Dear Pennies & Pens,
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion for Origin Africa. What is Origin Africa, you ask? Origin Africa is an ongoing campaign and initiative by USAID COMPETE dedicated to improving African trade, matching the many educated, talented and skilled African designers and entrepreneurs with experienced industry leaders to facilitate, coordinate and advance “trade, not aid” efforts.
The panel discussion I attended at the Hard Rock Cafe Panel was about discussing Africa’s history and where it is now. The panel focused on emerging industries, untapped talent, natural resources and an exciting new frontier. The panelists also discussed an opportunities for the US based fashion and home decor industry, and the financial impact of committing to producing or sourcing just one item for next year can have on Africa as well as on US.
The panelists included: Doreen Mashika, Founder and Designer of DMZanzibar; Janice Sullivan, CEO for EDUN; Anill Joyram, Chairman, Candytex Group; Llenay Ferretti, CEO at Bhavana World Project Inc; Jim Thaller, Managing Director, Talier Trading Group; Mark Walton, Managing Director, Onyx Global Marketing, Inc.; Moderator: Annie Balliro, Director of Philanthropy Hard Rock.
Personally, I enjoyed the event immensely. I am interested in working with African designers both here in NYC and abroad so it was a great learning experience. I had the opportunity to hear about the fact that Africa can serve as a source of inspiration because of its beautiful natural resources. I also heard that Africa can be a challenging place to do business because of lack of technology advancement and funding issues. However, that wasn’t quite enough to deter me from considering working on projects in the region. I know that I will face challenges no matter what project I work on so I’m ready to face anything head on. Besides Africa is the birthplace of mankind! In essence, as I bid you adieu I encourage you to learn more about African culture, food, and design. Check out Origin Africa.org to learn more about the Origin Africa campaign.
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything.
