Your podcast discovery platform
Curious minds select the most fascinating podcasts from around the world. Discover hand-piqd audio recommendations on your favorite topics.
piqer for: Global finds
Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
Young African Elite Graduates Move Back To The Continent As Opportunities Arise
This article speaks well of my experience and that of many other Africans who study abroad. Upon graduation in 2009 from a top US university, opportunities were hard to come by as a foreigner who had studied Finance. With the economic downturn, Wall Street was laying off people. It was not a particularly good time to be job-searching – especially when one would need a company to apply for a work visa on your behalf.
As a student, I had never really planned to work in the US long after graduation. My plan had always been to go back to Germany, get lots of relevant work experience then move back to my home country – Kenya. Why Germany? At the time I was fluent in German, had spent every summer working there and really loved being there. But the recession hit Europe hard, too. All the German companies I believed I would work with were only able to offer internships at best.
I had to make a tough decision – take up a one year internship in Germany at low pay and unclear career progression options, or move back to Kenya with no job lined up. I settled for the latter. It was a gamble, but one that paid off well.
The article really captures what is driving the decision by Africans to move back to Africa after their studies – the glass ceiling in the West that is further compounded by citizenship and still cannot be overcome with good degrees and the fact that there really are opportunities on the continent. I hate to talk about "Africa Rising" as that is too general, but would rather talk about the opportunities that can be found in the fastest growing economies – that are mostly on the continent.
In the West, it seems like there’s a glass ceiling... People are moving back to advance faster in their careers.
For every success story though there are also stories of returnees who end up disillusioned, underpaid and lost in countries that have been moving forward in their absence. That however is a story for another day – for today we should celebrate the continent's Brain Gain.
