I believe that the strength of intellect and creativity embodied by the current generation of young Africans has the power to impact the world in profound ways. Likewise, I believe that society’s next great geniuses will be African born and African educated. I know this because I am devoted to giving young Africans the time, space, education, and resources to grow into their vast potential, in the same way that, so many years ago, the humble, brilliant educators in Tanzania created a space for me to thrive. To get to where I am today.
An example of an organization that is driven by the importance of Art in Africa is The Muse Creative Studios in Khartoum, Sudan. We had the privilege of speaking to them to learn more about Art in Sudan, and what they are doing to make a difference.
The Muse is a creative enterprise that aims to promote art in Sudan. Founded in 2019 by Reem Al Jeally, it was built off the lack of support and representation of Artists in Sudan. Despite there being a cornucopia of talented artists in Sudan, they often remain in the shadows. Without proper support, a thriving community of creatives remains dormant. An unfortunate reality that many African countries can relate to. One that is, however, slowly changing.
It is estimated that nearly 4 million people were in the streets in Khartoum on October 30th calling for Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to step down after the prime minister he shared power with–Abdalla Hamdok–was arrested and Burhan claimed control of the government. During the march, three protesters were confirmed killed. In the evening, word came from the SPA of its intent to meet with the various leaders of the movement, including resistance committee heads, to discuss the next steps in the protest.
The importance of breast milk to infant nutrition is second to none. In fact, WHO in acknowledging the same has encouraged exclusive breastfeeding and skin-to-skin practice to reduce infant mortality rates and donated breast milk as the first alternative for premature babies and low birth weight babies. A move that has since seen over 600 milk banks open up in more than 60 countries globally. Kenya is among those countries having opened the first milk bank within the Eastern Africa region in 2019 at the Pumwani Maternity Hospital.
Today, Nearly half of university graduates in Sub-Saharan Africa are unable to land jobs. The proliferation of smartphones, high speed internet and the digitization of our economy means that Africa will need a talent base that will possess the needed skills to support this infrastructure.
In order for there to be continuous development in the years to come, Africa must bridge the skills gap and provide employment opportunities for our youth. On our last visit to Accra, Ghana we met Richard Brandt, an amazing young Entrepreneur, Educator and Technologist who has dedicated his work to addressing the above challenge.