading?
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Thing Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi


Other topics of interest:
Nigeria’s National Youth Services Corps
About Jos, Nigeria
Yoruba History Resource
On Pelu’s forthcoming project about Samuel Ajayi Crowther
Special Guest: Pelu Awofeso.

Greetings Glocal Citizens!
This week is a flashback to October 2022 when I spent a weekend with writers at the Pa Gya! Literary Festival in Accra. I met Nigerian writer and cofounder of Narrative Landscape Press Limited, Dr. Eghosa Imasuen at the first panel I attended, “Can the African Book Industry Thrive?” For Eghosa the answer must be yes, especially as a firm that believes that owning the means of production is essential to a vibrant publishing industry. Narrative Landscapes Press is committed to more than simply printing physical books they also bring editorial and book design expertise to the fore while developing a cadre of excellent writers.


Eghosa’s second novel, Fine Boys, a coming-of-age novel, received wide acclaim in 2012 and was published in America by the Ohio University Press’ Modern African Writers Series in 2021. When he’s not writing or publishing, Eghosa teaches creative writing at the annual Chimamanda Adichie Creative Writing Workshop. Prior to launching into his literary career, he graduated with a medical degree from the University of Benin.


In this feel good and insightful conversation, Dr. Eghosa shares tips on how to work with publishers and about the how business of bringing books to the people promises to change the narrative on literacy, lifestyle and literary careers all over Africa.


Where to find Eghosa?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Twitter
On Facebook


What’s Eghosa reading?
Truth is a Flightless Bird by Akbar Hussain
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite


What’s Eghosa watching?
Andor


Other topics of interest:
About Benin City
About the Benin Massacre
About Warri, Nigeria
Purple Hibiscus
David Hymar
Masobe Books
Nearly all the Men in Lagos are Mad
The Black Axe
Wole Soyinka
By Nike Campbell
Special Guest: Eghosa Imasuen.

Holiday greetings Glocal Citizens!
This week on the podcast is the first of a two part conversations with architect, artist and multi-faceted creative, Robertson Ahomka-Lindsay. Until returning back to Ghana in 2020, Robertson spent the majority of his life in the UK where he practiced architecture and explored his many other talents. He is the CEO and founder of Vivarco Studio, a multimedia and architectural design studio specializing in Tropical Modernism embracing eco and sustainable technologies. His interest in tropical modernism embraces the concept of using traditional Ghanaian creative heritage and materials to influence one’s creative approach and execution of design.


After years in the making, in 2019 Ghana emerge as the official return destination, not only for African Diasporans, also for Ghanaians as well. This conversation is a reality check of sorts spotlighting how to manage the start-up and sustaining a life lived in Africa. As 2023 starts, surely this week and next are a great resource for introspection and exploration of what could be for a life abroad.


Where to find Robertson:
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Twitter


What's Robertson reading?
Dear Nana: A Letter to My Ancestor by Peter Sarpong
Fear No Man: Living Without Compromise in an Intimidating World by George Reed and David Hunt


Other topics of interest:
Paradigm Network
Clifton College, Bristol UK
Ignatius Acheampong
Nkrumahism
Royal Institute of British Architects
Ghana's National Cathedral Project
About Kwesi Kwarteng

Holiday greetings Glocal Citizens!
This week on the podcast is the first of a two part conversations with architect, artist and multi-faceted creative, Robertson Ahomka-Lindsay. Until returning back to Ghana in 2020, Robertson spent the majority of his life in the UK where he practiced architecture and explored his many other talents. He is the CEO and founder of Vivarco Studio, a multimedia and architectural design studio specializing in Tropical Modernism embracing eco and sustainable technologies. His interest in tropical modernism embraces the concept of using traditional Ghanaian creative heritage and materials to influence one’s creative approach and execution of design.


After years in the making, in 2019 Ghana emerge as the official return destination, not only for African Diasporans, also for Ghanaians as well. This conversation is a reality check of sorts spotlighting how to manage the start-up and sustaining a life lived in Africa. As 2023 approaches, surely this week and next are a great resource for introspection and exploration of what could be for a life abroad.


Where to find Robertson:
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Twitter


What's Robertson reading?
Dear Nana: A Letter to My Ancestor by Peter Sarpong
Fear No Man: Living Without Compromise in an Intimidating World by George Reed and David Hunt


Other topics of interest:
Paradigm Network
Clifton College, Bristol UK
Ignatius Acheampong
Nkrumahism
Royal Institute of British Architects
Ghana's National Cathedral Project
About Kwesi Kwarteng

Greetings Glocal Citizens!
'Tis the season of gift giving, and have I got a wonderful gift for you in this week's episode. As an entrepreneur, Agile Transformation Coach, and speaker, my guest, Jamaican-American, Stacy Kirk has championed for quality and process innovation in software development for over 20 years. After graduating from Stanford University’s School of Computer Science (Yes, another boss #ChocolateCardinal on the mic!), she gained experience as a developer, tester, and leader in diverse industries, including entertainment, security, finance, and healthcare. In 2010, he founded QualityWorks Consulting Group, an app development firm focused on enabling companies to build higher quality software, creating diverse future-ready teams, and accelerating software delivery. Her company was recognized in 2020 as Inc.’s Best in Business for its social impact driving measurable value to clients such as Comcast, AT&T, Truist, Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, and Fox. She leads a 50+ and growing team of brilliant technologists located across the US and Jamaica, representing diverse backgrounds, including over 60% women of color. Her team is responsible for creating QualityWatcher, the first AI test case management platform designed to upskill testers while simplifying app quality. In 2020, she launched Posture, a SaaS platform that leverages intelligence and automation to assess and guide small and midsize enterprises to affordably develop a cyber-resilient organization prepared for the competitive advantages of compliance.


I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful conversation with Stacy, from a serious discussion about the business of techpreneurship on a global scale to tips for successful start-up and a lots of laughs long the way,
I'm sure you too will learn something new (with a smile)[!


Where to find Stacy?
@ Posture
@ Quality Works Consulting Group
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
On Instagram


What's Stacy reading?
The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
[Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood[](w=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_6YKB1V4QMHCXDS8AAJV5&tag=glocalciti07e-20) by Trevor Noah
I Can't Make This Up: life Lessons by Kevin Hart


What's Stacy listening to?
Revisionist History Podcast


Other topics of interest:
About Radio Shack
About Windsor Hills, California
Jamaica's Technology Innovation Centre
"..we tallawah"
About the Dot-Com Bubble
Special Guest: Stacy Kirk.

Greeting Glocal Citizens!


As we ease into the last month of 2022, we're adding another country to our Glocal Citizens tour with a trip to Malawi. My guest this week is Malawian-American, Michelle Alipao Chikaonda. Michelle and I crossed paths in Accra at the sixth edition of the Pa Gya! Literary Festival. She is an award winning nonfiction writer, teacher and avid traveller. A graduate student at the University of East Anglia School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing studying biography and creative nonfiction, Michelle is currently based in the United Kingdom, and at the same time keeping an eye toward the next place she'll call "home."


Michelle has won the Literary Award for Narrative Nonfiction of the Tucson Festival of Books, the Stephen J. Meringoff Award for Nonfiction of the Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers, and the Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Scholarship for writers of color from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. In 2015 she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by the Oracle Fine Arts Review, and in 2020 she was longlisted for the inaugural Toyin Falola Prize for emerging African writers, and was published in the prize’s anthology, “In the Sands of Time” (2022). In addition to being a 2019 resident at The Seventh Wave’s Rhinebeck Residency, she is a Voices of Our Nations [VONA] Workshop fellow, a Tin House Summer Workshop alumna, and has presented at several Association of Writing and Writing Programs [AWP] conferences.


A contributing editor for nonfiction at Electric Literature, she is also currently published at Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, Catapult, the Broad Street Review, Business Insider, and Africa is A Country, among others.


Be sure to check out Michelle's website links so you can catch up on Michelle's works across platforms.


Where to find Michelle?
michellechikaonda.work
On Twitter
On Facebook
On Instagram


What's Michelle reading?
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté MD with Daniel Maté
When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection by Gabor Maté MD
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté MD


What's Michelle watching?
The Crown
From Scratch


Other topics of interest:
About Dedza, Malawi
About Zomba, Malawi
About the Lobolo System
Ngoni People
United World College
International Baccalaureate
Kusesa, sweeping
US Family Medical Leave Act
Song of Songs
Special Guest: Michelle Alipao Chikaonda.