As part of a research study that investigates how university education impacts people’s lives on the African continent, a group of 19 graduates, all alumni of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, worked with a filmmaker to document the contributions of people they believed exemplified the leadership Africa needs. In the process their own contributions as young leaders became evident. In The Spirit of Kanju: Leaders Transforming Africa, we are introduced to some of these graduates as well as the leaders they interviewed using mobile phones and armed with equipment such as microphones, ring lights and some filmmaking knowledge supplied by veteran filmmaker Eugene Paramoer. The graduates showcase leadership practices from across the African continent, including countries such as Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, with each context offering new insight into the many practices of leadership. The film portrays leadership as collaboration, action, innovation, love and ubuntu. Ultimately, The Spirit of Kanju shows that leadership is complex. It is everyday but exceptional, human, extraordinary, innovative and responsive. It requires working together but also, starting alone.

Date: 23 November, 2 – 5 PM

Venue: HSRC, Cape Town office, 1st Floor, Yacht Club, 2 Dockrail Road, Foreshore, Cape Town

RSVP contact for in-person attendance:
Vuyiswa Mathambo (VMathambo@hsrc.ac.za) and
Masego Masenya (mmasenya@hsrc.ac.za)

To join remotely, register to watch via Zoom.

Watch the trailer:

See below for further details and the event programme: