Editor
AFRICANXT 2023, its 11th edition, was held from the 6th to the 10th of February 2023 at the Landmark Event Centre in Victoria Island Lagos, recording a remarkable youth turnout. The event’s speakers included passionate young African trailblazers and innovators from various African and diaspora sectors.
Cameroonian-born author, philanthropist, activist, and Communications & Marketing strategist, Sahndra Fon Dufe, was one of the speakers at this year’s Conference. During her session, she read excerpts from her best-selling novel Yefon: The Red Necklace (YRN). This thought-provoking piece ended with an ovation from the audience, and she proceeded to discuss some thought-provoking topics from the book, mainly explored in Chapter 17; “The complex relationship between colonialism and present-day Africa,” “Navigating the future and leveraging collaboration to move forward,” and “Characteristics that contribute to our quality of life:- such as Endurance, sisterhood, and ambition.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelDuring a short exposé following this reading, Sahndra interacted with the audience, responding to questions and discussing points of view. In one of her answers regarding how to improve the current state of Africa, she stated, “Youth is a superpower, a weapon,” referring to the population of young people on the continent and their untapped potential. Youth is a currency that is easily finagled by the beholder.
She stated, “Africa, with the youth making up the majority of its workforce, has the characteristics of past empires [Great British Empire, Great Roman Empire, Napoleonic Empire of France, etc] that have risen and fallen in the past, and now, it is like the world is looking at Africa to take up that mantle; hence everybody is driving their resources towards Africa.”
She went on to explain that when structuring any partnership, “[you, the young person] need to understand that your youth is a marketable currency… know this and exercise it-without disparaging the elders who came before you, rather honor their efforts, and respectfully use any applicable case studies, with integrity… and consciousness that when your own time comes, your platform must have been built to be sustainable enough to pass the baton. A familiar African problem seems to be that we’re never ready to hand over, teach and follow the natural law of evolution…”
After responding to a few attendees, the Cameroonian-American writer and business communications specialist concluded this lecture by transforming the name YEFON (translated as “mother of the King” in Lamnso, an indigenous language from Banso, a thriving tribe in the North West Region of Cameroon) into an acronym, meaning; Y- Young| E – Empowered| F- Focused| O – Original| N- Nurturing. When implemented, this slogan would help young entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals reshape their Mindsets as an integral preservation strategy.
AFRICANXT, for the past 11 years, has been the premiere gathering for Africa-focused innovators. The event’s 2023 theme “Cooperate. Collaborate. Innovate. Unlocking Our Potential, Ensuring Africa’s Prosperity”, brings about a hopeful air for Africans’ ability to collaborate across industries and borders, which will determine the impact of the innovations put forward and their capacity to scale. Ultimately, the collective efforts of Africans at this moment will unlock Africa’s fullest potential, ensuring the sustainable prosperity of communities, companies, countries, and Africa as a whole.
Other remarkable speakers at this year’s conference include Rapper and Nigerian entrepreneur Jude “M.I.” Abaga, Award-winning actor and director Daniel Etim- Effiong, A&R, Publicist and Media personnel, Excel Joab, Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Seun Fakorede, author and political commentator, Japheth Omojuwa, and client leader, at Microsoft, Samuel Jackson, Head of Production, Africa Magic, Victor Aghahowa, among others.
Yefon: The Red Necklace is available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble & Goodreads, Apple Books (iBooks) for the global market and Okadabooks for the Nigerian market. In Cameroon, the novel is distributed by Sopecam and sold in all SOPECAM outlets.
Contact Sahndra Fon Dufe @sahndrafondufe on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter | Follow her Author Profile on Amazon and Goodreads |
