Jobs – SLAY Festival Business Development Intern
She Leads Africa believes in the power of young African women to build amazing careers and businesses, serve as community leaders and influencers, and eventually take over the world. Our MotherlandMoguls, as we affectionately call them, are the reason we exist – to provide them with more inspiring and educational content to help them live their best lives. We’re looking for a Business Development Intern to assist in the planning and liaising with clients and vendors for SLAY Festival Johannesburg. About the Business Development Intern Role: The Business Development intern will help build the business development pipeline for SLAY Festival Johannesburg. Responsibilities Researching brands to host activations Developing pitch documents Identifying small businesses to serve as vendors Manage the vendor application and selection process Requirements: Ability to be based in Johannesburg for the duration of the Internship Minimum four-month commitment 1-2 years experience in a relevant field is preferred Skills including, but not limited to: + Research + Graphic design and presentation skills + Written communication skills Reporting Structure The Digital Marketing Growth Intern will report directly to their manager through a check-in and check-out process. Submit your application here: [typeform_embed type=”embed” url=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbTszvEZmkMtx0EPzFQf-rviV-rsS4WflgQME7mk19Uu-2fw/viewform”] Submit the application by Thursday, May 31st 2018. Please note only those successful will be contacted for interviews.
Jobs – Digital Marketing Growth Intern
She Leads Africa believes in the power of young African women to build amazing careers and businesses, serve as community leaders and influencers, and eventually take over the world. Our MotherlandMoguls, as we affectionately call them, are the reason we exist – to provide them with more inspiring and educational content to help them live their best lives. We’re looking for a Digital Marketing Growth Intern to ensure that all our MotherlandMoguls around the globe know about us, and have access to all our inspiring content and FREE resources. About the Digital Marketing Growth Intern Role: The Digital Marketing Growth intern will help grow the SLA Instagram account in key target cities including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Accra. What Digital Marketing Growth Interns do: Spread the word: Advertise and publicise SLA through conversation and interaction with our Instagram account. Act as a contact point between the SLA Team and our audience Give us feedback and new ideas. Connect with women and women groups in the target geographies and dominate their city. Responsibilities Engaging with our current followers in target cities Researching influencers and micro media outlets in target cities Developing creative concepts to boost engagement Running Instagram Lives and contests with local influencers Requirements: Minimum four-month commitment No specific job experience required No specific location requirement (i.e you can work remotely if you have a laptop and solid internet connection, however time zone aligned with WAT is preferred) Skills including, but not limited to: + Graphic design + Data analysis + Research + General understanding of social media trends Reporting Structure The Digital Marketing Growth Intern will report directly to one of the SLA co-founders through a check-in and check-out process. Submit your application here: [typeform_embed type=”embed” url=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbTszvEZmkMtx0EPzFQf-rviV-rsS4WflgQME7mk19Uu-2fw/viewform”] Submit the application by Thursday, May 31st 2018. Please note only those successful will be contacted for interviews.
Olayinka Lawal: My Editing Experience Goes Well Beyond Grammar and Punctuation
Growing up, Olayinka Lawal absolutely loved reading. She would often choose reading over making new friends. In short, she was naturally drawn to the world of books. Her favorite classes were English and History and these developed her keen interest in historical narratives and writing. In her sophomore year, Olayinka embarked on a writing and editing venture as Editor-in-Chief of Idunnu Studios – a multicultural children’s content creator that celebrates diversity and girl power founded by Oladoyin Oladapo. To Olayinka, editing is about strategic conversations, consistency in tone, language, character, and authenticity. In this article, she discusses everything you need to know about being an editor. What is your process when editing? I usually edit in context. Well before the writers begin writing, I have strategic conversations with the founder to understand what we want our next set of books to demonstrate. These conversations guide my thoughts on the characters, their personalities, their talents, and the cultures we want to learn from them. Therefore, when the writers begin writing, we both have an expectation of what the books should be. Sometimes you find the characters are more colorful in either of our minds before it gets to the reading table. So then, we are either discovering a character or affirming their identity. If the character is not convincing enough, I engage the writer in readjusting the writing to communicate better. Therefore, my editing process goes well beyond grammar and punctuation. [bctt tweet=”When you write good quality content for an underrepresented community, the results will speak for themselves” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What do you look for when you are copy editing a story? Quality!. Authenticity, quality in the tone of its writing, and quality of grammar and punctuation use need to be factored into every story. Each of these is equally important for our target readers to take away from the story. Showcasing the story’s authenticity in an honest way is important for readers so that they do not leave with any misconceptions of the culture. As a result, how the story is written is very powerful and really guides me on what to look for in a piece of writing. As for choosing a topic, it often depends on the strategic vision of the company. We all have an array of groups we want to reach and we have to think about how and when to engage them. How do you measure the success of a content/story? In the editing process, the success of a story depends on how well it reflects a particular culture without coming off as either over-bearing or inauthentic. Post-publishing success really depends on how well the characters and stories are received. People tend to get excited about a particular culture because they can relate in one way or another. Ultimately though, the joy we see people have with the various characters and their support of the books through sales is the measure of success. So far, we have launched A (How to Arrange Your Azonto- Ghana), B (How to Beat the Bongos- Cuba), C (How to Crunch on a Cannoli- Italy), and D (How to Don a Dashiki- West Africa) and we will continue releasing two new letters every month. The response has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. I think when you write good quality content for an underrepresented community, the results will speak for themselves because this is not just something our community wants, it is something we need. What are the developmental concepts behind the AZ collection? After we launched our first collection, Girl to the World, we wanted to create a collection that would highlight as many cultures as possible. With “AZ, and Things in Between”, we were able to create a 26-storybook collection that celebrates 26 cultural phenomena in 26 different parts of the world. A-Z Collection is special because it quite literally teaches the reader how to do something from that culture. Our first book, How to Arrange Your Azonto, is a fun tutorial on the dance, but in showcasing the dance, we also showcase other elements of Ghanaian culture. How do you craft the mission of each collection and ensure the writing/illustration matches the mission? We identify needs within the field and tackle the ones we can fill. For the AZ Collection, we wanted to create something simple so that parents and educators could start introducing these cultural concepts to children as early as possible. For our activity books, we wanted to create something that would allow our readers to do the creating because we believed that there was a need for that. There is a specific style of illustration for each collection and we try to have the complexity match the age group and the depth of the story itself. The Girl to World series, for example, was illustrated in a very detailed manner because we wanted our readers to be fully transported to other countries. For the AZ collection, we created simple illustrations that focus on one piece of the culture throughout the book and make it easier for a toddler to grasp. Tell us how you design the books, the characters, and its aesthetic? We look at pictures, watch videos, and speak to people from that culture. We sketch ideas with our illustrators until we arrive at something that is representative enough of the people and the country that we are trying to depict. When we design the books, we just play around with the colors and fonts that match the illustrations and the mood of the story. What will kids take-away from the AZ Collection? I hope the AZ collection creates curiosity among toddlers. I hope they become curious about color and the ultimately begin to relate the excitement they get from the pictures with the excitement that comes with experiencing culture authentically. [bctt tweet=”As an editor, I interface with my writers frequently – Olayinka Lawal” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What are your strengths and weaknesses as an editor, and how do you turn your weaknesses into strengths? As an editor, I interface with my writers frequently (some of who are
Pamela Enyonu: Art Rights My World
Pamela Enyonu is a copywriter at ‘Aggrey and Clifford’ and an artist. She’s the kind of woman you want around when things get a little crazy. Something in her air, her manner of speaking, the bold look on her face, her stride…it all tells you that this is a woman who knows how to get things done. In her art, she bares her soul and isn’t shy about it. You may choose to blush, look away or judge, it doesn’t matter. She’ll be too busy making important statements through her art to fit into those tiny boxes women are often placed into. What drives your passion for art? Art is my center, my clarity, and my god. When I do art, the world rights itself. I am driven by stories. My art is a re-imagination of my and the stories of those around me. I am inspired by stories of triumph and self – empowerment. Where did your artistic journey begin and how has it evolved since? My artistic journey began when I was about 8 or 9 years when I made the decision to do art in primary 4. I vividly remember drawing a yam and finding it so easy and from then onwards, I never looked back. I went to art school at Kyambogo University, majoring in printmaking and multi-media crafts elements. This has somehow found its way into my crafts. During my journey, there are times when I have deviated from my path, however, I have always found my way to the things I love. Could you describe your artistic process? For a long time, my process was pretty organic. However, these days I have deliberate plans, reading, collecting and educating myself on the stories I want to tell. I use words and photography a lot in my work. My process begins with composing the narrative before I begin making the art. I then keep adding layers as my point of view gets clearer. For me, it’s important that my message is clear despite all the multi-layered looks. I am currently acquainting myself with the more abstract thought processes and I have to admit, this is alien territory for me. I am hoping to produce more abstract work in the future. How can African artists protect their art? Africa is a vast continent that has inspired a lot of ideas at home and beyond. As African artists, you always run the risk of your work being misinterpreted. I don’t think it’s something we can control. However, we can perhaps get ideas from other industries that successfully manage to protect their work. For example, coders sign their work through embedding unique codes that only them can interpret. Perhaps, as artists, we can begin using tech to protect our work. Other than that, I think documenting your work and having a good lawyer’s number on speed dial should help. What do you think will take for African art to gain as much appreciation as say European art? We need to educate people on how to appreciate art. Unlike music where the beat just takes you, art is deliberate. You must immerse yourself in the art and the artists, learning their motivations, their ethos etc. That way you will gain a unique appreciation. I think schools should be involved in the arts, arranging tours to galleries and meeting the artists etc. There should a deliberate effort to groom a culture of going to art places. Everyone should visit a gallery at least once a month. If you could creatively collaborate with any artist in the world, who would it be and why? Liberian-American artist Lina Viktor Iris and Lady Skollie from South African. Lina inspires my desire to ascend as a mixed media photographic artist. Her work evokes a sense of reverence and worship. Lady Skollie, on the other hand, appeals to the rebel in me. Her work is thought-provoking in completely unexpected ways. I also like that she draws her inspiration and style from her Khoisan heritage. It’s empowering to embrace our narratives with no apologies. What does the future look like for Pamela Enyonu? All I want to do is make good art, turn into a competent carpenter and teach for rest of my life. Everything else will be a bonus. Would you like to get featured on our Facebook page? Click here to share your story with us.
Moms — Here are 5 Tricks for a Stress-Free Children’s Holiday
For those who don’t have children, the holidays are full of endless shopping, traveling, entertaining, eating and lots of family time. But for those who have children, it’s an entirely different story. [bctt tweet=”With these few tricks, you can keep your children tuned in for fun while you also enjoy your holiday – @PikinMama” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Holidaying with children can sometimes be quite the adventure – and not in a fun way! From soiled diapers to crying toddlers, the list goes on. However, is it possible for parents to enjoy their holidays without being broken by their children? As a mom, here are some lessons I learned that have helped me survive the holidays. 1. Enjoy every time you get with your little ones I learned to accept the fact that the holiday period is a time to embrace my superpowers and bond with my child. It was not a gruesome punishment or some curse bent on making me unproductive. It was time to play catch up, to try new things together, to experiment and get to know him better. Because I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice, I also worked hard on preparing myself for when school was out. Though I didn’t have much time off, I made sure that with what little I had, I made the time to spend it with my children. 2. Do things with them It’s very easy to simply buy your children toys to entertain themselves or let them watch TV. I learned from my son that this does not always work. Despite eagerly opening his presents, he often became quickly disinterested especially when he had no one to play with. Even with a few hours of TV, he usually had a lot of free room for mischief or adventure. I realized that I need to capitalize on this time to ensure he wasn’t up to any mischief. My first moves were to get in touch with his creativity and engage him in things that we could do together. From messy activities such as decorating cupcakes to playing peek-a-boo, my son was happy and I relaxed knowing he was doing good. 3. Remind them to be nice I have always wanted a super courteous child who is the first to greet all the elderly people that visited form church or his great- grandma and grandpa. But when my son started growing up, I was in for a rude shock. He was awfully rude to them and often had no regard for his elders. This made me livid at my son for letting me down after all the talks we had regarding manners. I realized that I needed to step-up my game through continuous reinforcement of positive behavior. I could have taken my anger out on my son but I realized he was only a child who just needed the right direction. 4. Plan ahead of trips During one particular event, we went out to have lunch. On that day, my son decided to reject every single thing that was offered to him. The only thing he wanted was jollof rice which wasn’t on the menu. He threw a fit over this. Though embarrassing, this experience taught me a great lesson in planning. For large celebrations or when going, I try as much as possible to bring in my son’s favorites. This can include food or even cutlery. My obligation was to ensure my child had a great experience. 5. Maintain routines When going on holidays, everyone usually wants to throw out their usual schedules and simply relax and be lazy. With kids, they tend to take advantage of this period and push their bedtimes. For parents, this becomes quite the difficulty. It is important that we maintain good habits and practice our routines with the children. Sleep is quite essential in ensuring the whole family are relaxed and enjoy the holiday. Therefore, make sure that you maintain the different routines and schedules that are part of your family culture. With these few tricks, you can keep your children tuned in for fun while you also enjoy your holiday. Some say its pure magic, I say its the art of minding children through the holidays. If you’d like to get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.
Larisa Bowen-Dodoo: African Women in STEM are Real
Larisa Bowen-Dodoo is the founder of Levers in Heels, a digital media enterprise highlighting African women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). She is also a member of the Global Shapers community, a multi-stakeholder initiative of the World Economic Forum. What inspired you to found Levers in Heels? In my undergrad years, I was one of four young women in a male-dominated engineering class. It was there that I realized the impact having female STEM role models could potentially have on me and my career. So, I thought to myself, “If there is a wealth of real-life experience, insights, and knowledge out there from experienced women in STEM, I’d love to tap into that to motivate, inspire, empower and support women like myself. What drives you to want to profile these women? Levers in Heels is driven by my ethos and mission to give a voice to African women in STEM. We examine the barriers these women face from every angle in their respective countries. At the same time, we also amplify their achievements to inspire and empower our readers, particularly the next generation of African female STEM leaders. Can you tell us more about your business as a social venture? Women have made many strides in STEM fields, but their achievements go disregarded. These women are needed today more than ever to share their stories; contributions and struggles, to inspire girls into becoming the next generation of STEM leaders. At Levers in Heels, I have been able to provide girls (from primary to senior high levels) with the opportunity to connect, through shared experiences, with our featured women in STEM via video conference calls. We have started this outreach project in Ghana and are looking for more opportunities to expand to the rest of Africa. What four skills have you found yourself using/learning frequently since starting Levers in Heels? Before I started Levers in Heels, I knew nothing about running a website, let alone a digital media enterprise. I did, however, learn not to underestimate the value, impact, and consistency of the content I was sharing. Whether your digital content is for social good, business or both, consistency is key. This establishes your credibility and authority in the space you find yourself in. It has also been important for me to learn how to communicate my passion and enterprise in an engaging way, both online and offline. The more often you put yourself and your work out there, the faster your communication skills will grow. To improve your communication skills, you need to engage with the very people who find your content useful. One way I do this is through Levers in Heels’ discourse events. Lastly, I don’t stop learning. It is necessary to keep your own learning and personal development active. There are so many courses online, both free and paid, that you can take to start your own enterprise. With such easy access to knowledge and resources, there really is no excuse that you can’t create your own opportunities. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in growing in this space? The state of the digital publishing evolves every day. It is challenging having to keep up with new tools and resources if you plan on remaining relevant. It isn’t enough to have a great brand name these days. Content generation can also be demanding, especially in my case where I have to do quite a lot of research to scout women in STEM across Africa for an interview. Is the African Woman in STEM real? How do you think women in STEM impact the continent? Africa is at a stage where it requires the expertise of STEM in solving its challenges. Today, we cannot think about development without considering how we can leverage STEM to move forward. Women have an equal role to play in this as some of these challenges, more than often, affect them and their children. With our perspectives and ideas on these issues, we can come up with better solutions which will benefit the whole continent. I can confidently say that the African woman in STEM is real, with all the evidence gathered from the amazing stories I share on Levers in Heels. What is your long-term goal/vision for Levers in Heels? My vision for Levers in Heels is simple – to be the continent’s leading digital media enterprise for African women in STEM. You’ve spoken to so many women in STEM, what would you single out as outstanding? I love the diversity that comes with every engagement. For me, there’s great value in recognizing the different perspectives in my conversations with them. This helps me, and ultimately my readers, to better understand their point of view on specific questions or topics. It is about hearing and learning from them more than anything. A lot of young African women are seeking guidance in the STEM space, what would be your key advice to them? Have the confidence to pursue it and be present. If you’d like to get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.
Master the art of Hunting for Opportunities: Adeng Leek
Many people believe that getting opportunities is just about luck. This is true to a large extent. But most times, getting opportunities is about hard work. You cannot afford to be lazy when searching for opportunities. In life, it is your responsibility to develop yourself first before others do. Adeng Leek, a passionate young African from Sudan and founder of Opportunities for South Sudanese Initiative shares a few steps on hunting for opportunities. [bctt tweet=”You need to make sure opportunities are running behind you and you are not running behind them – @adengmalual” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] But what does it take to find opportunities? 1. Know who you are and what you want It is very easy to say I know who I am. But the truth is, it takes ages to discover yourself. Knowing yourself is a process that requires you to sit down and answer a few important questions. You need to ask yourself questions such as: What is my purpose? What are my goals and objectives? How will I bring them to reality? Once you have answered these questions, then it will be much easier to execute your goals. It will also ensure that when you get distracted or sidetracked, you will still have a way of getting on track. 2. Read, Read and Read I don’t think I can emphasize the importance of reading enough. How many times do we ignore reading articles, stories, and other material because we don’t have the time or are not interested? Reading is quite important as it can widen your experience. Many people such as bloggers share inspirational stories and tips that if you read, they can help impact your life. Through reading these articles, you may find solutions to help you overcome any obstacles and challenges you’ve faced in your journey. 3. Network Networking is very essential. From meeting people in the same field you are interested in or meeting other diverse people, it is important to widen your sphere of influence. These different people can help and mentor you towards achieving your goal. On the other hand, networking is not only about getting but also about giving. If you can, it is important to also be of help to others. Perhaps you have a connection that can help a friend or a networking event that you could invite someone to. 4. Share the opportunities you receive When we get opportunities and succeed, it is often quite easy to forget that others are searching for the same opportunities. Once you see an opportunity that others would benefit from, always try and share them with as many people as possible. This is what inspired the creation of my blog ‘Opportunities for South Sudanese Initiative’. Through this blog, I share opportunities from different websites. These opportunities not only benefit me, but they benefit a wider group that will eventually impact the whole nation. [bctt tweet=”No matter how old you are now. You are never too young or too old for success or going after what you want – Pablo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica” This article was written by Adeng Leek. If you’d like to get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.
Elom Ayayee: Photography for me was a fortunate accident
Elom Ayayee never thought photography would be a part of her life. Her career path was in international relations, policy, linguistics, and publishing. But her love for beautiful images in magazines ignited her desire to pursue a career in photography. She wanted to recreate these looks which seemed limited to only models for the everyday woman who could be a wife, mother, entrepreneur / employee, believer, citizen and role model. Elom started with no knowledge of photography. She didn’t know how to take photos and had no clients. But with time, constant practice and determination, she opened her photo studio Elom Ayayee Portraiture where she takes magazine-worthy images of women to remember for the rest of their lives. How did you start your photography career? Photography was a very fortunate accident and I fall in love with it more and more every day. It’s all about meeting someone for the first time and finally creating a timeless piece of art that speaks to the essence of who they are or who they want to be in the moment it was created. To me, that is the amazing power of portraiture. Photography for me is the power to exist in time. It’s a way to say “I was here. I lived, I loved, I hurt, I suffered, I rejoiced, I was silent, I was loud. I held this space”. Why do you focus on women? I started photographing family and friends and before I knew it I had a client base. My move to photograph women was not just a great business plan. But, it was also a way to highlight these women who are sometimes invisible in the roles they play. Women often get lost in their responsibilities and forget to appreciate themselves. My initial desire was to give women just one day off. A day to get pampered and remember and document who she is outside of all the hustle. To get her hair and makeup done and the most beautiful images of herself that would be loved and cherished and appreciated for all time. What were some of the hurdles you encountered and how did you solve them? Marketing has been the biggest hurdle. I’m naturally a very private person and 90% of my client base is from referrals. Putting myself out there is still a very uncomfortable experience for me. That being said, my target market is small and very specific so that tends to minimize the effort I would otherwise have to make in marketing myself. It’s a lazy way of marketing I guess; give great service and let happy clients do the talking for you. How do you get your photographs to spread your messages? I don’t create my photographs for the general public. I create images for my clients to hang on their walls in their homes – this is very intimate and private. Images that hopefully their great great great grandchildren will see and talk about. My images are about time, legacy and emotion. All of my images say different things in the different homes they live in. I can usually tell by spending enough time with a woman who she wants to see when she looks at an image of herself. I pull on every resource within me during a shoot to be able to give her that. [bctt tweet=”From photographing family and friends, I started to have a client base”- @elom_ayayee” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How do you improve your photography and get inspired? I do this every way that I can. I enjoy constructive criticism from people I look up to in the industry and my clients. I’m always on the internet trying to figure out how to get what I see in my head right. My clients are all the inspiration I need. I’ve met such incredible people. Every woman has a story, every child has incredible potential. One day what I create for this person will be a timeless treasure to someone else. Are you working on anything exciting at the moment? Yes! I’m doing a series for women that I’m very excited about. It’s easy to promise to take the most amazing picture a woman has ever seen of herself when she’s been pampered and dolled up and looks like the jackpot. Can I take the most beautiful picture of a woman make-up free? This is my challenge to myself and all my clients. So far, it’s been amazing. Women are so deep and they carry so much behind their eyes. Each of my clients who have trusted me enough to put themselves in this vulnerable place has been won over. It’s literally the most powerful image you could ever take. What photography gear do you use to keep focused on what you do best? I started with a Nikon D3300 and I’ve always used natural light. My first studio was robbed and all my gear was stolen, that’s when I switched to Canon. I’m now shooting on a 5DMark iii. I own a 50mm lens which I shoot 80% of my shots with and a 70-200 for my outdoor portraits. I use Adobe Photoshop for my editing. What advice would you give young photographers who want to make it in this industry? I really don’t feel like I’m qualified to speak for the whole industry, but I would say you need solid people skills and know the basic fundamentals of how to run a business. There’s a huge difference between a business and a hustle. Also, advise often depends on what area of photography you venture in. So, the first thing I would say is, find your niche, and contrary to popular belief, the smaller your niche the better. Too many photographers are doing too many things. You can’t have it all. Give great service. Master your craft. If you’d like to get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.
OP-ED: DO AFRICAN WOMEN EVEN DO POLITICS?
44 African leaders made history in Kigali, Rwanda on 21 March 2018, when they signed up for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). The agreement will create one of the world’s largest free trade areas – a single market for goods and services for a population of over 1.2 million people – if all AU members eventually sign and ratify it. The AfCTA is in line with the broader goals of the AU reforms initiative, which intends to move away from the current situation of multiple, almost competing for economic blocs to a single pan-African unit that facilitates the free movement of goods and services across the continent. The AfCTA is a milestone achievement that could change the economic trajectory of the continent. A celebratory photograph of the various leaders who gathered in Kigali was rapidly shared across various media platforms to commemorate the singularity of events. Yet, anyone paying attention quickly noticed one thing about the photograph – there were no women. Can the AU reforms process create room for women in the highest levels of political leadership on the continent? The final round of negotiations for the AfCFTA, unfortunately, coincided with the resignation of Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the first female president of Mauritius. [bctt tweet=”Outside of South Africa and Malawi, no woman has run for president in the Southern Africa region- @tanaforum @nanjala1″ username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] There are now no female heads of state on the continent. Before Gurib-Fakim, we had Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia, Joyce Banda in Malawi and Catherine Samba-Panza in the Central African Republic. Of the four, only Johnson-Sirleaf completed a full term with both Gurib-Fakim and Banda leaving office under tenuous allegations of fraud and Samba-Panza electing not to run for office after serving as a caretaker president. If there are any unifying lessons to be learned from these experiences it is that African women political leaders are often held to higher standards than their male counterparts and that much more work can be done to incorporate women into political governance on the continent. The subject of equality of women in politics in Africa is complex. In the pre-independence era, there are a number of examples of women rising to the top of their societies, particularly in fraught political moments. Today, South Africa is the most un-equal country in the world according to the World Bank, with entrenched poverty directly linked to the “enduring legacy of apartheid”. [bctt tweet=”Madikezela-Mandela was punished for doing exactly the same things that her male counterparts did- @tanaforum @nanjala1 ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Madikezela-Mandela’s experience echoes the experience of women on the continent who form a slight numerical majority of the population but are systematically shut out from high-level politics. She was punished for doing exactly the same things that her male counterparts have done throughout the ages. Women were at the center of liberation movements across the continent; not just in supporting roles but also leading political and military organizations. Madikezela-Mandela was branded a murderer and denied a seat at the table of power in post-apartheid South Africa. [bctt tweet=”Rwanda has the highest number of women in parliament at 63.8%.- @tanaforum @nanjala1″ username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Today, the situation facing African women in politics is mixed. Between 2005 and 2015, the proportion of women in legislatures in North Africa more than doubled from 7% to 18%, while in sub-Saharan Africa it increased from 15% to 22%. Globally, Rwanda has the highest number of women in parliament at 63.8% and, because of the increasing use of quotas, women make up more than 30% of the legislature in most countries in East and Southern Africa. And as mentioned, four countries have put women in the top seat, more than Europe or North America combined. Nonetheless, there have also been significant losses, particularly where women aim for the presidency. Read the concluding part of this article here… Sponsored post. This article was originally written by Nanjala Nyabola, a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya for the Tana-High Level Forum on Security in Africa 2018.
5 things you can learn from Talaya Waller’s Ted Talk on personal branding
Dr. Talaya Waller is an internationally known, award-winning personal branding consultant, speaker, and marketing scholar who works with thought leaders from a variety of industries. She combines professional experiences with years of marketing research to build awareness, influence, and credibility for personal and organizational brands. Her mission is to help leaders share their stories and leverage their expertise to make a positive impact on society. Dr. Talaya earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in 2015 and is currently conducting independent research on personal branding. In 2011, she completed an Executive Education at Harvard. She also holds a BSc and an MBA in Managerial Sciences focused on Entrepreneurship. With an online presence of over 35,000 followers and haven being published in Forbes, Fast Company, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, Dr.Talaya gave a TEDx Talk where she shares her insight on personal branding. [bctt tweet=”The future of branding is personal – Talaya Waller” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Watch the Ted Talk here: Here are 5 things you can learn from this TED Talk 1. Technology has caused a major shift in influence. Today, one employee can have more influence, and also consumer trust than their entire organization. 2. People are tired of being sold. In business marketing, we have moved away from humanizing objects to influencing people with other people who they know, like, and trust. Individuals who want to build an influential personal brand can use the know-like-trust formula. 3. Everyone has a brand, but most people don’t manage it strategically, effectively, or consistently. Individuals who have a well-defined personal brand usually generate increased value for their company, whether they work for themselves or someone else. 4. Your personal brand is the most powerful tool you have to accomplish your goals. A branding strategy is essential to success in fundraising, growing a business, or changing careers. 5. Branding is no longer about companies trying to manage our perception. Today, it’s about people creating and sharing human experiences. The future of branding is personal. If you’d like to be featured on the SLA Facebook page? Click here to share your story.