Meet the passionate and dreamer Rassidatou Konaté / Rencontrez la rêveuse et passionnée Rassidatou Konaté

There are some people with who you get along from the second you meet. This was the case last with Rassidatou. Manon, one of the co-founder of Musana, told me about a girl she met at Berkeley. She said: “she is from Burkina, she is muslim and wearing the hijab like you, but there is more than that.” Indeed I realized when I met and listen to Rassidatou, what Manon was talking about. Rassidatou and I are both passionate about entrepreneurship and education. She was part of a panel that came to talk about social entrepreneurship, during a networking event for Musana Carts. In few minutes, she captured all our attention. I laughed while watching her talking with big gestures. She speaks and breathes her passion. For her, we heard for too long that the youth is the future of the country. Why shouldn’t the youth participate in the development today, right now? Why should we wait for tomorrow before accomplishing great things? Rassidatou is an alumni from the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Her dream is to help the Burkinabe youth to create ventures. With her project iwili, Rassidatou wants to allow every young person with a business idea to realize it, but also to gain a professional experience with entrepreneurs. Rassidatou blew our mind during that event and I hope you will understand why by watching this video. 

Rencontrez la rêveuse et passionnée Africaine Rassidatou Konaté 

Il y a des personnes avec qui le courant passe sans même que vous ne fassiez d’installation. C’est exactement ce qui s’est passé avec Rassidatou. Manon, l’une des co-fondatrices de Musana m’a parlé d’une jeune fille qu’elle a rencontrée à Berkeley. Elle m’a dit « elle est Burkinabé, elle est musulmane et voilée comme toi, mais il n’y a pas que ça » Effectivement, ce jeudi en rencontrant et écoutant Rassidatou, j’ai compris à quoi Manon faisait référence. Comme moi, Rassidatou est passionnée d’entrepreneuriat et d’éducation. Elle faisait partie d’un panel venu nous entretenir sur l’entreprenariat social, au cours d’un évènement de networking pour Musana Carts. En quelques minutes, elle nous a tous suspendu à ses lèvres. Je riais en la voyant s’exprimer avec de grands gestes. Elle parle et respire sa passion. Pour elle, on a assez entendu que la jeunesse est l’avenir du pays. Pourquoi est-ce que la jeunesse ne participerait pas au développement aujourd’hui, maintenant. Pourquoi est-ce qu’il faudrait attendre demain pour accomplir de grandes choses ? Rassidatou est une ancienne élève de ALA, African Leadership Academy située en Afrique du Sud. Elle poursuit actuellement des études en Santé Publique à l’Université de Californie, Berkeley (University of California, Berkeley). Son rêve est d’aider la jeunesse Burkinabé d’entreprendre. Avec son projet iwili, Rassidatou veut permettre à tout jeune ayant une idée de la réaliser mais également d’acquérir une expérience professionnelle auprès d’entrepreneurs aguerris. Rassidatou nous a époustouflé au cours de l’évènement et j’espère que vous comprendrez pourquoi avec cette vidéo. (En anglais malheureusement)  

Africans are on Snapchat! / Les Africains sont sur Snapchat !

Version française plus bas :)

I’m really glad to discover the culture of some African countries through Snapchat. I don’t know who came up with the idea of a community snapchat account but well done! I hope you are not lost. If so, let me explain. Wikipedia defines snapchat as an image messaging software product. But I’ll say that like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Snapchat is also a social network. The difference is that Snapchat allows users to post photos and videos of 10 seconds max that disappear every 24 hours. The goal? To allow users to have fun without any remnant online. Yes people can still do screenshots and use other tricks to save some publications, but the general idea is that what happens in Snapchat disappears…

So since few weeks ago, we can discover countries like Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinee, Burkina Faso, Cameroon (to name only those I am following), thanks to people on site. The concept is a bit different from the one already existing on Snapchat that allows many people to post snaps which are then compiled to present a city, country or an event. In this particular case, Africans living on the continent and elsewhere are guests on the account for a day and present their city or an ongoing event.

It’s a way for different Africans worldwide to share their daily lives, culture, and projects. Like any business there are occasional slippages. Some appearances are criticized on social networks. But overall, the spirit is great. Some take the opportunity to promote their schools, their personal initiatives and share their vision of development for Africa. I recently watched a Ted Talk about whether the future of Africa is online. And now with all these initiatives, I am more than certain about it. To be aware of everything and because it’s better to discover it yourself, follow the snap accounts of the African communities.

 Les Africains sont sur Snapchat ! 

C’est vraiment un plaisir pour moi de découvrir la culture de certains pays Africains à travers snapchat. Je ne sais pas qui a eu l’idée de créer un compte snapchat communautaire mais chapeau à cette personne ! Alors j’espère que vous n’êtes pas perdus. Si c’est le cas je vous explique. Wikipedia définit snapchat comme une application de partage de photos et de vidéos disponible sur les plates-formes mobiles de types iOS et Android. Mais moi je dirais que Snapchat à l’instar de Facebook, Instagram et Twitter est un réseau social. Seulement Snapchat permet aux utilisateurs de poster des photos et des vidéos de 10 secondes max qui disparaissent chaque 24h. L’objectif ? Permettre aux internautes de s’amuser sans que certaines traces demeurent. C’est vrai qu’on peut toujours faire des captures d’écran et user d’autres astuces pour enregistrer certaines publications, mais l’idée générale est que ce qui se passe dans snapchat disparaisse…

Alors depuis quelques temps, on peut découvrir des pays comme le Sénégal, la Cote d’ivoire, la Guinée, le Burkina Faso, le Cameroun (pour ne citer que ceux que je suis actuellement), grâce à des personnes sur place. Le concept est un peu différent de celui qui existait déjà sur snapchat et qui permet à plusieurs personnes de poster des snaps qui sont ensuite compilés pour présenter une ville, un pays ou un évènement. Dans ce cas particulier, des Africains se trouvant sur le continent ou ailleurs sont invités sur le compte pour une journée et présentent leur ville ou un évènement en cours.

C’est un moyen pour différents Africains à travers le monde de partager leur quotidien, culture, et projets. Comme toute entreprise il y a parfois des dérapages. Certaines apparitions sont critiquées sur les réseaux sociaux. Mais dans l’ensemble, l’esprit est top. Certains en profitent pour faire connaitre leurs écoles, leurs initiatives personnelles et partager leur vision du développement pour l’Afrique. J’ai récemment regardé un Ted Talk sur la question de savoir si l’avenir de l’Afrique se trouve en ligne. Et aujourd’hui avec toutes ces initiatives, j’en suis plus que certaine. Pour ne plus rien ratez et parce qu’il est mieux que vous les découvrez par vous-même, suivez-vous aussi les comptes snapchat des communautés Africaines.

Ivorian Community Snapchat Account

Qui d'autre que toi? / Who else than you?

English version at the bottom :)

Il y a longtemps que je cherche le bon angle pour aborder ce sujet. Aujourd’hui je me lance en essayant d’être brève. J’aime demander aux Africains qui étudient ou travaillent à l’étranger ce qu’ils comptent faire plus tard. Rentrer au pays, ou rester chez l’hôte. Je suis contente de constater que bon nombre des enfants du continent veulent retourner au berceau. Malheureusement, ils sont également nombreux ceux qui pensent qu’il vaut mieux rester là où la connexion internet est rapide, l’accès à l’eau et au courant impeccable, la création d’une entreprise sans tracas, enfin où le développement existe déjà et que l’on peut se la couler douce.

Remarquez bien que je ne parle pas de ceux qui veulent rester à l’étranger mais travailler pour développer leur pays en y investissant. Je pense que la encore ça passe. Mais je parle de ceux qui m’ont sorti « le pays est trop corrompu, on ne peut pas y faire les affaires facilement ». Ou encore, « qu’est-ce que mon pays a fait pour moi ? »

Euh, le pays est-il une personne ? Qui fait le pays ? Qui gère le pays ? Mon professeur d’économie de développement a l’habitude de nous dire que nous ne devons pas nous en vouloir lorsqu’on parle des aspects hideux de nos pays en cours. Par contre, dans 10 ans, si la situation n’est pas meilleure, eh bien ce sera de notre faute. Parce qu’aussi surprenant que ça peut l’être, le pays n’est pas un individu à part entière... Le pays c’est vous, c’est moi, et c’est à nous de faire en sorte que les futures générations bénéficient de ce qu’on pense avoir manqué. 

Alors dites-moi, si le pays est corrompu, qui doit changer les choses ? Si vous décidez que ce n’est pas de votre faute si les choses vont mal, doit-on ressusciter ceux qui sont déjà morts et ont tenu les rênes de l’abime pour qu’ils arrangent les choses ? On pourrait accuser le pouvoir en place, mais il n’est pas éternel. Si le gouvernement ne fait rien et que toi aussi tu ne fais rien, ce n’est pas par un tour de magie que les choses changeront. Si la tête souffre de gangrène, il y a de fortes chances que le cou et les autres parties du corps seront affectés. Alors les personnes qui bénéficient d’un mauvais système ont plus d’intérêts à le maintenir en place. Pourquoi voudrais-tu qu’une personne dont les parents ont payé les études grâce à la corruption, y mette un terme ? Pourquoi voudrais-tu qu’un ministre qui renfloue son propre compte bancaire décide tout d’un coup de donner sa vie à l’intégrité et améliorer les conditions de vie du peuple ? Ça pourrait arriver, mais soyons réalistes ! En Afrique nombreux sont les leaders politiques qui pensent exagérément (et illégalement) aux intérêts des leurs avant ceux du peuple. Ce n’est pas uniquement en les fustigeant sur les réseaux sociaux que les choses vont changer. Ce n’est pas en restant en occident qu’on va supprimer ce qui nous fait fuir notre pays. Et c’est valable pour ceux qui sont au pays et qui passent leur temps à se plaindre plutôt qu’à chercher des solutions. A un moment, il faut replier ses manches.

Alors si ce n’est pas toi, s’il te plait dis-moi qui ? 

Who else than you? 

For so long I have been looking for the right angle to talk about this subject. Today I will just try to be brief. I like asking Africans studying or working abroad what they are planning to do later. Returning home, or staying at the host country. I'm glad to see that many of the continent's children want to return to the cradle. Unfortunately, there is also a considerable amount of Africans who think that it is better to stay where the internet connection is fast, access to water and electricity perfect, creating a business easy, and finally where development already exists and they can just take it easy.

Notice that I am not talking about those who want to stay abroad but work to invest in their home country. I think this should be okay. But I am talking about those who told me “there is too much corruption in the country, we can’t invest there.” Or “what has my country done for me?

Uh, Can you tell me if your country is a person? Who makes a country? Who runs it? My development economics professor used to tell us that we should not blame ourselves when we talk about the hideous aspects of our countries in class. We are not responsible for the current situation. However in 10 years if things don’t get better, well it will be on us. Because as surprising as it may be, the country is not an individual in its own right… The country is you and me and it is our responsibility to ensure that the future generations will benefit from what we believe to lack. 

So tell me, if the country is corrupted, who needs to change it? If you decide that it's not your fault if things go wrong, should we resurrect those who already died and held the reins of the abyss so that they solve everything? Things will not get better by a magic trick if neither you nor the government does anything. We could continue to accuse those in office, but they are not eternal and they are as humans as us. Moreover, if the head is suffering from gangrene, there are chances that the neck and other body parts will be affected too. So the people currently taking advantage of a bad system have more interests in maintaining it. Why would you want someone whose studies have been paid through corruption to put an end to it? Why would you want a minister to stop furnishing his bank account, give his life to integrity and improve the living conditions of the population? It could happen but let’s be realistic! In Africa, most of the politicians put their own interests before the ones of the people. It is not only by criticizing them on social networks that things will change. It is not by staying in the West that we will eliminate what made us flee our own country. I am not saying that only for those abroad but also for the Africans at home who spend their time complaining rather than looking for solutions. At some point, we need to withdraw our sleeves.

So please tell me who else than you should change your country?

Empowering the African Youth !

Last Thursday, I woke up at 7:30 am and my phone displayed -10°C. There is no need to tell you that I automatically heard this smooth voice saying “It is okay if you cancel everything and go back to sleep.” My bed was so comfortable and deliciously warm that I didn’t want to leave it and go out. Fortunately I thought about everything I planned for the day, the people who were counting on my presence and I finally said “Goodbye bed, see you soon.” THANKS GOD I had victory over my laziness. My day was so great that I would definitely do it again if I was asked to.

I had the immense pleasure to volunteer with Books for Africa and discover what people are doing there. So here is the short story. “Books for Africa was founded in 1988 as a non-profit organization by Tom Warth, whose dream was to ship donated books to the children of Africa. Tom’s visit to a Ugandan library, where books were almost nonexistent, inspired him to create a system for collecting discarded books from American schools, libraries, and publishers to send to Africa.”

I was very excited to be in this cold warehouse full of wonders… We sorted out books according to the subject (math, leisure, art, science…) and to the audience (elementary, middle, high schools, university). I don’t know how to explain what I was exactly feeling. I wanted to read most of the books I had on hands but despite the fact that I couldn't, I felt happy to know that someone else would be able to do so. Many people including myself, take for granted this chance that they have to learn, to travel by turning a page. According to the United States Agency for International Development, forty-six million African children have never set foot in a classroom. Moreover, 10 to 20 of those kids having the chance to go to school may have to share one textbook.

Books for Africa is the world’s largest shipper of donated books to Africa. In 2013 alone, they shipped 1.5 million books, 775 computers and 3 law libraries valued at over $22 million to 21 countries. They also shipped French-language books from Paris to Cameroon in July and to Guinea in October 2014. The books are collected at the Books For Africa warehouses in St. Paul, Minnesota and Atlanta, Georgia from individuals, book companies, publishers, schools and libraries. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This is the reason why BFA is working to end the book famine in Africa and give the chance to millions of children to improve their lives and help realize a better future for Mama Africa.

As you can see on the next picture, there are many ways to get involved in this wonderful journey of empowering the African youth. 

I talked about the organization with one of my friends and he asked “Why are we the ones always receiving?” Of course he was wrong because other parts of the world also receive some helps in many domains. But still, it is true and sad to see that African countries depend so much of the others’ charities. Although I am grateful for this opportunity given to millions of kids, I wish that one day we won’t have to rely on exterior aid to solve our own issues. It is great to discover other places, cultures through the books but as Chimamanda NgoziAdichie said, we should not have a single story of what books are. I hope that in addition of books from other parts of the world, there will also be more African books (both leisure and academic ones) written by and about Africans that will be spread around the continent. Books are powerful so let’s use them to tell and learn our own story.

After two hours in this wonder-room, I left to bridge the gap between surplus and need of medical supplies with Medshare. I told you…I had a great day J

 

  

Back To High School !

Remember in my lastarticle I talked about my reluctance for public speaking. I also mentioned the means I am using to get out of my comfort zone despite all my fears. Then guess what? I made a huge step (it’s huge for me) in that way. So here is the story. A week ago I received an email from an international advisor saying that the director of the International Student & Scholar Services needed an African girl to speak at her daughter’s High School. I was like “Can I do this?” and then I thought “Why not?” This was a great opportunity to improve my oral communication and presentation skills. After thinking about it for few seconds, I decided to get into the train. 

The first thing I can say after that day is that I love my country. Yes I already knew that but it was like discovering it again. I was supposed to speak to two seventh grade social studies classes about my country. There was also a graduate student from Niger who accepted to be a speaker on the occasion. I did not really know what I could speak about so I decided to take few facts I like about Cote d'Ivoire. The students of Griffin Middle School were enthusiastic and eager to learn more about Africa. I would like to share with you what I actually showed to my young audience. And additionally give you some facts I learned from my co-speaker presentation.

1-     The food is actually what I love and miss the most from Cote d’Ivoire. Alloco and attieke are definitely the best dishes in the world. 

2-     I was shocked when I saw Americans eating peanut butter with bread. We rather use it to cook a sauce and eat with rice. 

3-     Each time you eat chocolate there is at least 34.5% chance that it was made from cocoa produced in Cote d’Ivoire. 

4-     There are more than 60 tribes in Cote d’Ivoire contributing to the cultural diversity. 

5-     Michael Jackson is not only the king of the pop, he is also a prince from Krinjabo Kingdom located in…Ivory Coast of course J

6-     Even if loincloths and bazin fabric are considered as African fabrics, they are actually from other countries like Holland (wax) and Great Britain (bazin). But we still have our own local fabric like you can see on the picture. 

My brother trying to weave and some dresses made from African fabrics

7-     We recently inaugurated the third bridge of Abidjan, the economical capital but we also have a lot of Liana Bridges in the country. They are handmade and only few initiated people know how to make them. 

8-     We have the biggest religious building in the world: La Basilique Notre Dame de la Paix de Yamoussoukro. Yes, even bigger than St Peter’s basilica in Vatican.  

9-     We have a mix of both tradition and modernity but unfortunately, modernity tends to overshadow all these traditions we are supposed to be proud of. 

10- Although they gave us a lot of heartbreak when playing together, our soccer team called “The Elephants” had and has some of the greatest players in the world. 

Here are few things I learned about Niger…Thank you Bachir J 

1-     It is not uncommon to see a man riding a camel in the cities. There was even a  picture where we could see a camel in a Taxi. See it by yourself. 

2-     The Fulani, one tribe of Niger, claims to have the most beautiful girls of the country. I can’t blame them for that because the Fulani women are actually gorgeous. 

3-     There is a ceremony during which the Fulani men try to apply the best make up on their face in order to get the women’s attention. 

4-     It is considered an insult to refuse the tea from a Touareg (another tribe of the country). 

5-     There are so much sand in Niger that they do ski on sand. Yes you read it correctly, SAND SKI!

Although I had a great experience, I was sad to notice that there are so many things about Cote d’Ivoire that I don’t know. The most important thing I need to do is to be able to speak my hometown language before I die in chaa Allah. Then I wish I will discover more of the folklore that the country has to offer. Finally I am so glad I took part in this journey and again, getting out of your comfort zone is always rewarding!!!

Bridging the gap between surplus and need

When I was younger like a lot of children, I wanted to be a doctor. Years later, I decided to take another path because I would not be able to stand the sight of too much blood… However, I wanted to find a way to work with healthcare organizations. So now I am interested in some activities related to healthcare (which does not include pools of blood).

I recently had the opportunity to volunteer with a great organization that a lot of people don’t know about and this is the main purpose of this article: spread the word about Medshare.

Did you know that U.S hospitals generate more than two million tons of medical waste each year?  On the other side, some surgeons in developing countries use the same gloves for different patients, washing them until they tear. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 10 children under the age of five die in the developing world due to inadequate medical care. This is the reason why I want to talk about Medshare.

Medshare is a non-profit organization with the mission of bridging the gap between surplus and need of medical supplies around the world. To date, the Southeast Region in partnership with local hospitals have shipped 670 containers of medical supplies and equipment in countries in need. However as you can guess the need is constant, and even increasing especially in Africa with the spread of Ebola.

Whoever you are, you can participate in making a better world. Volunteers are always in need in the different chapters (San Leandro CA, Decatur GA, and Secaucus NJ). Donors are welcomed to support the mission through medical or financial donations. 

If you are interested in volunteering, donating, or learning more about the mission of Medhare, here is the website of the organization. You can also find the requirements to be a recipient. Medshare provides supplies to non-profit organizations only. 

Take a look at some pictures of my first day with this amazing organization. I found out that my country is also a recipient of medical supplies. 

Volunteers at work ...

I just read Purple Hibiscus !

While reading an excellent book, I always wish I didn’t read it just to be able to do it again. I am not crazy, I just wish I could rediscover the same feelings, feel the same first time sensation... This is exactly what recently happened while I was reading Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Miles away from my continent, I was very pleased to discover similarities between different countries of Africa. With a big smile on my face, I was remembering some scenes at the village, the church, in family… Nigeria was suddenly not so much different from Ivory Coast.

Purple Hibiscus is a story told by Kambili a fifteen-year old teenager oppressed by her fanatically religious father. In Kambili’s home, there is no place for laughs. Although her father is a well-respected and generous man in his community, he is also violent and absurdly severe with his own family. As Chimamanda said about him, “there are lot of people who are kind and generous and thoughtful, but in the name of religion, do all sorts of awful things.”

Purple Hibiscus evokes religion, love, family but also the politics in Africa. My favorite characters are Amaka and her younger brother Obiora. On one side, there is a girl so tied to her African culture that she refused to get confirmed because she was supposed to choose an English name. On the other side, there is a boy who seems more mature than his age and who dreams about United States because of the bad political climate in his country.

I particularly loved the typically African names, the common African expressions and the traditions you can guess it…typically African. I just wanted to go back in my village and learn more about my story from the elders.

I hardly tried not to give you an extended summary of the novel nor did I wanted to show you how much I actually loved it. I believe that when a book received too much appreciation, the reader tries to discover it as he has been told about instead of having his own feelings.

Therefore please guys, discover Purple Hibiscus by yourself, or through Kambili’s eyes.

Picture: The Guardian 

NB: For Beyonce’s fans, Chimamanda is the voice you hear in the song flawless. I hope this will triggers your desire to read her book. 

French Review