Celebrating African Women Culture Shifters in the Diaspora

We are celebrating African women in the diaspora community that inspire us in many ways because of how they are shifting culture in their various spaces of work. Every year around this time, we like to curate some type of list of the women we have our eyes on for the year and all the amazing work they are doing. These women have been studied, handpicked and trailed for some time.  Personally as EIC, I have either had coffee, skype chatted, or blatantly stalked their linked in profiles. 

We wanted to highlight women who you may not hear about every day on the "big screen" but are doing amazing work in their various spaces most of these women are professionals who are also running their businesses at the same time. What's not to celebrate and applaud? We present this year's list of culture shifters in the Diaspora. Get to know them and celebrate them all year round. This list is not curated as a ranking list but more so as a celebration list. 

Sulafa Salim, Dawa Apothecary, Canada 

Sulafa is a trainer, facilitator, project manager, but more than anything else, she is a connector. She is the founder of Dawa Apothecary, bringing her expertise as a health and wellness consultant together with her desire to connect women of color to a wellness space that is tailored specifically for them. 

For more on Sulafa and her work visit www.dawaapothecary.com 

Eyitemi Popo, Ayiba Magazine, Canada 

Eyitemi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Ayiba Magazine. She is a Master of Digital Experience Innovation graduate from the University of Waterloo and an alumna of Mount Holyoke College. She also holds a graduate certificate in digital publishing from New York University. She also founder of Girls Trip a community built to encourage African millennial women to travel across Africa whilst also doing good. 

For more on Eyitemi's work visit www.ayibamag.com 

Dr. Nwando Olayiwola, Inspire Health SOlutions LLC & Association of Minority Women Professionals, The United States 

Dr Nwando Olayinka is  CEO and Founder of Inspire Health Solutions, LLC and the Association of Minority Women Professionals, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also the Chief Clinical Transformation Officer of RubiconMD, a leading technology company that provides electronic consultations between physicians to improve access to care. She also serves on the board of the African Women's Development Fund-USA. 

For more on Nwando's work visit: http://www.drnwando.com/

Cynthia Amo, Africans Gone Natural, The United States 

Cynthia Amo has garnered tremendous success in her platform and online community Africans Gone Natural. A community that seeks to empower and uplift and educate African women about their natural hair. She has move on along with her partner to launch Afrikinky a product line that focuses on natural products from Africa necessary for hair, skin and body. Cynthia is also an accountant by day and serves on the board of the African Women's Development Fund USA. 

For more on Cynthia's work visit www.afrikinky.com 

Farai Simoyi, The Narrativ, Bloom The United States 

We love a good concept shop with African owned luxury brands. This is exactly what our girl Farai is doing in her Brooklyn owned concept store the Narrative, where she hosts various global eclectic African owned brands. Farai also hosts a gathering for women entrepreneurs called Bloom. 

For more on Farai and her work visit www.thenarativ.com 

Rita Oluchi, The Building You Foundation & Corporate Black Girl, The United States

There is nothing that makes us happier than seeing other black women helping other black women to succeed. This is exactly what Rita Oluchi is doing with her company corporate black girl, a company that is focused on supporting black women in corporate America to land their dream jobs. Rita has also recently launched the Nigeria version of Corporate Black Girl, Corporate Black Girl Nigeria. 

For more on Rita and her work visit https://www.thebyf.org

Farai Mubaiwa, African Matters, The United Kingdom

                                                    

Farai Mubaiwa is project manager at The Aurum Institute, a leading African TB and HIV research and implementation institute. She is a Queen’s Young Leader for South Africa for 2017, a One Young World Ambassador and a King’s Principal’s Global Leadership Award Recipient. She is also co-founder of Africa Matters. 

For more on Farai's work visit www. Africamatters.com

Stephanie Quaye, Naa Duku, The Netherlands 

        

Headwrapping became very special to Stephanie when she started to wear it more often in the year 2015.  She drew many to her creative sense of headwrapping in the Netherlands. With her Ghanaian cultural heritage she has found a way to infuse her creativity, culture and womanhood into her brand Naa Duku a brand that aims to bring women together to equip them with the art of styling and wearing inspired headwraps. 

For more on Stephanie's work visit www.naaduku.com 

Adaku Ezeudo, Phoenix Rize, Denmark

          

Adaku Ezeudo is on a mission to engage, educate and empower individuals, companies and organisations to recognise the value of diversity & Inclusion. She is passionate about creating
platforms which celebrate ethnic and cultural diversity, explore differences and embrace multiple
ways of thinking and working together. Founder of PhoenixRize, she is a Diversity & Inclusion
Consultant, trainer, life coach, mentor and speaker. 

For more on Adaku's work visit: http://phoenixrize.ie/

Micheala Turay, MQ Events LLC , The United States 

           

With a keen eye for details, beauty and glam, Micheala has found a way to turn her passion for curating impeccable events with her business MQ events. She is a mother and enjoys spending time with her daughter whilst taking on the events world with  a bang.  Micheala plans everything from weddings, to small launch events, to birthday parties and constantly brings a unique flare to every event she produces. 

For more on Micheala's work visit www.mqevents.com

Maria Bradford, Maria Bradford Kitchen, The United Kingdom 

     

Maria Bradford is a creative culinary artist and genius, she is of Sierra Leonean heritage, based in the United Kingdom. She utilizes her love for food, culture and people to share Sierra Leonean inspired cuisine with the world. You can find her creating some of the most artistic and mouth watering dishes which are Sierra Leonean inspired with a global palette. 

For more on her work visit mariabradfordkitchen.com 

Rashidat Oyegunle, Tailoring Needs, The United States 

  

If you don't know who Rashidat Oyegunle is, stop what you are doing right now and follow her brand Tailoring Needs.  Tailoring needs is a one stop shop for all things African fashion. The platform helps you find the nearest custom wear fashion designer. Rashidat is also an engineer by day. 

For more on Rashidat's work visit www. tailoringneeds.com

Wura Kolawale, Miss Wu on Hair, The United States  

No one should have a wedding and not hire Wu for their wedding hair style.  Wura is a hair stylist, enthusiast and as she calls herself a "Hair Slayer". She is also a grade school teacher by day and a firm believer in Jesus Christ 365 days of the year. 

For more on Wura's work visit www.misswuvirginhair.com 


Mahawa Kamara, Mahawa Kamara Consults Ltd., The United Kingdom 
                                         
Mahawa Kamara has been dedicated to supporting business professionals in the design of their business. Looking for business development support ranging from business strategy and beyond? Mahawa is the person you need. She centers her business around faith, family and business. She is also owner of the Soap Connoisseur a skin luxury company.
For more on her work visit www.mahawakamara.com 

Aisha Addo, Power to Girls Foundation & Driver Her App, Canada 

Aisha is a graduate in Business Administration and uses her true passion and dedication in ensuring girls around the world are provided with the guidance and resources that help them identify their true purpose and calling to reach their full potential. She founded Power To Girls Foundation a non for profit organization that helps offer mentoring to girls. She is currently launching her DriverHER app a ride sharing service for women by women which is her latest initiative.

For more on her work visit www.aishaaddo.com 

Wunmy Eyiwunmi, Those African Chicks Podcast, The United States 

Wummy is the curator of the podcast Those Africa Chicks, she is a firm believer in telling stories about African women that breaks the typical monolith about our lives. On her podcast she explores, femininity, womanism, identity and many other topics. 
For more on her work visit http://www.thoseafricanchicks.com/about


Desiree Young, Vice President Programs, Tory Burch Foundation, The United States 

Désirée is the Vice President of Programs at the Tory Burch Foundation. She is involved in several philanthropic efforts including her most recently led Cotton Tree Philanthropy Advisors, a company she started in 2012. Prior to that, she lived in Nigeria working as the Director of Entrepreneurship & Leadership Development for the Tony Elumelu Foundation. She began her career in philanthropy at the Robin Hood Foundation in New York and later at Synergos Institute, an international development organization connecting philanthropists to solve complex social issues. She is an active board member of several organizations in the U.S. and abroad.


For more on Desiree visit http://www.toryburchfoundation.org

Sarah, Nakintu Kintu New York, Switzerland 

Sarah is founder and creative director of Kintu New York a handmade global bag curated with Italian leather and Kenyan craftsmanship. Sarah is on a mission to preserve artisanship, culture and her love for travel all in one brand. Her brand brings a refreshing vibe to the fashion industry. Sarah is of Ugandan heritage and is a true social entrepreneur with experience in working across industries and companies such as Google, Aol and many others. 

For more on Sarah's work visit https://www.kintunewyork.com/


Edwina Kulego, Essentials by Edwina, The United States 

Born and raised in Sweden by Ghanaian parents, Edwina Kulego manages International Business Development at UBM Fashion Group. Edwina is the founder and CEO of Essentials by Edwina; A vegan, make up collection in partnership with Celfie Cosmetics. She began her career working for Zara/Inditex Group, as a Sales Manager in Copenhagen Denmark. 

For more on Edwina's work visit www.edwinakulego.com 

Susy, Oludele, The United States 

Susy is a hair creative genius, she owns a hair shop in brooklyn by the name of Hair by Susy where she creates the most eclectic, creative masterpieces for women's hair. She is known for creating hair styles for Solange, Beyonce and many other celebrities. Susy doesn't just stop at her hair shop, she also recently released a book titled Lady a collection of women and celebrating their various identities with hair at the center of it all. 

For more on Susy's work visit www.hairbysusy.com 

Bosschiques on the Rise: 5 millennial Sierra Leonean creative entrepreneurs to watch

Sierra Leone like most African countries has seen an upsurge in youth unemployment, with little to minimal opportunities for youth even as they graduate college, young women in Sierra Leone are not sitting by and letting the status quo define them. As we celebrate Global Entrepreneurship week, we thought it would be good to highlight 5 of the millennial in Sierra Leone taking the entrepreneurial landscape by storm. We celebrate the many young female owned business in Sierra Leone.

Mahawa Lahai:  Chelma's Design 

A boutique be spoke accessories company, Chelma is bold, creative and out of the box in the accessories and clothing they create. The founder  Mahawa Lahai takes pride in hand making every accessory fit for women men and caters to specific occasions as well, including weddings, parties, etc. From frill earrings, to peplum belts, to hand made crossage flowers for weddings, to kids clothing, Chelma is your one stop accessory and clothing  spot if you want something unique for your occasion and out of the box. Tell her what you want ad she will make it come alive. For more on Chelma Designs Chelma's Design.

Kaata Peters & Maama Minah : JNAP Ventures 

Two years ago JNAP Ventures an enterprise was founded by two sisters Kaata Minah-Peters and Her sister Maama Minah. The company provides extra academic activities and extra curricular activities for children ages 5-15. In addition to their services the company provides event planning and curated child experiences in the form of kiddie birthday parties, afterschool sessions etc. The company also provides personalized  apparel for various events such as birthday parties, workshop etc. For more on JNAP Ventures visit JNAP Ventures.

Ramona Sankoh:  Monaj Designs

From ankara inspired planners, to handmade earrings and funky fanny packs, Ramona Sankoh's pieces are for the everyday professional woman with style. Her office accessories are what wow-ed us when we first met her at the Night Market hosted by Vickie Remoe Doherty this past December. For more on Monaj visit Monaj Designs.

                 

Favour Chidinma Martins: Dinma's Glow Makeup

What we love about Favour is her dedication to her craft. Sierra Leone is buzzing with a new upsurge of beauty experts but what truly sets any professional apart is their customer service, attention to detail, professionalism and how they connect with their clientele. This is part of who Favour is and what makes Dinma's Glow stand out. They are definitely a beauty and makeup company we have our seal on. For more on Dinma's make up visit Dinma's Glow.

Iye Jalloh: Nanurture 

With so much creativity and talent on the rise in Sierra Leone, who is there to tap into this talent, showcase the talent and help them grow? In comes Iye Jalloh founder of Nanurture an organization that connects talent with suitable clients, members, business partners, investors, sponsors and recruiters. With Nanurture around we know the creative sector in Sierra Leone will not only boom but hopefully grow and find sustainable ways to thrive and be recognized as a profession. For more on Nanurture follow their page Nanurture.

Here's Why you should own a Mode Observer Capsule Collection and more..

When Musu Kaikai went public about her new bespoke fashion brand, a subsidiary brand under her sister's well established Fashion Brand Madam Wokie, we were all ears and glistening from ear to ear. Why you may ask? We are huge fans of the young fashion enthusiast, Publicist, and humanitarian and seeing her produce apparel that mirrors what she wears and admires was a happy sight to witness. This Miriam Makeba's grace meets Tiwa Savage's creativity, topped with Ella Koblo Gulama's strength, her brand is all of this wrapped up in one. From her Gara (tye dye) Buba gowns, to her long silk dresses we are so excited about what the rest of the brand will unfold this year. 

Photocredit Mode Observer

According to Musu Kaikai; "MODE by Musu Kaikai will include clothing, apparel, jewellery and other accessories, mostly produced in Sierra Leone or sourced from my travels" Currently the brand is showcasing its Inaugural Capsule Collection, as well as beautiful hand picked  Masai Jewels from Kenya. 

Here are the  reasons you should be picking up a Mode Observe piece as soon as it hits the shelves:

Minimalist chic: The pieces have a simple, intricate and  feminine chic look that we love. Musu's use of color is spectacular, and the fabrics of choice are impeccable.

Photocredit Mode Observer

Female and African owned: Musu Kaikai is a Sierra Leonean entrepreneur who is U.K. based by way of Sierra Leone, she has served as the marketing and pr specialist to her sister's brand. 

Timeless pieces: We know 10-20 years from now you will wish you owned a Mode Observer piece. These pieces remind me of the pieces our African mother's had that we took for granted but salvaged a few. These pieces will be vintage and highly sought after.

Sisterhood: Musu's relationships with all of her sisters are goals. Watching their interactions online and offline is one that delights us and exemplifies the essence of what WCA stands for; love and sisterhood.

Mode by Musu Kaikai will be sold at Madam Wokie, 14 C Syke Street, Freetown, and online. For more on Mode Observer follow them here Mode Observer. 

Photocredit Mode Observer

Using Technology to Change the Lives of Girls in Ghana: Introducing Regina Honu

   

          

For this month we interview Regina Honu Founder of Soronko Solutions, Tech Needs Girls and 2016 Vlisco Ambassador.  It was a pleasure to talk with a woman who is leading in the tech and social entrepreneurial field in Africa. With her calm, confident charisma we had a great time learning about her work and her plan for the future, which by the way are massive and we can't wait to see them all unfold. We hope you enjoy as much as we did. 

                                                   

REGINA +CULTURE AND BACKGROUND

We begin the interview by asking Regina to describe herself to us and she shares some powerful insights on how she sees herself. This already sets the tone for the rest of the interview which we consider one word, POWERFUL.  Regina begins by stating that 

 "I think I am innovative and the reason why I think innovation describes me is I consider myself an outside the box thinker and I believe I am able to adapt to whatever situation but I make sure I pick the most innovative way to solving any problem or challenge as I come across. Whether it is n my personal life, business or attainment of my dreams. I am always thinking of how can I push myself to do things more innovative." 

                                         

She also shares her upbringing which shows us why Regina is such a trailblazer, from the day she could remember she has always stood up for herself and spoke out.  She shares some of her challenges of being silenced in her community.  Regina was  was born and raised in Ghana and had a  very interesting childhood. When she was younger,  she was told  a good girl is supposed to be seen and not heard and even now this is the case in her society. She explains to WCA that  "As a child I used to talk a lot and  people would say why don’t you tell your daughter to keep quiet and my  mom would say "let her talk!". She would explain that she didn’t now when I  would say anything important so she always allowed me to be myself. There were several attempts to silence me. I lost my voice, and when I found it I regretted that I had ever let anyone do that to me and  I said I would never let anyone take my voice. I  also promised myself that I will make sure those who don’t have a voice  will get one." 

Regina mentions to us in the interview that she knew there was something different about her. She had a  strength of  in the fact that she always thought in  patterns and numbers. She defied the stereotype of the day  that women and girls were supposed to be interested  the arts and crafts, and she chuckles when she shares " I couldn’t even do a hemline properly!". 

 Regina explains to us how she came to her field of work presently "I was good at math and calculations. When I decided to become a computer scientist, it was met with opposition, because tech was for boys and it seemed like a path not to be traveled." She explains her love for her Ghanain culture is the fact that there is a strong sense of community "One of the things I have enjoyed being a Ghanaian depending on the family you’re born into, if you have a very supportive parents you can do anything you want. The environment was really about you as an individual challenging yourself. I consider myself blessed to be in a space where choice was not taken away from me. As part of our culture we embrace community work and working together, I realized that no matter what I wanted to do, I knew I was not an island myself. This also helped me in who I am today because I rely on different stakeholders and different partnerships to bring impact into the community."

ON SELF-CARE CHECK INS

We always want to know how the Bosschiques we interview take care of themselves and balance work and life balance and Ms. Honu was no exception.  She shares with candor that she has had to master the idea of balancing her work and life, " In the beginning that was one thing I wasn’t doing very well. I was 90 percent about work and I began to fear this whole point of burnout. Nowadays I think I am doing better,  I like watching movies, I like eating and tasting different foods. I like spending time with my husband and I enjoy doing fun and adventurous things together with him, such as boxing etc. Doing new things is always an opportunity for us to spend more together."

ON TECHNOLOGY

We asked Regina to tell us about both of her ventures Soronko Solutions and Tech Needs Girls and the driving force for her starting up both ventures. 

She shares that "I had always thought about how I could give back. When I worked in corporate Ghana I thought it would be a linear progression. But I realized things weren’t as black and white. I realized that my life long dream is giving back to the community. In 2012 I quit my job I was working at a bank. There were two things I wanted to do; I wanted to use Science and technology to change Africa, even without knowing what a social enterprise was, I knew I didn’t want to be an NGO and I had seen several NGOS relying on Donors to dictate their work etc. I wanted the freedom to be able to explore and do what I felt was the best approach to solving a particular problem in the community. I thought I would start a software company that I would be self sustained. I started both at the same time, one was a way to fund my passion using science and technology I also wanted to make sure ."

                               

She then shares why she started up this amazing initiative to empower girls in technology "The first project was called Going stems, we would go into rural communities to teach kids, every time we brought out the laptop the boys will be into it and the girls wont participate. One defining moment was during the workshop one of the boy said this is not for girls and the girls said but I am a girl. So we realized that for girls to do something they needed mentors. We started it as a mentorship program with women and science and tech who teach coding, we started with 50 girls and now  we have over 3000 girls in 8 regions. We teach girls not to just consume tech but create it. Computer science is in high demand and is one of the well paid job in 10 years. It comes to economic independence for these young girls. "  

She passionately shares her passion for doing the work is that women need to be at the forefront of technology  "We cant leave women behind with tech revolution that’s happening. Women can gain a lot of skills in this industry and can use it even beyond the tech industry. Learning to code teaches you about creativity, problem solving, critical thinking so no matter what field you get into there will always be a digital component due to this skill you have acquired, the confidence for the young girls to have the confidence to be in the field, and you have the confidence to say yes that is a male dominated pathway."

Regina shares her business challenges with us her two main being Mindset and getting the appropriate support for the work. 

She explains that when it comes to mindset, due to the fact that at times low income familiies may not understand the value of technology, a lot of the work involves changing mindset of parents and families. She gives us a vivid example of where they were able to get community leaders to understand the importance of her work " We worked at an urban slum we connected with the chief and were successful in getting to parents. We had to do a lot of print outs , do radio and TV interviews to create awareness that look there can be a woman who is successful. It is important for people to see that women are visible. Because girls are busy parents think they should invest in their boys. We are changing that narrative to make sure girls are part of the support."

She shares that getting the appropriate support is necessary "We get a lot of recognition and support internationally, what will be helpful is to get more local support. I feel like we should take charge of the problem ourselves. One thing that I would like is to get more support from different stakeholders, to show that it really does take a village. We are trying to see how we can engage more within the local communities. There are the minor ones as discrimination etc.." She emphasizes the importance of human resources by mentioning a key solution " One of the things we have been able to do is we rely on social capital and social good we ask for in kind services and this is how we grow in what we are doing."

ON THE BRAND AND GROWTH 

What do you love about your brand and the work you do? And what do  you believe has contributed to the growth of your work?

 

Regina shares what most social entrepreneurs see as the most impact which is change she shares "I love the change that I see with the girls. First from when they walk in they can hardly establish eye contact. For most of them they haven’t really. To when they have actually built a website which is transformational. It gives me hope for the next generation. When I interact with the girls I am always filled with hope."

She mentions that one of the main things that has contributed to the growth of the work is the support of community.

With her recently launched tech school for girls, there is nothing stopping Regina and of course we have to know what this young mogul is working on and where her vision will take her in 10 years. 

She shares that  "The future for the tech company we work with smaller medium enterprises we want to be the backbone for them. So if you hear of a tech provider for any sme it should be us. For tech needs girls we want the really cool tech solutions to have been built by girls in our program. We would have bridge the gender gap, women owning tech companies, see a cool app build by girls in our programs. Changing the next generation of problem solvers and critical thinkers. It is about lets see what happens when women lead." 

She confidently shares one of our favorite parts of the conversations being "The next Facebook will be built by a 12 year Ghanaian girl. We are also working on  building the first all girls coding and human centered design school in West Africa (which has recently launched)" 

LOVE + SISTERHOOD 

Regina shares with other women three things they need to be successful in the tech world

being   

1. Passion: It is not going to be easy without passion you would probably give up

2. Resilence: By resilient I mean you need to be the kind of individual that can adapt and change

3. See failing as a learning experience: If you are afraid to fail you will never try anything different. If you don’t fail you don’t grow you don’t learn.

We ask her what does Sisterhood mean to her and why is it critical to our success as African women?  

Regina shares that she believes in sisterhood " because no  matter what you want to do in life there are ups and downs. You need people who can support, advice guide you and people that can help you move to the next level. Without a sisterhood what happens is that you will have women repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I think a sisterhood is very important and it is necessary for us to achieve real change and achieve gender parity to make sure all women are able to reach their full potential . When women come together magical things happen. There is a safe space, we can learn from others who have gone before us, we can impact the next generation of women. I always say women made a lot of sacrifices for us to be able to vote and speak our mind. It is important that we come together. I may do something amazing, it is like tiny, tiny, tiny it can never light anything, if we come together then there can be a bright light to shine the way for us now."

She gracefully finishes out interview as we ask her to complete the sentence  “Women Change Africa because…?”

 They are passionate, creative and resilient.