Rootencial Conversations

Africa is rarely perceived as a hub of science and innovation. Yet, the story of Zimbabwean Scientist Dr Gift Mehlana is testament to the existing talent, resilience and excellence that exists in the African continent. Josefina Bonsundy speaks to Gift about his passion for science, his research and the place of science in the African continent.

They say that business and entrepreneurship run in your veins. That’s certainly true for Omokolawole Lamikanra, who started out on his entrepreneurial journey before his tenth birthday! Also known as ‘Lami’, this Nigerian lawyer and businessman recently moved to the UK where he is busy launching his latest venture – Lingua54, a digital platform to learn African languages online.

ROOTENCIAL spoke to Lami about the importance of language to building connections, to the African diaspora and continent’s unity and development, and to impacting people’s lives and wellbeing.

Danielle Akini est fondatrice de Genius Centers, une start up créée dans le but d'enseigner des compétences en informatique, robotique et l'espirit d'entrepreisde aux enfants. Pour ce faire, Genius Centers propose une plate-forme d'apprentissage en ligne ne nécessitant pas , qui propose des cours interactifs pour des enfants au Cameroun. Dans cette interview, Danielle nous en dit plus sur cette initiative et sur ce qui l'a conduit à sa création. 

Cette épisode du podcast présente Priscilla Omouendze qui nous avons rencontré lors de la conférence de WIA (Women in Africa) au Maroc en Juin 2019. Scientifique est fondatrice du projet de fabrique des cosmétiques naturels N'Kira. Elle nous raconte le pourquoi de la création de ce projet, et comment sa frustration a été un levier clé pour arriver à le lancer.

This part two from the Women in Africa Initiative interview episodes, features Omnia Shawkat, founder of the digital cultural platform Andariya, seeking to reclaim an African narrative through storytelling. Andariya amplifies stories from Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda on a diverse array of contemporary topics ranging from literature, film and general culture!

We speak to Edwige Takassi from Togo and co-founder of the trademark "Terroir d'Afrique". Their mission is to leverage Africa's natural heritage to promote African local production and consumption of natural products such as tea, coffee, honey and oils. 

What does hair mean to us and our society? 

Christiane Sungu and Lucrece Wasolua-Kibeti, founders of Krowned, a social initiative aiming to empower young girls through haircare, indirectly explores this question during our conversation. Both as part-time models, a lawyer and a medical student respectively, bring to the table the 'silent' but visual conversation of hair, emphasising the importance of representation and embracing our identity, to build confidence in who we are.

Stephen Akintayo’s story shatters the myth that you need a lot of capital to start a business and become an entrepreneur. In this conversation, Stephen shares powerful messages on the importance of creating wealth for Africa, leveraging technology to unlock the potential of the continent, and the importance in investing on "informal" means of education to attain better financial literacy. 

We speak with Muna Lobe, founder of creative AYA Consulting firm. Muna talks about the importance of supporting creative artists, the power of storytelling for stories to transcend non-African communities, as well as renaming, redefining and reclaiming African Arts and Culture by their communities.

 In this episode we speak with Diane Audrey Ngako, a Cameroonian entrepreneur based in Douala. After spending her teenage and early adulthood years in Paris, Diane decides to return to her native Cameroon to build her business legacy. 

This episode features Bisila Bokoko, a New-York based leading businesswoman, inspirational speaker, and philanthropist. Bisila tells us about her spectacular career journey and the importance of courage and resilience when making career choices. 

This podcast features Leonard Tshitenge, a Congolese-born American entrepreneur, founder of 'Consciously Exposed' - a consulting firm dedicated to  to improve Cultural Intelligence in the community and  inclusion of African Immigrants.  Leonard tells us about his passion for poetry and spoken word activism and how and why he combines these things together. 

This episode features Fungai Marima who is originally from Zimbabwe, in her studio in London, where we learned about her organic love for art and some of the stories that inspire her drawings. 

In this episode we speak to Swiss historian and entrepreneur with Ghanaian roots and founder of Afrolitt, a platform that uses literature from sub-Saharan Africa and its Black diaspora as a tool enabling critical knowledge and sharing.

Lucía Asué Mbomio Rubio es una de las periodistas afro-españolas más conocidas de la televisión española. En este episodio nos habla de cómo llegó al periodismo y su trabajo como colaboradora en varios medios.

En este episodio hablamos con Alejandra Evui Salmerón Ntutumu, fundadora y directora de Potopoto, un proyecto editorial solidario que busca hacer llegar los cuentos africanos a los niños de todo el mundo con el fin de promover una mayor representación y diversidad en cuentos infantiles. 

This episode features an interview with Junior Adebayo is a young NHS doctor with a passion for science and medicine. He tells us about why he chose medicine and how, after this decision, he realised how the colour of his skin could influence both praise and criticism.