CYLS 180: Pt 1 - Connecting The African Continent & The Diaspora with Bridget Boakye

2020-09-15

Episode Summary In this episode of Create Your Life Series, Bridget Boakye talks about moving from Ghana to New York at the age of ten and how those dual life experiences provided her with the discipline and motivation to become a writer and advocate for Africa. Bridget and Kevin discuss the artificial construct that has been created to portray Africa to the world and the ways they are creating a new narrative to effect powerful change. Listen in to learn about China in Africa, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and more. Kevin Y....

Episode Summary

In this episode of Create Your Life Series, Bridget Boakye talks about moving from Ghana to New York at the age of ten and how those dual life experiences provided her with the discipline and motivation to become a writer and advocate for Africa. Bridget and Kevin discuss the artificial construct that has been created to portray Africa to the world and the ways they are creating a new narrative to effect powerful change. Listen in to learn about China in Africa, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and more.

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author. The former MTV Networks host and NYC fashion marketer has created an international following as a speaker on personal excellence, effective communication, and leadership. Kevin has been featured by Black Enterprise magazine as a “Modern Man of Distinction” and highlighted in various publications for his self-help speaking work and helping students graduate college debt-free. Recognized for his commitment to empowering foster care youth and as a foster care system alumnus, he has also delivered the keynote address at the International Foster Care Organizations Conference in Sydney, Australia, and Osaka, Japan. Kevin is currently the creator/host of Sirius XM’s “Create Your Life” series, a fellow in the New York Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Bridget Boakye

Bridget Boakye is a data scientist, entrepreneur, and writer on a mission to bridge the gap, to connect people, businesses, and, most importantly, perspectives on the African continent and in the Diaspora.

Having grown up in both the U.S. and Ghana, Bridget has a deep connection to the movements in both places and she uses this privilege of perspective to share experiences, trends, and insights that move both the continent and Diaspora forward.

On the day to day, Bridget works as a data scientist and consultant, using data to improve business and economic/social-welfare outcomes. She also writes data-driven articles to influence and inform public opinion. On her website, www.boakyeb.com, you can find her newest featured works and her latest blog posts.

She is also the co-founder and chief strategist for Africans on China where they advocate for and elevate the African voice on Sino-African relations, and Women’s Corner GH, a collective to strengthen women’s voice in content creation and storytelling in Ghana.

Bridget is passionate about data/technology, education, economics, development, history, women’s rights, as well as pop culture, music, travel, and health/fitness. She is a proud member of the Global Shapers Accra Hub of The World Economic Forum.

Insights From the Episode

Benefits Bridget received from transitioning from Ghana to the United States and back to Ghana and how those experiences helped shape her future.
How Bridget maintained her identity while navigating cultural expectations in Ghana and America.
The secret for developing the discipline to accomplish your goals.
How to change the narrative of Africa that was created by American Imperialism by using social media.
Details on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it is impacting African resources and innovation.

Quotes From the Show

“I must say that some of my formative experience, in terms of defining who I am as a person now, definitely came from my educational experiences in the [United States].” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180
On being an African immigrant in America: “I’ve always had this sense that I’m navigating a dual identity.” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180
What compelled Bridget to write: “Creating another million-dollar business isn’t going to change another person on the continent’s perception about what it is, what’s going to change it is the narrative we tell ourselves about who we are.” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180
“In order to develop discipline you have to care about the thing you’re doing.” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180
On China positioning themselves in Africa: “If Africans don’t believe they’re not inferior to Chinese, who cares what a Chinese person has to say?” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180
On the narrative of African inferiority: “Part of that is who has the ability to amplify the voice of whether someone is inferior or superior.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #180
“I’m Black-American. We have the most dominant culture in the world, but we don’t own it.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #180
On social media versus mainstream media: “There is nothing CNN can show that is going to move the needle in the way that our own people are going to move the needle when they have the access (to social media).” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180
“Africa doesn’t need to be saved.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #180
“There’s this idea that there’s a lot of talent on the (African) Continent but there’s not enough opportunity or enough access.” – Bridget Boakye, Create Your Life Series, #180