#AfricanVoices: Towards amplifying and connecting voices from the African continent

Each year on May 25, Africans around the globe celebrate Africa Day. This year, Kembali announced its #AfricanVoices series to mark this important day and consider the means to enable meaningful work undertaken by young Africans and commemorate the founding of the first union of African countries in 1963.

Africa, at its heart, is gifted with an abundance of resources — both natural and human — yet the continent struggles to articulate its potential fully and, even worse, resolve those issues. However, my deep belief is that people within Africa and the Global South generally have an immense depth of resilience, talent, and generosity and continue to commit their energy and efforts to reshape and reimagine the continent.

I have witnessed this through the extensive pan-African networks that I am privileged to be part of each day. I see how Africa continues to leapfrog and reimagine complex issues despite systemic issues and policy inertia. Likewise, young brothers and sisters across the continent continue to find solutions, doing amazing and impactful work despite systems riddled with inertia and resistance.

The African Voices series is an ode to the work of young Africans that are not waiting for permission but are rather modelling meaningful solutions and interventions regardless of the existing barriers to change or impact. The focus of the African Voices series is to support the work of young Africans, amplify the projects and issues that they are confronting, and ultimately create a platform for support, guidance, mentorship, partnership, and vehicles for collaboration.

Over the years, I have had the immense benefit of guidance, mentorship and support of many wonderful people such as Trevor Manuel, Mark Peach, Patrick Gaspard, Mamphela Ramphele, Theresa Laaka-Daniels and Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa. People who at their hearts are all committed to meaningful engagement, partnership, service, a deep commitment to standards and ethics, and importantly people who have all worked in sharing meaningful insights and perspectives in favour of their communities and countries.

African Voices seeks to honour the vibrancy, diversity and energy of young Africans across the continent and in the diaspora. We aim to create space for hope and remind those in the Global South that we should not be discouraged or dissuaded. Instead, we have an opportunity to commit to confronting issues regardless of inertia or systemic barriers.

Over the coming months, Kembali will celebrate the labour and service of Africans confronting complex issues from civic participation, health care, renewable energy and issues around just transition – but importantly, this series will seek to encourage others to embrace the ability to partner and collaborate.

- Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar

Don't miss our first upcoming #AfricanVoices blog! Follow us on social media for regular updates.

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn