Kingsley Kanu Jr. and the Solving Africa Project

We are pleased to introduce Kingsley Kanu Jr. He is a journalist who has embarked on a project called Solving Africa.

He is a currently on tour of seven African countries— Dakar (Senegal), Accra (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Tunis (Tunisia), Nairobi (Kenya), and Johannesburg (South Africa)—on a quest to discover how young people can contribute towards the development of Africa.

Nigeria will be  Kingsley’s last stop and when he arrives, he will be hosted to a welcome back party by Farafina magazine.

In this short interview with Farafina magazine he talks about the motivation behind the Solving Africa project, amongst other things.

SIX QUESTIONS WITH KINGSLEY KANU JR.

What is Solving Africa?

That answer is here. This project is a collection of dreams; asking young Africans what they see as wrong or right with the continent and their role in its development. But it’s not a policy book. This is first and foremost a work of creative nonfiction that I hope makes people think about some of these issues.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Not being understood.

What motivated you in coming up with this idea?

The African dream is to leave Africa. There are many people like me. We are often at the tops of our classes and each year, our SAT scores and achievements prove that we can run with the best from any country on earth. We have capable people who do not see Africa as theirs to build as much as something to sidestep. But if it isn’t this generation of an educated, uninformed African middle class, who else is going to care? Who else has the resources – social, political and economic – to care?

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’d like to be able to speak and understand every language.

What do you hope to achieve with Solving Africa?

Besides the writing of a book, this project will be about connecting the young Africans I meet during the trip to like-minded Africans in the United States and England. I also hope to establish an annual Solving Africa Conference, where promising Africans from all over the world, between the ages of 18 and 35, meet to discuss issues relating to the continent’s development and their role in its advancement. In addition to developing tourism by Africans to other African nations, actionable ideas from this annual conference would then be presented to political and business leaders for implementation.

Is this your first project?

Yes. Sort of . . .