Kwanda

We hit 1000 villagers at Kwanda 💛

🚀 15 more villagers to go until we hit 1000. Done in record time. 7 months 🎉 kwanda.co

300 people turning up for an inaugural event is no small feat - the love and appreciation for the Kwanda community is real 🔥 On Saturday, Kwanda brought their villagers together in person for the first time in partnership with NewComma, Marmalade Ventures and Foundervine. I also had the pleasure of speaking on the panel of the night with Jermaine Craig, Tola Alade and Cecil Adjalo. It was during our discussions that I realised philanthropy, entrepreneurship, media and culture complement each other so well in a way that strongly validates our respective missions. These were my two key takeaways: 📣 For the rest of the world to respect us, we first need to respect ourselves. African creatives have a responsibility to ensure the stories we tell about ourselves on a global scale challenge the negative stereotype we've had to endure for decades. That's why our work at NewComma is so important. We need to continue to devise methods to obtain true autonomy of our global perception. 👛 Start with what you have In a true philanthropic fashion, NewComma first launched our £100 microgrant back in February 2022. Every month since then, we've awarded one creative from our network of 12,000 creatives with a little financial boost to bring a creative project to life. Reflecting on the stories of some our recipients during the panel was a solid reminder to keep going. That's why this partnership with Kwanda was perfect - they bring diasporans together to fund local projects solving long-term challenges across Africa and the Caribbean. They're definitely on to something amazing, and I can't wait to see how they continue to fluorish! 📸 HYPHN Agency

1 in 5 people in Africa are entrepreneurs, meaning Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship 🤯. But is enough being done to empower them? I curiously went to Kwanda's Welcome Party over the weekend, and I left feeling so inspired. Not just by Jermaine Craig's work and vision, but by the community that he has built through Kwanda. I spoke with many of the Kwanda members that evening, some who have been members since the start and others that joined early this year, and some of the main things that drew them to Kwanda was their impact and the transparency. Kwanda has mobilised a community of Diasporans to come together to fund local projects solving long-term challenges across Africa and the Caribbean. (Website linked in the comments) The panelists at the event further opened my eyes to this new world of purpose driven companies that constantly strive to be more and do more: 💫Natalie Narh is a co-founder of NewComma - a Pan-African social media and recruitment platform where over 11k creatives to connect, create, learn and earn. 💫Tola Alade is the founder of Marmalade Ventures - a next-gen digital media company on a mission to build a new mainstream audience shaped by Africa's culture, stories and emerging brands. 💫Cecil Adjalo (speaking in the video) is a co-founder of Foundervine - a company that exists to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds by connecting them to each other and those that can support them. The purpose is to help to create a more equitable society. Looking into their work inspired me and I hope it inspires you too 🤩. Excuse me as I go to do some more digging for inspiration 👀🍿

I vibed with 300 villagers 🔥 ...all without paying for a plane ticket! ⤵ Made possible by Kwanda 💛💛💛 Kwanda's inaugural event on Saturday was a perfect representation of the 4C's (culture, content, community and commerce) in action. Met, mingled and danced with some 300 people who are passionate about culture - just as I am! I also had the privilege of sharing the stage with Natalie Narh and Cecil Adjalo - a truly inspiring panel hosted by Kwanda's very own Jermaine Craig. Here are three key highlights from my contribution to the panel from a media/narrative-driven POV; ✨ CULTURE I talked about motivation to found and build Marmalade being inspired by a mission to build better products, better brands and better perception for Africa. I strongly believe Africa culture and stories are its most valuable assets and I'm passionate about seeing these stories brought to life authentically in the global mainstream. 💛 COMMUNITY I talked about building our community of 4K members being an example of a success story that exemplifies Marmalade's impact in connecting the diaspora to Africa whilst promoting African culture through positive narratives. 🌍 FUTURE As the media landscape evolves, I talked about Marmalade investing in new technologies such as AI to produce premium and personalised content at scale. Our goal is to reach and engage global audiences, particularly younger generations of the African diaspora like we're currently doing via our Snapchat Discover shows. If you haven't, join our communities; Kwanda - https://kwanda.co/join Marmalade - https://lnkd.in/e-FDM9JV 📸's: Nigel A. and Kiasi Sandrine M.

🎉 Saturday was amazing. 🤯 300 in attendance. Shallat security for doing the right thing and letting more people in beyond capacity. Here's the only video I managed to capture as people began streaming in. It was so good to see all the amazing villagers and friends of Kwanda come together and meet in person. I had no idea how powerful Kwanda was in the minds and hearts of people. What we're all building here has definitely connected. There's a coming groundswell of us turning around historic narratives and building new visions of the future for our people. As was spoken by Natalie Narh, Tola Alade and Cecil Adjalo on the nights panel. I was excited before, but now I'm over-committed to bringing this vision into physical reality. Putting it out now, we'll be the largest innovation fund seeded by everyday Africans and Caribbeans globally. It will take a village. #JoinKwanda

Left, Right-Do the Kwanda Dance All Night💃🏽🕺🏽🥁🪘 Thanks to our Village Chief Jermaine Craig for making this the Number 1 Global Philanthropic Tribe Ozzy David-Uwangue 💻 Faith E. Daniel Morris Kaleshe Alleyne-Vassel Titun Aiye (previously known as Patrick Kancel) Marcus Balogun and many, many more!!!!!!

Who is really leading us? Today is Black Leaders Awareness Day (BLAD). It was created to enable people from all cultures to experience the wisdom of past, current, and next-generation leaders through the speeches, quotes, and videos they share. This day serves the purpose of ensuring that the history of black leaders remains at the forefront of society, acknowledging the impact these leaders have had throughout history, right through to the present day and beyond. This carousel features quotes from influential black leaders making significant impact right here in the UK. It's a reminder that whatever your platform looks like, you can use it to influence for change: david mcqueen: "Having people who know you feel challenged, inspired and most importantly respected is better than just being well known." Dr A-Marie I.: "Innovation thrives in diversity." Emmanuel Asuquo: "Don’t give up, keep going and walk in the confidence of the conqueror you are." Malorie Blackman: "History should belong to all of us, and it needs to include people from different cultural backgrounds. Otherwise, it risks becoming irrelevant to children, who could then become disenchanted with education." STORMZY LIMITED: "Use your voice to speak up for what you believe in." Solomon Smith (Brixton Soup Kitchen): "In my mind I was thinking, if they had clothes and they had something warm in their belly they would be alive today, you know. All of those homeless people had a story to tell and now we will never know their story." Jermaine Craig (Kwanda): "I've always been called to advocacy, I'm sickened at injustice." Courtney Daniella Boateng: "We cannot be attracted to vulnerability in others and yet be repulsed by our own." Creating inclusive spaces for Black leadership isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also good for business. According to a highly referenced McKinsey study, businesses led by black people are 36% more likely to outperform their peers. This shows how important inclusivity is in sparking new ideas and boosting profits. Let’s also give a shoutout to those who’ve been through tough times, paving the way for future generations. Their resilience and courage have helped us move closer to equality and representation. If you're interested in celebrating black leaders, drop me a DM to learn more about my 'Paving the Way' workshop. This public speaking workshop brings the stories of black icons to life through engaging storytelling. Who is a black leader that inspires you? Tag them below and share why they inspire you! #BlackLeaders #Leadership #Diversity #Inclusion #InternationalBlackLeadersAwarenessDay

Approximately 72% of school-going girls in rural communities miss school during their menstrual cycle We're voting to fund health education and re-usable menstrual kits for 175 girls in Zimbabwe 🇿🇼. Read the proposal here: https://lnkd.in/eqAJcpnG

The vision of Kwanda is to make philanthropy more accessible and transparent by engaging it as a collective rather than as individuals. I've heard the statement from Africans and Caribbean people countless times in the diaspora: "I'd love to be able to fund a school or a hospital back home". Now, if we can figure out a way to connect you to 500 people who want to have a similar impact, and manage the flow of funds transparently to local changemakers who are already hard at work building in their communities. Then, we can accelerate philanthropy ten-fold and bring it to everyday people who would rather build together. I'm writing up a proposal at the moment to support education for 150 more girls in rural Zimbabwe 🇿🇼. The process already brings home why this platform is important for us. 💛 Thought to share.