In this episode, I engage a rural social enterprise champion, Solomon Mutasa, the founder of Mutoko Green Projects. Our conversation opens the can of worms that is the polycrisis and we discursively unpack it from the perspective of rural development as rooted in real-life experiences without speculation.

Our discourse on the the Africa Continental Free Trade Area and You(th) continues and concludes in this second and last installment split-episode with Ngoni in the hosting seat, with Fidelis Kaome and Tinashe Njodzi as discussants. In the closing installation we delve deeper into the challenges and opportunities affecting youth surrounding the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. In case you missed the first installment, you can find it here ⁠The Africa Continental Free Trade Area and You(th) - Part 1⁠ Be on the hearout for Part 1 on this subject in case you missed it, which is our immediate previous episode. Photo in the thumbnail by Ghana Business News.

In this two-part episode, Ngoni in the host seat is joined by Fidelis Kaome and Tinashe Njodzi, the former an emerging researcher on matters of international relations and the latter a professional in the human rights and international affairs domain to interrogate the Africa Continental Free Trade Area as a growth and sustainable development vehicle. We set in Part 1 the history, the state of the trade bloc and its status in relation to youth on the continent. The introductory insights into the discourse are the views of and presented by Patricia Masiyakurima. Be on the hearout for Part 2 on this subject which will be our next episode. Photo in the screenshot by Ghana Business News.

In this episode, we discuss innovation in the agricultural context with award-winning agri-innovator Clive Nyapokoto whose core driving force and belief is that innovations should be born solely to address socioeconomic and environmental problems in our society.

In conversation with Sree Kumar (India) Brian Mulipah, Trish Kunaka (Zimbabwe), we discuss the emerging drug endemic following insights from various people including Liam (Zimbabwe) who says, "Substance abuse in Zimbabwe has become an endemic and heavily pronounces classism. The majority of youth who suffer from it are from poor neighborhoods where corruption and impunity allow criminals in the person of drug lords to escape the law. Another example is when the ruling party and government agreed to accord provincial hero status to a deceased drug addict known by his alias (Which I will not mention). Government only pays attention to it when it crosses Samora for example what happened when the Harare Girls students were expelled for allegedly taking drugs and then the state decided to conduct anti- drug abuse campaign. The main drivers are pop culture and impunity. The state is to blame and also NGOs at times. For example, the state is not ashamed to associate with drug dealers like Mamba (alias) in Mbare and these people eventually graduate to become Politically Exposed Persons who use their access to powerful people to escape the law or in some instances bribe the police. Pop culture uses music to normalize and propagate substance abuse for example cannabis is propagated as a harmless herb by most reggae and dance hall artistes. It also clads on fashion brands. The mis-activism to legalize it leads youth into consuming it. To add on, The NGOs themselves invite drivers of pop culture in the music industry who sang songs that promote substance abuse to come and perform at their programs without holding them accountable which is very problematic."

Be on the lookout for a bonus insights track on the drug problems and what can be done to address them through the voices of Munyaradzi Dembenuzani (Zimbabwe) and Hellen Mary (Kenya).

The discussion is hosted and moderated by Saymore Ngonidzashe (Sayid'Ali) Kativu on behalf of the Swedish Institute Alumni Network Zimbabwe.

In this episode we engage in conversation with Christabel Clotilda Mbiribidi (Zim), Isheunesu Madembo (Zim), Tafadzwa Kurotwi (Zim), Alex - Alemayehu Getachew Anberbir (Ethiopia) and Nyasha Rukanzakanza (USA) on the subject of Waste Management and Clean-Up Campaigns. Providing evidence from the different parts of the globe where they are based, the conversation revolves around the questions of:

1. What is working?

2. What is not working?

3. What is needed for these two to be of full purpose in the face of climate change?

4. How is waste management tied to inclusivity in societies and what gaps are there?

This episode was inspired by the shared global challenge in many cities of the Global South where in well under two hours following a clean-up campaign, cities are unrecognizably dirty again as if the cleaning never happened.

The discussion is hosted and moderated by Saymore Ngonidzashe (Sayid'Ali) Kativu.

Guest co-host Cuthbert Mukora, a specialist in climate programming with The Nexus Think Tank at Zarawi Trust moderates this first part of the conversation on why we should all be climate activists. Discussants are Natalie Gwatirisa, a climate champion and founder of All for Climate Action and Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa, a conservation leader working with different organisations including the one he found, Innovation Village for Young African Minds-IVYAM. Be on the lookout for the next episode, Part 2 in the coming two weeks which will be an extension and continuation of this discussion. Contact us to get in touch if you want to be part of the Discourse.

In this second episode of Global Discourses, we discuss the roles that art, music and creatives play in promoting and driving sustainable development. We draw from the art, music and creative scene in Zimbabwe with concrete examples mainly from one of the oldest residential suburbs in the capital called Mbare. Discussants who participated in the discussion are Kennedy Nyavaya, Wendy Makaza, Munyaradze Dembenuzani and Tiffany a.k.a Efuru. The discussion was hosted and facilitated by Ngoni Kativu. 

This episode provides some great insight and useful tips for those considering applying to study towards Master's Degrees at Swedish Universities beginning in 2021; specifically if you are applying for the Master's studies Scholarships that are provided by the Swedish Institute to support your studies and stay in Sweden. Three recipients of the of the scholarships provided by the Swedish Institute have put their hands and minds together to provide some key insights to set you for success with your application from the beginning. Grab a notebook, listen, write down some notes and remember them as you apply for the scholarship. All the best!