In recent years, Africa has undergone economic changes which has uplifted many of its countries. Due to its abundant natural resources and a variety of opportunities, many African countries are now attracting companies to explore African markets. Her Campus at University of Helsinki decided to visit the Think Africa ry society to find out why we should ‘Think Africa’.
Tiina Juvonen, one of the founders of the society, describes that the Think Africa initiative was born out of a frustration by the constant images of poverty and disaster which are continuously portrayed in the mainstream media. The idea started when she was working at the University of Helsinki’s Think Company and she had just returned from visiting Uganda: “We came together with a couple of students from the Social Sciences faculty and discussed how we could create a link between Africa-orientated thinkers and doers here in Finland. We felt that the image we had here in Finland about African countries was outdated,” she says. “We wanted to create a platform for people with an interest or connections to Africa,” she continued, “and who are genuinely interested to do creative collaborations and initiations in Africa.”
Turn failure into success – event at Think Africa Week 2015
The ‘Think Africa’ week was held last year for the third time at the Helsinki Think Company. The theme was ‘Do it!’, which aimed to serve as a platform for creative people and Finnish companies to collaborate, find international skill set and ways to make an impact. It brought together entrepreneurs, companies, academia and creative individuals, as well as students across a variety of fields, to ensure a wide range of perspectives. It also collaborated with the annual SLUSH event and was affiliated with Go International, in order to connect international talents in Finland looking for new opportunities.
The chairperson, Natnael Danssa, got inspired by the large networks that the Think Africa society offers for like-minded people. One of the highlights of the 2015 Think Africa Week was ‘The Black Market’, a matchmaking event for companies and talents interested in emerging markets. The reason why Finnish companies are becoming more interested in Africa stems from the wealth of potentials and opportunities there are at the moment. “Times have changed and so has our perceptions, which to some extent has contributed to the development of more equal interactions between Finland and African countries,” Danssa explains. Finland has a very good reputation within the education and technology sectors, which has created tremendous opportunities for those companies willing to explore opportunities with African partners.
The start-up community in Finland shows a lot of potential, though many still fear failure and its potential stigma; it is a commonly held belief that there is one absolute way to success, which is to land a permanent job in an organization. But these days this isn’t always the case, especially when our employment patterns have changed so drastically and this leaves many to adopt a much more entrepreneurial mindset, through self-employment as a freelance or independent contractor, regardless of the industry.
Do It Yourself! – workshop at Think Africa Week 2015
In spring 2016, Think Africa will start a mentorship program targeted towards young artists affiliated with African culture or continent. The mentorship program will be organized in Helsinki and it aims is to lay a platform for artist to tackle issues, such as identity, ethnicity and origin in the art they portray. The program contributes to supporting young artists’ own objectives in enhancing their artistry as a career and as a business.
The mentorship will last for a total period of eight months, with a kick-off day themed ‘Identity and Art’, in the first week of April. Followed by the first meeting, the mentors and artist will meet in the second week for a day-long event themed ‘Art as a Business’, as well as get introduced to their mentees, followed by six weeks of meetings between the mentors and the artists. The mentors will be supported throughout the program and they are expected to share their wisdom and give support and encouragement. During the first two months of the mentorship program, the artists will have the chance to learn from inspiring teachers on entrepreneurship and exhibit their art at a bigger public event in Helsinki. The mentorship program will last until November and is now open for mentors to apply in Think Africa website.
This year’s Think Africa Week event will be full of surprises. The theme for this year is ‘The Nordics in Africa and Africans in the Nordic countries’, which aims to facilitate and establish credibility with Nordic partner networks and business community. The event is held on November 2016 in Helsinki. In addition to the annual events, the Think Africa ry. arranges monthly informal hang-outs with like-minded people at the Helsinki Think Company premises and in the Helsinki area. Anyone who is interested in joining or who just wants to know more, is encouraged to follow latest events on Facebook.
Join the mentorship program here: www.thinkafrica.fi/mentorship
You may visit Think Africa website for more information here: www.thinkafrica.fi
Follow interesting discussions on Facebook and Twitter @Think_Africa
All photos copyright of Think Africa ry.