Latest / DA CREW Podcast / DA CREW PODCAST SEASON 2_ bonus EPISODE _ HOST QueenMother Dr_ ChenziRa (1)

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DA CREW PODCAST SEASON 2_ bonus EPISODE _ HOST QueenMother Dr_ ChenziRa (1) · DA CREW Podcast

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Hello, Hello, Hello, and welcome to the Crew podcast. I am
3:02
the Visionary Queen Angela and welcome to season two. I want to thank you
3:09
for tuning in and for all of your support throughout season one. We're back
3:16
them devas up the airways, so thank you for joining us tonight. Share
3:23
this with gree Day. We're gonna start with a little bit of sound something
4:01
it's a little bit more upful because it's gonna help long Day. So before
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we start filing a new legacy with your host, just check out the little
4:14
Damaging Little Virgin Islands mixed up. Gotta get that energy like becase we start
4:23
talking about serious things and that we're built a new legicine. Okay, I
4:33
got to bride a little light, got a good thing to de do colo
4:45
how the same long old big check out A d plaic a k A t
4:55
j pla even on the World Poetry. Oh my goodness, this is like
5:51
you get a chance welcome and greetings of Quaba the tap. We are really
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getting an opportunity to share what people refer to as like the pro podcast.
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A special shout out to sister Queen Angela and all the devas and tod podcasts.
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This is your host, plain mother doctor Chien Zerra. As you can
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see in my background, hailing from II Saint Croix, Budging Islands, but
6:24
we're claiming the entire Virgin Islands to be in Americas the globe, so that
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when we begin to talk about things, we're actually speaking of truth to power.
6:33
So we can actually have some conversations around things that celebrate how we build
6:41
a new legacy. What are some of the things that you consider as quote,
6:45
hashtag actionable deliverables. Let's practice that one hashtag actionable deliverables. Ooh,
6:55
and what does that look like? What are some of the things that you
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think about ID eight on edify, meditate and pray that are actionable, and
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how do you create contexts, sacred spaces to be able to do all of
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that and bring it into the forefront. I am really excited and looking forward
7:17
to welcoming my host, my co host. She said she's in, so
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I need her to be brought into the studio. I'm really excited about that
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because I am excited to be able to share with you a little bit of
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what takes place when we talk about speaking of the West on this side of
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the pond, called the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the East on the
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other side of the pond called the Atlantic Ocean. And in this case,
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we're going to be joined by someone who's really in the east, as in
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East Africa. I also think that it's important that we use this day to
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acknowledge that it's World Poetry Day, So just be prepared. You might hear
8:05
a little spit, you might hear a little something something that is connected to
8:11
how we celebrate commemorate World Poetry Day. And I think it's important that I
8:20
asked Sister Angela to definitely have my guests join. I am so honored and
8:26
pleased. I want to make sure that I provide some context to thank you
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so much. Thank you, greeting, Sister Queen Angela. I just love
8:39
when we can be that organic in these spaces, Greetings hotels, Sister Queen
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Abina. It is such a joy to be able. I like how we
8:48
can go from many conversations in the morning and then later in the day while
8:52
we know where you are. It is some hour of like three am,
8:58
so we're very grateful. Are you able to hear me? Okay, I'm
9:05
not able to hear you yet, so hopefully you'll be able to hear me
9:09
and we can make this work. But I'd like to share with my beloved
9:13
audience just a little bit of information to just give context to who has joined
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us. I'm joined by Nana Grace Abina James, and I want us to
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highlight when we say Nana, we're speaking of a sister queen. We're speaking
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of a sister queen mother, one who is regal royal and holds her space
9:35
as a as a royal in space. So I'd like to just share she's
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the managing editor, the managing director rather and CEO for Marita Technologies. She
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brings over thirty years of experience in that company. Nana Grace Abina James.
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Her training and experience has been in business and human RESCAS source management. She
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handles a variety of things with corporation registrations, managing compliance operations in three different
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countries that her company has been in. Her attention is focused on the business
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development and aspects of Maritia Technologies, finding the talents, sourcing projects and ensuring
10:20
that the mission, vision and goals of the company are achieved. In nineteen
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eighty nine, she was a member of the c fta of Canadian grassroots movement
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that advocated for shutting down a racist exhibit about Africa at the Royal Ontario Museum.
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Her focus went on too with her husband, a software architect masterful software
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architect, I should say, raising their two daughters while managing their tech company.
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In the midst of that, she lived in Ghana and while there helped
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women farmers in the brong Aho Ahafo region to be the recipient of the Women
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in Farming Project Award. Definitely applaud you for that. This led to her
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becoming a board member of the Asuaga Gari Women's co Op, assisting to expand
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the operation from six women to thirty five, increasing production in building an innovative
11:20
Gharri factory. Under her encouragement and guidance, they successfully did to install a
11:26
biofuel facility, which recently, with government support, is the first Kasava biofuel
11:33
project in Ghana, supplying power to the whole town. Her Pan African work
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expanded when she officially repatriated to Ethiopia. As a facilitator for the sixth Region
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Diaspora Caucus. Na Nana Abina organized a trade and investment conference in Ethiopia and
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afterwards Jamaica. This yielded memorandum of understanding with the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and
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a chapter in Jamaica. She resumed non governmental organization work for the Secretary of
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the Ethiopian World Federation. There she worked on refining the NGO's paperwork needed for
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them to acquire their Income Generating Status certification. In addition, nan I mean
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A created and helped mobilize the Jamaica diaspora to and met with the then Jamaican
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PM Porsche Simpson to request representation with the Ethiopian government for residency registration. She
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later moved to Kenya and through her IT company's CSR mission, provided space and
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management support to young people in visual arts. In addition, she worked with
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the Bandong Conference to provide laptops to schools and keep Anthika Women's Prison inmates.
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Also, she liaised with the Kenya Diaspora Alliance and the Jamaican Consulate in Nairobi
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to connect with the current Jamaican Prime Minister, His Honorable Wholeness PM of Course,
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to discuss collaboration on various trade projects. Nana Abina continues her NGO advocacy
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work in Tanzania as the chairperson for the Sixth Region African Diaspora Alliance in Tanzania
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and NGO four and by the African Descendants repatriating to Tanzania. The ORGANS focuses
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on helping people to repatriate, settling in, integrate into the society, get
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back to the country and contribute to advocacy work for the African descendants and their
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right to return to Africa. Na Abina, one of the founding members of
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the African Union and African Descendants High Council, is the lead Africa facilitator for
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the Sixth Region Citizenry Domicile in various countries across the continent. She acts as
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the portal for the organization which was recently created to be the governing body for
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the African Diaspora, poised to work with the African Union ORGANS to ensure we
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fulfill Article three Q of the AU's Constitutive Act. In addition, she's one
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of the representatives for the State of the African Diaspora in Tanzania, helping the
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organization establish their presence and help with the Smart city and the return of stolen
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artifacts. Nana Avina is a valiant advocate for African member states to amend their
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immigration policies to reflect their implementation of the right to return for African descendants.
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She can be found using every opportunity to educate, in form and agitate for
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changes so that we can come home and live in peace. And I'm really
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grateful that I was able to cover that particular portion. And I see that
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she's working on some of her technology and hopefully that will shift. But at
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least you have the context of what and who has joined is hopefully going to
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be able to return with us, you know. So I will just try
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to keep this going as we continue. So I would like to give a
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context of Nana Abana in terms of the relationship that we've had I had the
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joint privilege of seeing her work and action on the ground in Africa and specifically
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the manner in what she and her husband, their family, their network are
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able to help repatriates that have returned to Africa from different parts of the diaspora
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to be able to engage in income generation, to be able to be self
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supporting ultimately, you know, sustainability is crucial. It's one thing to go
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and visit another country. It's a very different reality when you are engaged in
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living in another country. And hopefully she will return as soon as our you
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know, sister Queen Angela, she should be back in this studio with us
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shortly. And this gives me an opportunity just to let people know again it's
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World Poetry Day. And one of the things that I always like about poetic
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bursts is that you get a chance, for example, have a purpose in
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all you do. Just make sure that your purpose is true. Live a
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purpose each and every day so you can live in Jahweh heal a purpose within
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your life, so your life is not full of strife. Something that simple
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poetic verse breathing technique. We do our best to be able to share that
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so I'm looking for persons that are even in the chat, you have a
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poetic verse, a few lines, it could even just be haiku. Share
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that because we are all contributors to World Poetry Day, your voice is definitely
17:18
being heard. There's another observance that we have on this day as well,
17:22
and that is the International Day where persons are observing so many different components of
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what the quote United Nations highlights, what the people refer to it as International
17:40
Race Relations Days. In some ways, some persons go as far as to
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look at the what UNESCO has in place where March twenty first is designated as
17:49
the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Money people don't really know
17:57
that part interesting that we overlook some of these things. For example, even
18:03
on the twenty fifth, and these are observances. You can easily go to
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International Days for the UE. You go to un dot org and then look
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at observances for international days and weeks and you can go by the month.
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And on the twenty first, not only is it World Poetry Day, it
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is also World down Syndrome Day. There is the International Day for the Elimination
18:29
of Racial Discrimination. The twenty second is World Water Day. There's a number
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of opportunities for how we can actually engage support and really take this work to
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the next level of what is happening internationally as well as nationally or even within
18:48
the respective region where you reside. And there were several commentaries that were offered.
18:56
They were speakers at the United Nations today sharing the importance of the elimination
19:03
of racial discrimination. And for the first time in a moment, we had
19:08
two representatives from Caracom, the Caribbean community that actually shared commentary. So it
19:18
was wonderful to see the Chair Designate, the Honorable doctor June Sumer, originally
19:26
out of Saint Lucia and she is now the Chair Designate for the United Nations
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Permanent Form for people of African descent. I think it's important that we speak
19:37
around those particular themes. I think it's important too that we highlight some of
19:42
the themes that are shared when we look at some of these quote international days.
19:48
On the twenty fifth of March, there are multiple observances. Some persons
19:55
look at these days from a variety of spectrums, but it's also the International
20:02
Day of Remembrance of the Victims of slavery and the Transatlantic slave trade, and
20:10
it gives us a time for reflection, prayer, and of course calls to
20:15
action to ensure that there's no form of enslavement that continues on the earth ever.
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Ever, not just that we should say never again, but authentically minimize
20:29
those errors of conflict by shifting and modifying the manners in which we address certain
20:37
contact. So I highlight these things because sometimes we don't get a chance to
20:41
speak to that. We talk about a number of other you know, this
20:45
is a whole time where there's a host of activities, convenings, conferences on
20:52
solidarity, like they've marked it as a week of solidarity from the twenty first
20:56
to the twenty seventh of March with the people struggling against racism and racial discrimination.
21:02
We just say a BA racism, a BA discrimination, and that stop
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that right. So it gives us an opportunity to speak these things into power,
21:18
and I'm hoping that as we keep moving forward in our discussion, I
21:25
really am looking forward to welcoming her because I know that it's very challenging to
21:30
be able to share some of this information. And I could sit here and
21:33
I could read her papers, I could show some of her videos, but
21:37
I think it's really important. And okay, so, sister Queen Angela,
21:48
are you able to get our guests in? She just come in, come
22:00
in, I'll bring her up. Yeah, and she's still here, she's
22:04
not so whenever she clicks on the blue lean, it still has to bring
22:11
her into the studio. Okay, and let's pray that this will work.
22:15
Thank you so much, okay, gif, thanks greetings. Can you hear
22:23
me? Yes? Yes, well you missed my wonderful reading of your phenomenal
22:32
bio. But I've let them know that you come with skills, talents and
22:36
expertise part excellence, and you are our you are our repatriation queen mother in
22:42
Tanzania and Africa, and we're very grateful to have you join us, Sister
22:48
Queen not. It's wonderful to have you. So we will make it work.
22:59
Yeah, yes, it's always a struggle, so yeah, yeah,
23:04
well, we're very grateful to have you here and to be able to have
23:08
some conversation. As I said early, you know, we've been having conversations
23:12
for several years now and have had the showy and privilege of seeing the level
23:18
of work. And they've heard me for a moment and I would love for
23:21
you to just share ultimately a little bit more about what is happening now.
23:26
We know that we had the opportunity to hear about different convenence recently. I've
23:32
already shared that today there's been a lot of conversation around the elimination of racial
23:37
discrimination. We've also discussed some things in regard to the forthcoming observance for the
23:45
International Day of Remembrance for the victims of slavery and the Transatlantic slave trade.
23:49
But I'd love for you to share with the audience and our viewers, our
23:53
listeners a little bit more about some of the realities on the ground. As
24:00
brothers and sisters speak of. You know, they want to go back to
24:02
Africa, which is wonderful and that works for some, but some people need
24:06
to remember you have, you have the manual, you have the book of
24:11
what really happens, because we would not like you know, some of it
24:15
is beautiful and some of it we have to prepare. So please share with
24:19
us. No No greetings again to you and to your audience. And I
24:29
would just like to say this is such an honor for me to be even
24:33
though it's virtually to be in the same space with you again. You are
24:41
one of my mentors and someone I really look up to, and so thank
24:47
you for you know, just creating the space for us to talk again.
24:55
My Sonta Santa. Yes, I'll just jump right in. The African Union
25:04
did invite us, the African descendants to come back home, and we did
25:11
accept and so since two thousand and one, we've been working on coming back
25:21
home and many have come. Even fast forward to nineteen seventy four when Julius
25:30
Nairari, the president of the country that I'm currently living in, did come
25:37
to especially specifically Jamaica and directly invited the African descendants to come back and help
25:45
to build Tanzania, because, as you know, when many of the colonies
25:52
had gained their thought for and had gained their independence, some were left with
25:59
a shell of a country, you know, and some the brain drain was
26:07
going on since then in many of the countries, and when even Halis Lassi
26:18
had made his invitation as well, and Kwamian Kruma and many others, so
26:26
we you know, have been coming in different waves throughout the years. But
26:34
recently though, since twenty twenty, there was something going on around the world
26:42
and people were already on their way to Africa. A lot were centered on
26:49
going to Ghana. But then once all of the airports were shutting down and
26:56
countries were closed, borders were closed, you know, a lot of people
27:02
found themselves being stuck. And I will use that word stuck. I have
27:07
one sister who did get to Tanzania and she was on the flight to Ghana
27:15
when she was removed from the plane because at the time, there were not
27:19
if you're not a citizen of that country, then they weren't allowing you to
27:25
enter the country. So, you know, Tanzania had it was only closed
27:32
for a month and so the airports were open. So you had a lot
27:36
of people now starting to come. There were some people that were heading for
27:38
South Africa that ended up deciding Okay, let me come in in Tanzania and
27:45
wake this thing out and then go on to South Africa. But many of
27:48
them ended up staying, you know, and unfortunately, you know, even
27:56
with YouTube these days and all of the other social media vehicles to pass on
28:03
information, enough information is still not getting out there, and enough correct information
28:10
is still not getting out there. And I am surprised, honestly. So
28:18
you have people in the US and most of the US and in other places
28:23
across Europe were coming at that time in twenty twenty without an understanding of what
28:30
goes on when you're moving from one country to the other. Many were not
28:37
aware of immigration procedures. You know. Yeah, for us, being from
28:42
the Island, we know what it's like you're going to go to whether it's
28:47
England or Canada or the US. You know, the whole going to the
28:52
embassy and doing the police report and the special medical and then your family in
28:59
the US and all of the bank statements and the job verification letters and all
29:03
of that, you know. But Americans, especially Americans, and I'll pick
29:10
on them for a little bit. They they just had no idea. Even
29:14
sometimes you know, you would I would hear people repeat what the government would
29:18
say or other people, Oh, people from Mexico or from the Caribbean are
29:22
coming and taking our jobs and are coming and you know, as as if
29:27
it's you just book up flight, get off the flight and then just go
29:32
to Burgercane and get a job. You know, they forgot, they forgot
29:37
there's a protocol. And yeah, actually many of them don't know. Many
29:41
didn't haven't even gone from their home state to visit another state, you know.
29:48
Right, so there's there's a lot of ignorance. I'm telling newss in
29:55
there's in our community. There's a lot of ignorance about just a lot of
29:59
world issues. And then as it relates to Africa, and so you have
30:03
people when they do get here not knowing that, hold on, I can't
30:07
just get off the plane and I'm pre now I'm in Africa. Let me
30:14
go get a job, let me get a house and just start, you
30:18
know, living my life. Some people actually brought all of their household items,
30:25
the bed, the pots and pans in a trailer, not realizing that
30:33
you just paid so much, thousands of dollars to bring this stuff in when
30:37
you can get similar quality items for more than half the price, less than
30:44
half the price, you know. And then then there is a process to
30:49
even clearing your goods because if you're not coming back as a resident or to
30:55
live, then some of your items could be looked at as uh commercial items.
31:03
And right, you know, so there's a there's there's some things.
31:08
There's a list of things that one should look at. And I'm pulling,
31:15
I'm trying to pull. I'm going to pull a lot of things in but
31:19
you know, I'll introject something here when I when I go to some of
31:25
these meetings online, you know, or even in person. Let's say with
31:29
Cara com and some of the Member States, and they're talking about trade and
31:33
they're talking about you know, investment opportunities and some of these this conversation that
31:42
I usually bring to the table, it's not in the conversation with these Member
31:49
States officials, these presidents and these ministers are really not discussing that whole one.
31:56
A second, if somebody from Saint Croix is coming to invest and want
32:02
to bring, you know, three months worth of clothes and some other things,
32:09
it can cause a problem and they get to the airport, you know,
32:14
and if they do come and want to stay, then there is a
32:21
process for them to do that. And so you found that a lot of
32:24
people. I've seen some of the YouTube videos and I've had conversations with people
32:30
that will say, you know, they don't want us here because they're asking
32:35
us for you know, we have to apply for residency, and we have
32:38
to apply for these things, which is normal all across the world. But
32:44
again, there's a lot of information that's missing. So fast forward to when
32:51
I think twenty twenty, around June, there was a high concentration of people
32:57
from the US, and then come around September, there was a lot of
33:01
people coming from Europe, especially the UK. So I see these waves.
33:07
I saw these waves coming at the time, and then a lot of people
33:12
were on the ground now after three months not knowing what to do, realizing
33:16
hold on a second, I'm out of status. What do I do?
33:22
And some have gone even to the immigration office and they're saying, like,
33:27
listen, too many of you are coming with these problems. Organize yourself and
33:34
then try to streamline the help and information sharing. And so a couple of
33:38
people kept coming back to me with this so within the larger group, because
33:47
I was already living on the continent since twenty ten, twenty eleven, so
33:54
I had experience and I have I've again worked with NGOs SO and didn't understand
34:02
the whole immigration and migration processes because I moved from Ethiopia to Kenya and from
34:12
Kenya to Tanzania and so it's a Anghana and so I was comfortable and familiar
34:19
with the processes of migrating. So I said, you know what, let
34:22
me help so I led the charge to create this organization, the sixth Region
34:28
African Daspora Alliance in Tanzania, and it was created to help some people were
34:36
sharing pictures, you know, on many of the social media Oh we're in
34:40
Darsm, we're in sanza Bar and it's just beautiful, come on down.
34:47
And so so when people would get in touch with some people via these social
34:54
media outlets, you know, questions will be asked that some people going to
35:00
answer. So I ended up having to give information. Okay, so before
35:04
you come, right, you don't need the yellow card if you're coming from
35:07
the US, but if you're coming from Jamaica or the care of Mean,
35:10
yes you'll need it, you know. And so preparation information was needed.
35:16
Some some things are simple, but some things you can find it to be
35:21
significant. And then when you get here, as soon as you get out
35:25
the airport, find a telephone shop and get your SIM card. And then
35:31
you know, I didn't even it didn't even dawn on me that some people
35:35
in the US were not familiar with WhatsApp. There you go, Yeah,
35:45
realities, Nana, because these are the realities that persons need. See.
35:49
When we were speaking earlier, just I don't mean to throw your thoughts off.
35:52
It's just really critical. So when persons vibe on I'd like to go
35:57
and see the Motherland, lead their really experience and said, oh my vibe,
36:01
you need to go with the right intention. Yes, but it's good
36:07
to be prepared. Traveling is just jumping on the plane and jumping off and
36:12
thinking it's just going to be bizam. You have to prepare. And that's
36:15
why I'm so grateful to have you be able to share with us on the
36:20
ground, you know, speaking to us from Tanzania, speaking to us with
36:23
this experience. So please continue, yes, thank you, because then if
36:31
if if you don't get the true heads up you would you know, you
36:37
can run into some issues that that I would say it could be avoidable,
36:42
you know, avoidable issues. Some can be very serious for some people,
36:46
you know, So it really is important to do your best. And nowadays
36:55
it's difficult to even find out what's credible information or not. But if you
37:00
check a few different sources, you'll see certain things that are common and can
37:06
extrapulate. Okay, this this should be true because it's similar in all of
37:09
these different places. You know what I'm saying, Yes, right, you
37:15
know and so so when you have people that you know, you come,
37:22
you settle in. And then we were also telling them, okay, remember
37:25
to note your dates. People were confusing the visa from a landed stamp because
37:30
you'll get a visa for one year, but when you land, you only
37:35
get a three months landed stamp. Okay, so attention, right, So
37:40
let me just get that. So you could get a visa for one year.
37:45
However, when you land, then the stamp is really for three months.
37:49
So so then what do you do? Yes, yeah, so yeah,
37:53
you pay it, you pay much attention to it. You can get
37:58
an extended. You can get an extension. The extension is only for a
38:04
month though, so if you are intending on staying, if you're coming for
38:12
a vacation or to check it out, no worries. By three months,
38:16
that's enough time for you to go to different places. See what places you
38:21
know that resonates with you. Some people like a cooler area or lushyar is.
38:28
Some people like the beach scene. You know, someone to be in
38:30
the thick of things. So that's enough time for you to really go around
38:37
a bit, get some information. Go down to the investment center, go
38:40
down to you know, check out the hospitals, things like that, and
38:49
in your process to make a good decision is this the place do I want
38:52
to stay here? And then you can right proceed with the process of staying,
39:00
you see. So for those who didn't know and then finding out and
39:07
had not gotten a chance to figure out how they're going to stay, it's
39:13
something that over time, over these last four years and now has a name.
39:19
It's called a border run. And so that's so I don't know,
39:23
that sounds that sounds that's a serious term, that means a very different thing
39:28
when you're between California and Mexico. I'm just yes, yep, yep,
39:37
exactly. Yeah, So most people are doing a border run, so you
39:43
know, they'll go to some other country in order to go and then return
39:49
and get another three months. Yes, So if you're single or it's just
39:53
a couple and you're a digital nomad so you are working, it's not too
40:00
bad and it's a nice way to get to see other places in Africa,
40:04
you know, And so yes, you can do that and most people have.
40:10
But then when you're looking at we we've come across families. One of
40:19
my my go to anecdote family is five children, husband and wife and grandmother.
40:28
So you're looking at eight people, and so to be doing a border
40:32
run every three months for eight people is expensive, right, Okay, you
40:40
just gave me another vision. So we're not just speaking one one one.
40:45
It's like a set of fees for the entire family. Mm hmm. Yeah.
40:52
Plus you know the fair to go to the next country and then hotels
40:55
day while you're there, in food and whatnot, you know, and then
40:59
to come back to get you know what I mean that that additional three months?
41:02
How long? So how long do you have to be out, Like
41:05
how long does that take? Like do you get to stay for a week?
41:09
Yeah, for a week is good. Earlier on let's say two years
41:16
ago, people were doing it for like a day or two days. Okay,
41:22
but immigration is that No, you're just going across to come back.
41:29
No, if you say you're going to visit the place, visit the place,
41:31
so you know, people, it's been like four days, two a
41:37
week, you know, and then to return. Yeah, that's amazing.
41:42
Yeah. And so if you're starting a business and that's what you're doing in
41:49
the meantime, it can be disruptive because that means you're having to leave your
41:54
operation to then go out for a week to come back, you know,
42:01
and sometimes you can't time that with other things that needs to be done.
42:07
You know, they're coming to wire the office with fiber, you know,
42:14
and it coincides with the same time that you have to leave. You know
42:16
what I'm saying. No, So I'm listening to you and we're learning a
42:21
valuable amount of information. Again for those that might have just joined us,
42:25
you're tuned into building a new legacy with our speech. This is your host's
42:31
queen mother, Doctor Chinsera. I am joined by none other than Nana Grace
42:39
Abina James, who serves a number of entities, but specifically within the sixth
42:46
Region African Diasport Alliance in Tanzania. And we really are learning a bit about
42:52
this transition when you speak of and put into action repatriating from wherever you are
43:00
and the diaspora into the African continent. I think it's really valuable information for
43:06
persons that are thinking about having more than one residence, you know, being
43:13
able to connect home. I think it's really important for persons to just be
43:17
familiar with what that technique, the strategy, the type of planning, the
43:22
resources and just making sure that you're secure and that you're safe, right,
43:29
But please, I would love to also know, so what are some of
43:31
the key recommendations that you would suggest. We definitely aren't going to do the
43:38
bring the home furniture and spend more money to bring your home. I mean,
43:43
if it's personal, you know, like family airphones, I understand that
43:47
definitely. But just for those that don't know, some of the finest furniture
43:52
makers are in the continent of Africa. Some of the most delectable foods.
44:04
Okay, you made me hungry all of a sudden, I just start thinking
44:07
cooler. So you don't have to bring certain things from the West. You
44:12
want to change your palate a little and you'll be surprised at the richness of
44:16
the diversity of foods. So don't let persons make you think that it's you
44:22
know, everyone is in a starvation mode. That's not quite accurate, right,
44:27
And I just you know, I think I come just so I can
44:29
learn new types of mangos. This is a personal and fruits that's like my
44:32
personal thing. What's that? What is this? Do my little scientific And
44:37
by the time I leave, I have a digital I'm fine, right,
44:42
So it's a wonderful opportunity for us to have this type of a conversation.
44:45
Can I can I thank you? Thank you? Okay, thank you.
44:53
They're making sure I'm safe in my space. Good good, good good.
44:59
Yeah. But I'm very grateful that you bring up that conversation of how we
45:05
best prepare for traveling into the African continent and the fact that you you know,
45:13
you're familiar with the West in terms of Ghana, you know, toat
45:16
of the northeast in terms of Ethiopia, and the southeast in terms of being
45:21
you know there and cycled and moving about in Tanzania. You didn't mention the
45:25
Kenya Park, but will come back to that, you know. But I
45:28
think it's critical for persons to, you know, have an idea of,
45:31
you know, how do they connect with the sixth Region, African Diaspora Alliance
45:36
in Tanzania and just in general, you know, some of the other contacts.
45:39
I know a lot of persons that are watching this broadcast and listening are
45:44
also interested in technologies. You know, some people give the impression you always
45:47
have issues with technology, but you have been able to sustain and maintain a
45:52
tech corporation in the continent with you know, and you take clear with some
45:58
degree of success, with a degree of success, so please share that with
46:00
us. Yes, for us, we we actually had started outsourcing our projects
46:12
to Africa because when when many years ago, two thousand and six was when
46:22
we were in Ghana and at that time had attempted to relocate. However,
46:29
back then they were doing the role rolling uh blackouts, so every four days.
46:37
Yeah, you would have like power outed, you know. As a
46:40
technology company, that was very challenging for us. Yeah, so some you
46:50
know, I've known other people that stayed. Again, there's things that you
46:55
can have, infrastructure you can put you would have to put in place,
47:00
and there was just a lot more. It was much more challenging then.
47:05
Like I said, this was two thousand and six, you know, so
47:07
we did, Yeah, we did give it a try. But at the
47:13
time we thought, you know what, in order to even keep our clients,
47:17
it's best let's let's go back and revisit this a little bit later.
47:22
And that's what we did, and in twenty ten we decided to move to
47:30
Ethiopia instead. And even back then, Ethiopia still had similar challenges. It
47:37
wasn't as let me see as structured as Ghana was organize them, let me
47:43
see it that way. But you know, as far as the technology,
47:47
what did As far as the need in Africa though for tech and for solutions
47:58
that was needed and the continent, I mean that has always been here.
48:05
One of the things that was has been challenging is finding developers because you know,
48:10
we came through and we met some brilliant people and we thought, there's
48:15
no reason why we we were outsourcing to other countries outside the continent from in
48:21
the US, and we said, why not outsourced to Africa and helped develop
48:28
and also help contribute to the GDB the various countries. Yeah, and so
48:36
that's what we were doing. But what and again I have to be honest,
48:45
one of the challenge we had was and still is finding developers locally because
48:51
what happens is even in Kenya, you have a lot of creative people and
48:57
they're putting out amazing technology. However, there oftentimes bought out taken to other
49:10
countries. You know, I actually we were working on one significantly high level
49:17
application and we met a programmer after interviewing I think twenty somethings across the continent,
49:30
including North Africa. We found this guy in Kenya and he said to
49:37
us he was brilliant, I'm telling you. And he said he was working
49:45
currently working for a company that was based in the US, but he was
49:50
working there. And so you know, we went to Okay, what would
49:52
it take for us to to shift you from your from that US employer to
49:57
us. We couldn't afford him. We could not have so so you still
50:02
had the brain drain. It just looked a bit different. But that has
50:07
continued even till today. So what's left here is, you know, on
50:14
a I would say, at just a general scale, people who could still
50:22
use a bit more training and right, just overall developments. So it still
50:30
has been challenging for me. I'm in Tanzani and some of the things I'm
50:35
working on I have to reach over to developers that I know from in Kenya
50:39
to get them to work on some of the things we're doing. So yeah,
50:45
so you still have that some countries. I mean, you know,
50:51
the technology pool is very very small, right right, yeah, right,
50:58
And that's that's just what's going on. I'm glad that you brought that into
51:01
our discussion as well, because I want to make sure that I just am
51:06
doing the proper recap of some of these key things. In terms of just
51:10
being very organized and strategizing how persons prepare if in the event that they're going
51:16
to do like an extended visit to prepare to repatriate into the African country,
51:22
it's that's your organization. I'm going to say our organization, because you know,
51:27
I always infuse myself into the great work that you do. You know,
51:30
in terms of being being knowledgeable and connecting with enthasies like the sixth Region
51:37
African Diaspora Alliance in Tanzania, and just being able to know what are the
51:42
different key points of preparing, you know, in terms of shipping things,
51:45
in terms of travel, in terms of addressing the visa requirements in addition to
51:52
the landed entry requirements. I think persons need to be really clear about that.
51:58
And it's funny that you said that because I remember having the Tessa UH
52:02
for Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda no excuse me, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda,
52:13
those three and it was really interesting to me that even though you even
52:19
though they were telling you, you know, it was for a year,
52:20
You're right, it was they would put a different date inside, so you're
52:23
right that three month piece. And sometimes you know, you're so excited you
52:27
got a visa and you see this visa. This looks like it's for a
52:30
year. You need to look at all of the fine print and make sure
52:32
that you have some support with organizational entities like what you know, what you
52:37
have described here in for us, I think it's really important and critical for
52:42
people to just be comfortable and taking some time to do that extra step of
52:49
gathering the information and having the knowledge, you know, what are some other
52:52
It's funny, we finally got this thing working, so we only have a
52:57
we only have a little less than ten minutes, six minutes realized, Oh
53:01
it happened already. Okay, I'd prefer to I refer to any closing commentary
53:08
you'd like to share. We'll just the rest of the time, because I
53:12
really would like for people, you know, we'll do this again so that
53:15
we can at least go part two as we've discussed before, so people can
53:19
find out, you know, tonight was more about just some basic understandings of
53:22
traveling introduction. Yeah, right, but please share with us something so we
53:28
can with our appetite for what's going to come in story next time. Mm
53:31
hmm, okay, next time. Definitely we'll go into some details about some
53:37
of the different countries because a lot of the immigration process is the same across
53:44
the board, but within that you have, you know, fees that would
53:49
be different or certain processes would be different. So for instance, the in
53:58
Tanzania you do do need a work permit and a residency permit and it's to
54:02
separate applications, while in Kenya you just apply for the work permit and the
54:07
residency permit comes with that. You know, in across the continent. Liberia
54:15
is one of the easiest places for US in terms of migrating to it's just
54:22
that many people are not going there. Again, if you're coming from the
54:27
US or especially Europe, you'll find some challenges in terms of infrastructure and you
54:35
know, the development in the city. So that's when I think it detern
54:39
for some people while you haven't in Ciri Leone and some other countries, they're
54:46
looking at the if you do the I don't want to say blood tests,
54:52
but if you do that the DNA testing, and you do find that you're
55:00
connected from in those results, you find you're connected with some tribe, then
55:05
there is a process that they have in place that you can fast track your
55:09
residency and eventual citizenship. So there are, you know, some countries where
55:15
there's a little bit of a difference, and those are some things that I
55:19
can go into. But one of the things I want to leave your audience
55:23
with is that there is a lot of room for us. There's a lot
55:29
of space that we can operate in. There's still a lot of work to
55:32
be done. We're still needed that invitations still stand and it's still valid.
55:40
It's just that as far as the right to return, which is both a
55:45
UN declaration and an African Union Charter, many Member states governments are not even
55:54
thinking about that. So there is something that they can use to address some
56:02
of these migration challenges that we have and help it to be smoother for us
56:09
for when we come through and want to take up residence in whichever country.
56:15
So many of the countries are now redoing their policies, their diaspora policies and
56:22
their immigration policies. So I think it's we're close to having changes in place,
56:30
but it hasn't happened yet, And I really implore a lot of the
56:36
governments in the Caribbean, especially through Caracom, to really talk to the member
56:43
states and the continents about this, and you know, I think then we
56:47
can start seeing some movement. But there is just so much that we can
56:53
do and can fit in and find a place for us. You know,
56:59
we have fifty four countries. How about that that one, that's the one.
57:05
I like when you say it like that. I'm very grateful that you
57:07
even give us something to explore and be able to put our teeth into things
57:15
that led themselves to actionable deliverables. I'm looking forward so much. I feel
57:21
this was definitely not long enough for us to really get to some of the
57:24
meat. I know that we wanted to talk about the African Unions article,
57:30
their Constituentive Act and just look at some of the different articles, but we'll
57:34
get into that and their future so instance can get specifics of what is available
57:38
for us with us to us. I also wanted to take this opportunity to
57:43
thank you for the great work that you've done, which is very exceptional.
57:46
I'm well respected in the region, in the continent as well as in the
57:52
diaspora and just across the globe. Because persons do come to you end up
57:57
in your home, you're finding housing them, You're making sure they're not parcerated.
58:01
I just need people to understand that there's a part of incarceration. We'll
58:05
come back to that. I know some of my sisters don't realize it's not
58:07
just happening on this side of the pond of the Atlantic. It's happening home
58:12
too, even with some of our own So I just wanted to because I
58:15
know I'm going to start hearing music in a minute, so make sure that
58:19
I highlight those things and really look forward to having you join us again,
58:23
Sister Queen Most Honorable Non Grace James of the sixth Region African Diaspora Lines in
58:32
Tanzania. You know, and just before we get ready to check out,
58:36
just know that there's a lot of activities happening this week. We've already talked.
58:38
There's a lot of things about eliminating racial discrimination, giving remembrance and honoring
58:44
our ancestors that traversed across the same Atlantic we're talking about. And on next
58:51
week we're going to be having within the organization Seapen, which we are members
58:57
of as well grounding our Caribbean Pan African networks and this will be a program
59:02
to foster Caribbean unity. And we are hosting a symposium on literally how to
59:09
address non independent Caribbean territories and protectorate. So it's going to be a very
59:15
engaging piece on the twenty sixth Tuesday, March twenty sixth, where we get
59:21
to raise awareness of the Caribbean decolonization movement and strengthening unity, clarity and collaboration
59:30
among non independent Caribbean territories and protectorates. So those persons that think everybody's independent
59:36
and free, think again, because there are some non incorporated, non self
59:40
governing territories, including where I sit here in the Virgin Islands. You know,
59:45
we use variety of language when we speak of that, but we're going
59:49
to use this symposium as a strategic method for us to have some discussion here
59:54
from persons out and from spaces including the Virgin Islands, UK, British Virgin
59:59
Islands, Virginilla's us here, Currosle, Guadeloupe, as well as Saint Martin.
1:00:06
And it gives us an opportunity to Puerto Rico. I think persons forget
1:00:09
some time. You think Puerto Rico is their commonwealth. But again there's still
1:00:13
not an independent country right like others, and I think this will We're also
1:00:19
going to be joined by none other than the Honorable Doctor Carlile Corbyn, who
1:00:24
has more than forty years experienced in international governance as an advisor to the UN
1:00:31
and other agencies that are international, regional as well as national. So we're
1:00:37
looking forward. It's going to be moderated by the chair of the Caribbean Pan
1:00:40
African Network, none other than the Honorable Ambassador to the Republic of Barbados,
1:00:49
also an international attorney, and that's none other than our comrade David Commission.
1:00:55
So we're going to be able to have a number of other conversations that come
1:00:59
out of that part. Participants are welcome. Persons will see this link if
1:01:02
they go to US Speaks, they can go to Transera Kahina or just We're
1:01:07
going to keep putting some of these different bits of information. I will definitely
1:01:10
put the link for people to be able to engage inside of our YouTube pages
1:01:16
here, so persons will just know where they can register and be participatory.
1:01:21
So again, Culture Heals Humanity Land is our foundation. Spiritual harmony unifies as
1:01:27
it is always an honor and privilege to be able to share information with great
1:01:30
ones like yourself. No, I'm looking forward give our love to Tanzania.
1:01:36
We come in, so we're trying I give thanks. And again you've been
1:01:47
listening to Bill. It's a blessing. You know. We're going to just
1:01:52
keep this energy going. So we can just keep it going. And we
1:01:55
were talking about our poetry, so people that don't know this was a poem
1:02:00
that I want an international poet competition with. And then I went in the
1:02:07
studio and had a brother named Armie Reggae Isaac. So I just want people
1:02:14
to enjoy the vibe as we close out. I want I have a purpose
1:02:27
and all you do just make show that show purpose. I have a purpose
1:02:34
in this here life song, your life a shining live a purposition every day
1:02:42
so we can live. I have a purpose and all you do just make
1:02:50
show your life. That's true. Every time we walk on the streets,
1:03:09
we see all the children crying, every time we see our dad. It
1:03:16
seems like people are lying everywhere that we see on. This girth is supposed
1:03:23
to be about the group, but it's all death tan. Now we have