Moments with Africa
The Moments with Africa series
At the end of October 2024, we launched a monthly event titled Moments with Africa to encourage Pan-African discussions and solutions by people of African descent.
Since we gained independence in our respective African and Caribbean nations, the systems we have followed have been based on colonial rules and manuals that continue to limit our full economic, social, political and spiritual liberation. Our indigenous knowledge and systems have been excluded to facilitate the neocolonialism that impoverishes us. We want to do something about this. We seek to demystify and promote African culture, show our diversity and demonstrate the value of receiving information directly from the source. At these events, we also aim to move away from tokenism to promote cultural, spiritual and racial inclusion whilst adding nuance to our African stories, amplifying authenticity and building psychological safety.
To continue this important series, Crest Impact is looking for sponsorship with organisations and individuals who share the same goals for the African continent and diaspora. If you would like to partner with us, please reach out!
We include the entire African diaspora on our expansive mission to accomplish the following: educate, decolonise, promote unity, combat racism, show our diversity, discuss challenges, dispel harmful myths, find avenues of change, develop effective communication, promote mental and spiritual health and explore possibilities for meaningful partnerships.
Watch our episodes below!
Moments with Africa Episodes
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Episode 6: Relationships and Finances
Panel Speakers:
Mary Waweru, Wamaitha Mwangi and Priscilla Serwaah Kobi Ampem Braketu Ansah.
We look at African relationships and finances, both in Africa and abroad. What influences us to pick a partner? Are we investing in one another's ideas? Are we supporting one another sufficiently for reasons beyond surviving capitalism? How do expectations around gender roles affect our relationships and where does this leave our African cultures? We discuss 50%-50% share relationships, equality, leadership, submission, failed relationships, the huge red flags we ignore, the dangers of investing in business together early in the relationship, among other things.
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Episode 5: Prioritising Healthy Practices in Turbulent Social Political & Economic Times
Panel Speakers:
Mary Waweru, Vibya Natana, Dr. Mmatshepo Gaspa Mazibuko and Waithera Karanja.
We are prioritising our health while managing social, political and economic challenges. With the global hardships we have been experiencing since the COVID 19 pandemic, our workplaces and other spaces have seen drastic changes that have left people unemployed and unable to manage their lives like before. People are experiencing stress-related illnesses and burnout and barely managing. Can we solve this and how?
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Episode 4: Africa Post-Development Aid
Panel Speakers:
Mary Waweru and Olusegun Rowaiye.
Has African leadership implemented solutions that liberate or keep us chained? How has our dependence on foreign aid to direct and fund our economic, education, healthcare, human rights and other internal systems worked for us since independence? What are Pan-African organisations, such as the African Union, doing to strengthen our overall relationships as neighbours? Is decoloniality part of their agenda? Are we ready and equipped to compare ourselves to the European Union? Do we have the mindset and resources that are necessary to emulate their systems?
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Episode 3: African Customs and Ceremonies
Panel Speakers:
Mary Waweru, Ifeyinwa (Ify) Okadigbo and Hope Nwosu.
On this episode, two of our panelists discuss the Igbo community. We also focus on the different African traditions and cultures that existed before colonisation. The panel talks about the roles of leaders, spiritual healers and chiefs and elaborate how aspects like time, weather, food and gender were factored into these customs. Preserving many of our African traditions is vital for us as people who are unlearning anti-Blackness and decolonising in general.
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Episode 2: Telling African Stories
Panel Speakers:
Mary Waweru, Olusegun Rowaiye, Chipo Nyambuya, Jayson Williams and Cheikh NG’uraine.
On this episode, we discuss how our voices have been excluded and intentionally erased from our history and experiences. Who tells our different African stories and how reliable are our history books? Why are we seen as a monolith and whom does this benefit primarily? How does this influence society and contribute to racial inequities? We discuss African history according to our elders and ancestors, cultural erasure, appropriation, trends and other related topics.
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Episode 1: Immigration in the African Diaspora
Panel Speakers:
Mary Waweru, Asanda Ngoasheng, Chipo Nyambuya, Olusegun Rowaiye, Oladele Dosunmu, Evalyne Sohn, Kea Simmons, Francisca Mandeya and Mui Zwane.
We open this series with the theme 'Business and Social Impact' and highlight the following topics to move us from challenge to change:
- Intra-Immigration and Social Landscape
- Business and Development Opportunities
- Culture and Self-Advocacy