"From Darkness to Light: Bridging Africa's Energy Divide"

00:00:00 and Renewable Energy Solution worldwide from  humble beginnings in synagogue and advancing US presidents and building sustainable  communities in Africa Dong’s journey is nothing but inspiring they went to restaurant  that they say you cannot be here they have to eat on the parking lots MH to train them  in leadership and Grassroots organization the work in Africa today is in areas  that’s not in universities anymore for grow two toes down keep it real than most  he do it for the culture that’s always the

00:00:32 goal this is strategic moves with K [Music]  Dow this is strategic mov with [Music] canow hey what’s up you tuned in to another  episode of strategic moves I’m your host Ken this is a place where we bring art culture  politics and business all together and we do it every Wednesday right here on this  podcast but when I’m not shooting this podcast I am the owner of strategic resources where we  specialize in political campaigns government and public relations work we’ve been doing it in this  state for over 25 years and I want to make your

00:01:12 next move a strategic move and this program gives  me opportunity to do just that I get a chance to bring on some of the people I met along the way we  come on we talk about some of our life experiences and maybe just maybe it’s something you can get  out of it that’ll help you in your business or your personal life so if this sound like something  that you’ll be interested in or all I need you to do is hit the like button hit the Subscribe button  and the notification Bell as well so that you’ll

00:01:36 know the next time this program is coming out so  we’re going to get right to it today man we got a very special guest in the house he was on my  top 10 you know what it’s it’s amazing that when I started this podcast I was going to I had my  list you know when you get started you say oh I gotta have all these people I want to interview  to come on my show so you were definitely in my top 10 people who wanted to have on the show  because you are so International International International this man got millions and millions  of followers Millions global global success Global

00:02:11 man he started right here in Cleveland we’re gonna  talk to him about his experience but before we do that let’s give a shout out to the best podcast  producer in podcast’s up K got the hiccups you got the hiup yeah I got the hicups all hold your  breath for 10 I get it now so let’s we going to start that again so before we get started we want  to give a shout out to the best podcast producer and podcast history history we call this history  history G podcast history I don’t know Sean you let us know if that’s the case than K all right  um DJ true what’s happening in there I am good

00:02:47 I am good looking forward to this show about  to uh we about to go International about to go International and we’re about to get it started so  we gonna jump right on in there you want speaking of international did you did you watch any of the  Olympics no I didn’t watch it well I watched the highlights of it you know that’s how everybody did  only thing I want to say about the Olympics and we gonna get started with this guess is the funniest  thing about the Olympics to me right is that the US lost break dancing we got a damn bronze and  break dancing what why don’t they go back to

00:03:22 uh guess who we lost to we lost to France and we  lost to Canada we got a bronze medal and break we create break dancing yeah we you think about all  that cardboard that was left on the streets of the United States they go lose to France something you  created something you created they lost to France so hey International Seine gonna tell us about how  bad France is because and here’s the other thing France wasn’t giving up their basketball team was  trying to win too they fighting over there they

00:03:56 bought that stuff they could do it they thought  they could do it man so I will give big pror France was working they was like we ain’t giving  these medals away you know Wy was crying he really he really wanted that exactly he said we’re going  to bed it’s over you’re going to bed it’s over that’s right but we gonna get started man so today  we got an extraordinary guest here his name is sha n he’s a global social entrepreneur political  activist a mentor of who has incredible strides in promoting Youth Empowerment and renewable energy  Solutions worldwide from humble beginnings in

00:04:33 synagogue and advancing US presidents and building  sustainable communities in Africa Dong’s journey is nothing but inspiring so you Sean want to  welcome you to our program today sir thank you this is going to be a good show for me because  I like talking to people that I know I like talking the people who have done some good things  in our city and our town and you’re one of them and as I said before you were some when I first  got started doing this show I said you know I want to reach out to Sean because he’s been doing big  things been following you for a long time watching

00:05:07 you build yourself up from here to where you are  so I want to give a a little background got you I know that your story began in synagogue and you  came to the United States with just $20 in your pocket won don’t you tell us about all of that and  then we’re g to move along the lines to where we are today well thank you Ken it’s a it’s a great  pleasure to to come here uh to to participate and be your guest in in the podcast I’ve been  watching from far and um we’ve been talking about it for for a while now and today we’re  able to to to materialize that so I’m extremely

00:05:41 um happy and proud to to be back in my um on my I  call Cleveland my home city in the United States because this is where everything started for me um  I am I was born in Sagal raised in Sagal and at 22 I decided to to immigrate to the United States uh  as you know through my story that I grew up from a humble family of uh 28 brothers and sisters in  28 yeah in Saga but it’s in the polygamy family my father had three wives who all lived in the same  house three bedroom house and um I I I I I grew up

00:06:16 on those struggles and try to you know looking at  my mom who was the second wife the middle wasn’t very easy because my mom grew up um went to middle  school and her teacher my father married her so she never finished school and it was something  that was always bothering her because the other wives was be able to were working and she always  cried about it I I grew up watching her talking about I wish I finished school so I can get a  job um and and then that that pained me a lot to see her going to suffering I um grew up in those  difficulties after moved to my grandfather in many

00:06:52 difficulties was uh real poverty where you can  sometime three four days there’s no no food to eat in the house my grandfather we have electricity  is actually what when I grew up got me into sustainable development and try to help people to  Electrify many villages in Africa because I grew up without electricity I we used to um study under  the sun when it dark and we didn’t have money to buy um candles we just go to sleep till early  morning my grandfather woke me up to study because she he used to tell me all the time that you will  be the one that will get the family out of this

00:07:25 poverty and these difficulties and he charged  me very early on and um at one point it was too difficult to grow up around that difficulties  in going to school walking four miles a day and coming home and that food then he sent me to D  car with his sister another grandmother end up staying there to go to high school there my soone  Premier terminal to 12th grade that’s where I had my borate which is a high school diploma and I was  I was dreaming it was interesting because I was in a in a um in a class with one of my teachers  and I was in ninth grade m that’s why there is a

00:08:01 power in in hope instilling hope in young people  planting a seed in in them my teacher was given us a beautiful story about Kofi Anan which used  to be the first African or black person to lead the United Nations and his storyed leaving Ghana  to come to UK and then going to the United States and to becoming the first black person to lead  the United Nations it did something to me as a kid I was 14 I said wow I want to be like him one  day then I start dreaming about the United States which is to me in my dreams in my hopes that’s the  land of opportunity that maybe I can go there too

00:08:38 to to find uh my way to help my family and to be  able to lift my family out of poverty and to be able to create a life for myself and my kids later  on in life so that’s where the dream of the United States came about but nobody in my family never  had a passport never traveled were struggling so in poverty so I had to figure out my own way which  I learned through through I talk about in my first book that you know when there’s will there’s  always a way so I have to create my own way so after high school I was working as a aanti Mason  which is like helping Builders to carry bricks

00:09:14 and there I made a little money and I you know got  a passport and for two years I was running after US Visa you know many Americans don’t understand  how difficult it is to get a visa to come to this country it’s extremely difficult before you  get to your Visa how difficult was it to get the passport because you’re saying it’s strictly  poverty there so how long was you working before you could raise enough money ra Mone just $20 to  get a passport took me almost a year how difficult yeah at that time in 1996 97 it was very difficult  for me to have that kind of money so I applied got

00:09:50 the passport but now you have to pay almost $100  to go to the US Embassy to get an interview and for two years four times they deny me every time  I come they just say oh okay cool you don’t have enough papers just let me go back and when they  say enough paper what they mean by that yeah we mean bank account that shows that you have enough  money to come here you know really you’re not going to stay in the United States and stuff  so yeah that was very difficult four for two years four times they denied my Visa finally in  in in in in 2000 uh this a time that people were

00:10:21 saying oh uh in in in in few days by the 31st  is going to be the year 2000 and something my right right right right I remember that right  everybody thought I was figured out how to get to the United States okay they thought everything was  going flip back and all time we don’t know what’s gonna happen they they really thought that you  couldn’t add another number exactly they couldn’t they say he was in so it’s that week that I was  working try to get here and finally this guy who this this old American white American guy just  I came start talking to him he’s like okay so

00:10:57 why you want to go to Cleveland orio oh so when  you was there you were saying you coming straight to Cleveland Cleveland because I applied first to  Koga Community College why I that’s another story all right all right all right so you got to get  to that then how you AF yeah how yeah how you get to when I was looking for way to come at the time  we didn’t have internet so okay to do research in the school to be accepted to come here you have to  have a school okay you have to go to the library

00:11:24 go to an area that have all American universities  and you got to go to books one by one like there’s no Google which school will accept you without  a tle a tle test is English proficiency test because I’m a French spoken country you speak  French and woff to come here you have to have a test let’s called TL that the university will  accept you to give you acceptance letter that you can take to the Embassy but the tol cost too much  money $250 I don’t have the money I said I got to find another school who can accept me without the  toel where you can come and learn English for the

00:11:57 first year first and that’s guy Community College  I found it took me a long time to figure it out I go through school that’s what got me to Cleveland  go Community College you got you’re a great spokesman I mean they can’t come no better yeah  they really use me they can really use you really bro I went to you went through a bunch of books  inog community Florida I went to New I don’t know where Cleveland is I never heard about Cleveland  I just saw this school here wow can give you an I20 without it I wrote them a letter that’s crazy  mon letter at that time you got to wait for three

00:12:31 months for the letter to come back I wait for  three months one day I came they sent me an I20 accepted letter that when I come I’ll have to do  one year there to learn English before I transfer to any other school that’s the that’s the deal wow  I say fine I’ll take it so that’s how I went to the to the to the interview the guy tell me well  why what why are you choosing Cleveland it’s too cold I said I don’t know I just want to get out of  here just Co out take it so this is how I he end up giving me the visa and um he said you know all  you don’t have all the bank account I said I know

00:13:03 but I’m tired I want to help my mom just give me  a chance he said I will give you a chance this is an opportunity when you go just make sure you do  what you got to do and that’s how I end up getting a Visa I stayed January February March April May  five month in Sagal January 2000 to May 2000 I couldn’t leave the country because my family did  everything possible my mom and I we could find $500 ticket to bring me here the I almost L the  Visa yeah right so you only have a certain length of time to use the Visa to come in before the  actually I actually pass the time because I was

00:13:37 supposed to come in the fall semester I mean  in the spring semester that was starting in January and I’m there till almost summer semester  which which gave me created a problem for me that I talk about later when I came to Cleveland  with the immigration but we went everywhere borrow the money we couldn’t find the money that  was discouraged at one point and in May earlier my mom called me say one of my cousins from uh  he was immigrating in um Japan came to vacation we can go and borrow the money from him he’s the  one that gave me the money and 20 bucks was L US

00:14:11 dollar first time I held this money he said this  all I got left you can have it as a pocket money and I flew that night with the 20 BS in New  York wow yeah we called a family member who was driving a taxi as Jang in New York in the  Bronx who picked me up I slept in his couch for three months and I found a little job as a shice  restaurant cleaning tables there in new Russia New York right you’re still in New York you got  to make it to Cleveland and now I have to come to Cleveland because immigration is telling me  you’re going to lose your Visa if you have to go

00:14:40 to school right so I saved $800 and I told my host  I need to get a get to Cleveland they got me the Greyhound everybody in New York like what are you  doing in Cleveland everybody said place and they all discouraged me but I have to come right  and I’m glad that I made the decision that’s best decision of my life and I was shocked because  I took the bus and I came it took me almost 10 12 hours I arrived in downtown Greyhound with a small  bag no English and don’t know nobody and I asked for Kyo Community College I went to k Community  College I arrive around 1 2:00 I went there they

00:15:18 say we don’t have door rooms no right so the only  thing you can do for you take you to the YMCA on East 22nd Street in Chester wow he took me there  $800 they took $600 out of me so at least they gave me a room now I got 400 to leave but I don’t  got a job yet oh they charged you to stay there yeah you have to yeah you have to so I paid okay  I stayed now I got to go look for a job and start school so I started working looking for a job my  favorite place to go I didn’t know nowh nobody I would just walk to Tower City downtown at the  time Tower City was happening there was a lot

00:15:52 of stores I apply everywhere every day I go back  there I didn’t get a job until the money is gone and finally one day I went to the Marriot Hotel MH  downtown that’s my first job in the in in in here they had the day of Day restaurant downstairs  there’s still restaurant there right right and they they got me a job there as a as a bus boy I  was cleaning tables there and going to tric and going to tricy every night every day in the night  time I work and the weekend make money so this how I did that and I end up going so from start to  finish yeah from the time I said I’m going because

00:16:30 I know we we ain’t going to go from the Dream from  the time you actually the guy said okay you’re going to the United States till you actually set  foot in Cleveland how long was that time Frank it took a while it was I decided in 200 1996 97 that  I’m going to go to the United St it took me four years in 2000 to be able to make it here four  years yeah it took me four years it was it took a long time but it was worth it for me because  it changed my life it changed my family’s lives change um millions of people I haven’t even met  that was inspired my my story to my writings to

00:17:05 my work to the work we do in 34 countries around  the world I’ve traveled more than 100 countries around the world to give lectures to to work and  and all of this started from this beautiful great City that gave me my start you know it was not  easy because of the you know the first days when you come in a country it’s like can I just say  okay can we go into China and I just Dr in China at 22 years old and you have no knowledge of the  country you don’t speak Mandarin you don’t speak uh you don’t know nobody and you have to start  from zero and from scratch to create a life for

00:17:39 yourself was it was extremely Lonely Nights it was  a lot of nights that I doubted that maybe I want to go back but I had to fight my way to came me  no Community to talk to you know my food was far away from me I had to learn the American way what  you guys eat we eat rice and Lear vegetables but now I was eat eating McDonald’s and different  things you know not when you when you’re sick you come to the house you by yourself there’s  no family to take care of you it happened to me many times here but I knew that I was um it  was the beginning for me that I have to create

00:18:14 something for my now son and my my kids to be  able to you know have a place that they can be proud of and they can have a shoulder to to lean  on that they’re not going to go through what I went through and I I had to create that way and  Cleveland was the place to start for me so your your thing with tric and um you in there how long  did you go to tric I did almost a year and a half and then I transferred to Mayers University and I  did public administration there and that’s where I graduated from and and then after that I I got  involved into the politics in 2003 I remember when

00:18:50 the economy was really difficult going 2004 MH and  at the time I was questioning a lot of things like okay how can I get involved in the community  needed something that was itching in me that I wanted to get involved Community wise because I  saw people I went to school with their homes were being bankrupt um the economy was just for the  time that George Bush had two Wars Afghanistan and Iraq and most of our jobs in the Midwest of  the United States was being affected to was being outsourced in China that was the beginning of  Outsourcing remember that and 911 just happened

00:19:25 three years ago after that it was very difficult  and I was questioning what can I do in my community I have a great friend who actually run  for judge here you might know reg Reginal Maxton yeah who ran for for judge right exct my guy we  grew up we were in the same building exactly every evening he loved French so we talk to all the time  a lawyer I said regie I want to get involved how can I get involved here he said but I want to  get involved in politics because that’s where you can make a difference he said well you got to  go to City Council and then you can see there’s a

00:19:56 young guy over there uh named Zach Reed because  Zach Reed was just the beginning Z was just or Kevin Conwell they’re young and you can volunteer  with them first I said okay I go to City Council on Monday night I sit in the back soon as I got  in there I feel like I belong I was so happy sit in the back watching everybody and every time Zach  Reed you know he’s very eloquent pick up the mic he talk through his show I’m like oh man I like  this guy I can volunteer for him so I came to Zach after the city council Mee I say you know my name  is Sean and I’m new in the town I’m here for three

00:20:31 years that I want to volunteer for your campaign  but you know Zach at that time he was very he kind of he didn’t he didn’t let me in he’s like okay  well no problem give me your your phone right but he was not very welcoming so we end up becoming  cool later on right then I went to Kevin Conwell you know Kevin Love anything International  he’s an artist he’s a musician oh man youngan oh I speak do you know speak W then  we become connected right he’s like well come tomorrow I’m going to do some door knocking you  want to come with me Kevin put you right in the

00:21:06 work the next day I’m in the East Side in St  Clair area knocking doors with Kevin and I felt myself like I said this is what I supposed to do  talking to the voters talking to the community following Kevin the whole year we won the we won  the elections that re-election then J Campbell was the mayor right but I always liked fr Jackson  because of you know the way he was so rooted in the community he was the president of the city  council that’s corre I did not miss one city council the whole year every year every Monday  I’m there and I watch how he interact I said

00:21:41 this character this guy can be a great mayor and  I was dreaming he announced he would run for mayor he took it to the last minute and Frank decided  to run so I it’s an opportunity I went see bran Griffin who’s now the city council president  yeah Bland was the deputy campaign manager and I started working with Bland for the campaign  the young people with my late friend God bless you all um Derek Collins and we started working on  the campaign actually that’s where I met then uh we worked on that campaign we won then I got the  bug of politics then you got the bug yeah I got

00:22:13 call that’s when you became Sean yeah running into  Camp matter of fact that’s when you became African Sean because now everybody was trying to know  everybody like you know who who was you talking about African Shan that guy like yeah that’s when  you became Democrats and the presidency and took the presidency there all you know Paul Sadler  Mike all them get involved in politics and now the Young D was very Dynamic and um you know one  day Senator Charlie Smith called me I was about to say where you go get to that one yeah that’s the  one you’re most famous that’s my girl that’s my

00:22:48 girl shley you know shley shley was our mother you  know that’s the one you top sister but great woman you you was hanging tough with every yeah I was  hanging tough with Char everybody was trying to do I was with her he was with and we won we won she  became senator from state representative then surle did something special with me because one  day I was with Shirley and Shirley said you know Sean you know we gotta go to Columbus together she  had this nice new chryler that everybody liked at that time 300 yeah yeah she one like come on you  drive with me I say what are we doing to Columbus

00:23:23 he say you know I have a sense that Senator Obama  will be the next president so the first person told me this first sen Obama was just in office as  Senator mhm I said well that’s interesting I look him up I yeah he got a he got there’s something  in the in this guy he said well let’s go you’re going to meet him we’re gonna we’re gonna host  him you’re gonna have the dinner event for the Democratic party fundraising annual event but on  the side Shirley was a head of the black caucus in Columbus he said we’re going to do a side event  we black people we’re going to do our own thing

00:23:55 before everybody else so I said okay we’ll go  out inter so we went I drove with Shirley we went there we had the event before Barack going to  the state we have all the black elected officials in Ohio I remember we all in the table like this  and shley took the mic President Obama was sitting next to her to to her said okay I got something to  say just for you to know I don’t know what you’re going to do because he didn’t decide to run yet  but you will be the next president of the United States Barack took the mic away from Shirley it’s  like come on I’m not I’m not I’m not running for

00:24:26 president say I don’t know if you’re going to run  or not but you will be next president he took the mic from her Barack took it away from they really  arguing about be the president I’m not interested to run for office really honestly abely and I  documented this in my first book really it was I’m here I’m the only staffer in the room with  another dude from another office and it’s like 30 something elected officials and I’m just watching  this historic thing happening I bought BR books so I brought it in then he signed it for us then we  walk with him to go give a speech after reception

00:24:59 we came back and surely tell me I know I feel it  she going to be president M this is in August or September somewhere in the summer MH October  November December end of December or decided now he going to run for office right in February  I packed my bags I ran to Illinois to witness the first speech that he did to for president and  I went to the headquarters there to do my first training mhm and when I came back you already  had the space MH you know the Strategic moves you already you you control the system here and  I come to you remember you organizing I said the

00:25:42 president is coming you organize all that event  we did it together where we had Basher was the amazing young guy coming up speech to do the  introduction and that that changed our lives that changed it all that that that was a weird  time in life um like you say I I I got a call to help out um on that campaign yeah and that  was a strange time Sean I mean it was really a nobody wanted to get involved nobody wanted to  get involved in it like we said we wasn’t getting a lot of support here people were okay that from  the leadership they and and until that point you

00:26:15 know um it was a lot of we had a lot of Big Time  leaders still around there Stephanie tubs Jones arold py Stokes everybody was still around yeah  everybody was still around so at that point in time we were undercutting everybody yes because  everybody kind of was with that but the politics was with Hillary Clinton and everything else all  to B Clinton and I remember right I remember Ken I got a call from k k say yeah you know go Kev you  come to the office tomor I got talk to you man I said okay I say youngan Paula was there his  assistant Paula who now in Pittsburgh you see

00:26:55 youngan I gotta talk to you man you guys running  around over here here talking about this Obama thing but I’m telling you you guys pissing  off a lot if Obama don’t win this primaries man I know he was and hold on and then at the end  here’s a here goes another Insight had the same conversation with Kev was like Hey brother can  introduce you better uh be with us because you missed it remember Kevin was Miss the fatherhood  exactly I miss the fatherhood of the year I’m the father of the year and all of this I said how can  you be all that and not Endor the first African

00:27:30 Aman male and I said and you need to be making  that and from there he he decided I’m going to go ahead and and go in and go with Obama but to  that point you’re right it was a lot of people who was just not on board and um when they asked  afrian African no these were African-Americans they were not on board and and um we put that  event together we had about 6,000 people showed up you know most of the young people I remember  that event was crazy man we had bands in there the chir gospel was in there rocking it was so fun it  was it was wow and I know we picked up br oh yeah

00:28:07 and I remember we picked him up from the airport  I with Paul Sadler and Mike and we going against there’s no Mur to Frank Jackson to give us his  police officer there that was there to help love Yeah and we coming from Tri we had this little  funraising event right the mayor came there said he not coming to the public event he just come  to say hi and then when we come and try we’re going against traffic this crazi thing with myx  all of us like like we on presiden right we come in there and when we done Kevin was waiting with  his wife he said oh I’m waiting too long I’m just

00:28:39 gonna go home I said we come meet this with the  Senate ah it’s too long I don’t want to go home because to them that was still not it was still  it was still there because he was still Senator exactly he was Senator Barack Obama and he still  hadn’t announced he was running it was one of them I think we’re touching him he’s going to announce  any day and it was wild and until that point man um just to let people know what’s funny about that  and this is how grassroot it Wasa is that um you know a lot of my friends helped on that event  and I got a friend of M name um Wayne trer we

00:29:10 call him meech but when you come in his house man  over his fireplace man it’s like a picture like 55 inch wow big old picture with him and Barack that  day that day because then you know it’s almost like a selfie it’s like he was just hanging out  with people and taking pictures and it was like you know and this was right before you I got my  Barack Obama picture like nobody got one of these no because everybody didn’t get one of those  and everybody because again nobody believed and a lot of that other stuff so that’s wild now you  took that opportunity and we get you rolling you

00:29:43 took that opportunity to then um look at the fact  that now you know you talked about working on his campaign you actually after he won you went and  got involved in in DC um what what role did you take on in when you got to DC what was you doing  so what was interesting is you know after Barack Barack won MH I had to make a decision to what to  do you know and I was still struggling with with something when I went to inauguration President  Obama had the staff ball right after the day of the inauguration okay we had the staff ball that  night and then we have like all everybody who

00:30:20 worked on the campaign had to do a special ball  with him where he was giving a message to us to what we doing next listen to YouTu and this he  talked about something that struck that really hit my car he was saying all right because of you  guys it’s one of you the sacrifices you made it was true it was long sacrifices for two years it  was from 2007 and long long primaries with Hillary who didn’t want to leave till the summer till  almost to Convention then and after that going with mckain it was a very difficult long twoyear  campaigning for us it was difficult for me because

00:30:56 my son was just at the time one year old and I  had to move out a little bit in Cleveland for a little bit to leave in Cincinnati go to Chicago  to Iowa for the primary so I wasn’t see him much so of thousands of those people that came into  Washington left their towns to come to listen to that hope which we live in in the day couldn’t  even have a hotel can sleep in it was illegal at that time to rent black people hotels unless  it’s the motel called black only that’s correct so many of our people who came to listen to Dr  King from Chicago from Ohio from from the south

00:31:29 wherever to come to DC4 hope they will never see  slept in their car they went to restaurant that they say you cannot be here they had to eat on  the parking lots today we I am an black man from Africa who’s taken advantage of this struggle of  my people in America watching a dream of a black man telling us we can do anything oh wow and there  I had the I I had I don’t know how to call it is it was like empowering true true empowering you  can do anything I okay it’s too small I cannot be in Cleveland anymore right I have to leave my  city that I love I have to come to DC and and and

00:32:11 then I started working with the state department  and and and and and when it said go back to the places that you go back to to do it going back  to you wasn’t necessarily Ohio exactly it was about going back to you know the vulnerable  to the people who live like me there you go to uplift them to to transcend to pass on the  the hope that President Obama has given me but I worked for almost a year with uh with our  congresswoman congresswoman fge for nine month then I decided I’m going to be in DC and then  to to help the administration but on a level

00:32:49 on global level so the state department hired me  to go to different countries the first contract I got they said okay you speak French we need you to  go to France to do this empowerment grass training we will identify all the upcoming leaders in the  country for soft power the US do that in every country they identify upcoming political leaders  and Business Leaders they bring them to the US or bring Americans who can Inspire them there so  they can have a connection to the United States so you were the one everybody wanted to learn about  the American Obama Campaign but many people don’t

00:33:23 speak French so they hir me to go to France so I  went to France they got me in the biggest TV show M everybody want to see me so I went to the big I  had a conference I went to this universities it’s called U um ran business school MH it was 900  people still in YouTube full sold out another room 500 people big screen TV they all waiting for  me to say something a kid from Cleveland really i r out out of Paris and everybody’s waiting for  me to to speak so when I came and speak it was amazing when I came out everybody was there taking  photos it’s like what I was doing for Barack now

00:33:59 they’re doing it for me so what was the what  was your first speech about it was about how we went from Grassroots like we just talked about  from nothing to something how we able to create something that people thought was not possible to  make it a reality so when did you realize that you had the ability to do that I think I think it  came along for a long time in my grad Works in Cleveland when I came with the young Democrats but  also my interactions in the east side of Cleveland campaigning with Kevin Conwell and then in Frank  Jackson’s campaign also to be able to create a

00:34:33 campaign where Jan Campbell in the beginning was  everybody raised all the money and had everybody behind but to elect Frank was very hard for us but  we were able to able to put him me give me so much confidence that we can do this but everybody can’t  be a motivational speaker now what what madees you think that you know what I’m gonna get I know  you like I’m like you know most people first little speeches a first little speech you saying  they put you out there right and then and then it just went so well because I was already doing  it here in Cleveland a lot with the young dad I

00:35:03 was introducing some stuff with the campaign with  President Obama I was the president of the young Democrats in County I had to come and resign and  let Paul take on and and and C Thompson so I can move on so I was already in leadership positions  by they they were grooming me also okay they gave me opportunities even with the campaign we BL we  go to events they let me speak so I was sharing my story and and and the people of Cleveland  loved me so you ready I was ready Cleland me you know like I said the other day you guys are  laughing when you can do politics in Cleveland man

00:35:32 you politics everywhere this to is hard oh no we  understand that you all the way from Africa coming back to this politics in in Cleveland is not is  another level another level so to be able to go around till I can maneuver the Cleveland politics  I was ready for the rest of the country so then overseas he went it went pretty well and I met the  richest man in the town uh beari was the owner of Aa Insurance two of them and and also another guy  who does the food uh all the foods even for the US

00:36:06 Army yeah soxo is called the company it’s passed  away two years ago and then they saw me on TV and they called me up to the office the two richest  guys when the US Embassy called me say these two people need to meet you but you need to know that  they are very very very powerful in the country I said but who they I said you know um Warren Buffet  in the US he said yeah I said this are the two Warren buff here oh Okay cool so I go meet these  all white guys they say we watch your speech we watch you on television your story can be amazing  to help young people in France especially Arabs

00:36:38 and young blacks in the communities because we’re  having a lot of issues remember they had a lot of issues with the young people even they born French  few years 2007 yes correct he said but because you’re French born and sagales born and you speak  French your story will collide with the same background and they can show them that they can  do anything I said but okay but how do you want to use how can we work together he say do you have  a nonprofit I say it’s called give one project I started in Cleveland he said well if you can open  it here we can fund the project so you can help

00:37:09 these young people to make we make them believe  like you believe in the US believe in France and support themselves I said that’s fine they open  the office fund the project and I started picking the young leaders bringing them to the US in  DC to train them in leadership in Grassroots organization M with the French government involved  and became a big thing today these young people are like biggest in France like Musa Kamar  who I just took to the White House again every every year like last October I bring them I do the  program with the White House the state department

00:37:40 Chamber of Commerce I brought a lot of young  people from Cleveland van Monro a great artist that did that remember Obama shoes for us yes the  French president’s wife did a reception for them I bring Paul Sadler Mike mik R all the clevelanders  I brought them also Kevin um cell Kenny Dr Kell Kenny mhm I got CL people also be representing in  France I did it in Japan I after many governments see me doing that the state department sent me  also in in London the me Belgium I did the same thing and Belgium was interesting because when the  state department brought me to Belgium I did the

00:38:14 tour and they took me to tough neighborhoods  to talk to young people they took me to his neighborhood called mic neighborhood right outside  of Belgium but it’s populated with young people from African Arab Morocco Algeria Etc you will  know why I say m because after my report I sent a report after listening to this young FKS they ask  me question but I ask questions when I come back to Washington I have to make a report to the state  department tell them what I learn about it and my recommendations to help those young people in my  recommendation I told them that we need to put

00:38:50 a lot of resources especially with the Belgium  government in mbec because those young people I met are very angry of the system in mbec in  Belgium they feel so disowned they feel so disiz that they think their enemy is Belgium and they  born Belgium but they want to fight this this town that’s how they were talking guess what um few  years later seven years later they the one that you remember those terrorist attacks in France  that happened yes those those young people that left M took the train to burn all over the airport  of Belgium did the same thing in France few years

00:39:32 ago remember wow that’s the same neighborhood that  I was working on wow I did that in London after in Italy and they turned me to Jamaica so every  year they every place I went I also set up give run project that’s how it allowed me to now to  do have give one project my nonprofit that IED in Cleveland here at the McDonald’s right here in in  in Chester or car that’s where we sat down me and Dr K and Mike and all of my friends to start give  one project which today train more than 25,000 young people around the world wow who became  ministers State country leaders politicians Prime

00:40:07 I mean Prime Ministers when for example in chat  running for president right now some of them are big business people and it’s still going on in 34  countries and all continents in the world that I started from here that’s just one project and then  later on I went on to you know in response to what my mother was going through I told you earlier  that um you know watching her not go to school right when I went back home I I I I bought a house  made it a center for Woman Called give one project women training center for all the women or girls  who didn’t finish school who didn’t go to school

00:40:42 or they got married early young people go through  that when women in Africa they go to my Center full scholarship their house they fed and in three  months we teach them a skill to be able to work have their own businesses I’m doing here to make  curs to do sewing my women Center is in Sagal for women and then I launched another project that’s  called this 5 years ago give one project digital skills academy I took my one of my vacation homes  and turn it into digital academy and young people are learning quing in Sagal leing um Ai and cyber  security now in partnership with United Nations

00:41:20 development organization they are funding the  project now I did it for four years myself all these young people coming through scholarship been  learning for free we are creating cyber Security Experts from my program and the last project  I just uh started in 2014 now is my biggest project is called the Jeff Zone Farm it’s my farm  in Sagal which I sold a lot of young people in a lot of people in Africa majority of what we eat  we have sun we got water we got all the text we should have been feeding the world but because  of lack of will of our leadership for years mhm

00:41:58 80% of what we eat come from overseas really  yes I said that’s got to change we we should be feeding the world we got the most erable soil  we got water we got the youngest population in the world is in Africa 70% of SES for example just  my country are under 25 years old young people everywhere 70% yes but none of them are most  of them 70% of them some 75% are under 25 young people everywhere brother wow but no training no  jobs no opportunities and we don’t eat what we wa for Asia with Ukraine other countries to bring us  food I said that’s got to change and what I learn

00:42:32 about this country is about grud organizing  is what changes policy polic is affected by transformation transformative leadership what you  create from the ground up and even in farming I learned that you got to be able to plant seeds if  you want to harvest but you only can harvest the seeds that you planted if you want to harvest corn  you cannot plant meals M you got to plant corns but it’s not only enough to just plant the corn  because as a farmer now I’m speaking as a farmer you have to plant plant the land plant the seed  but you have to also water it you got to weed out

00:43:14 because it’s going to be B weeds around all the  time you got to come out and take the weeds out so they don’t take all the water and ingredients  to kill the plants that’s about the environment we create when we’re creating things like you to  be able to be here you have to surround yourself with people who can I believe to you support your  projects to be able to be here that’s the B who can be negative always telling you you can’t do  it that’s correct but to go farther if you keep watering it that’s what you’re going through  you’re going through the difficulties one day

00:43:39 will come you will harvest what you planted so I  say okay it’s time to plant the seed to instill in young people in my country and Africa that  we do not have to wait for somebody to feed us because as B said hungry man is an angry man and  we have to be able first of all to feed ourself independent then we can be Innovative we can cre  be creative we can be able can now we can we can create we can have a full control of our life so I  started farming I knew nothing about farming I saw you on the video I was like for nothing I think  I saw you out there trying to bulldo it or get it

00:44:21 cultivated when it first was going now the thing  I looked at over there it looked like it’s dry as hell over there man is we don’t have much r in  sagon we have three month R right now August July August September so how hard is it to grow stuff  over there like but we have we are sitting on on water you know we are sitting all over water you  can do dig holes you get water that’s what I did I got you know we got we got the PE we have forage  you know you know wh and all that stuff so then in the farm I saw also that we need to educate folks  we got to make it attractive because I’m follow

00:44:57 by a lot of young people they saw me in Washington  with President Obama and all you guys what I’m doing here in the United States so I’m like okay  what America has done I’ve learned in the US is we know how to tell stories we know how to create  Hope from nothing okay I said the storytelling of Hollywood is the reason why everybody want  to come to America because in movies America was able to put in that soft power so people can  start dreaming about oh want a big car big house eating some popcorn watching movies you know the  United States the world want to come here I say

00:45:29 okay I’m going to make farming just like that in  Africa I’m going to make it attractive so it can attract young people back into the land because  farming is not attractive over there it’s poverty is misery so young people don’t want to do it but  now since I started doing it I did a school inside make it inside nice uh a football fi a basketball  feeli inside the farm make it very sexy beautiful and when they come they don’t want to leave I make  it the Chang Agriculture and Leadership Institute

00:45:56 this week this week today we are on the 80 first  class of young people who can train from all over the world not anymore Africa alone they come from  everywhere in the diaspora come from Brazil they come from Mexico they come from people Google and  see my farm get a flight they come to Sagal they go not that car to town straight to the Village  to stay in week or two weeks or three weeks M be trained in the farm and go back and to do that  in their own countries 49 nationalities around the world this past 10 years so I’m thankful  to be able to um witness the impact is making

00:46:32 and this to anybody listening to us too is a um  message that whatever idea you have sitting there somewhere you thinking one day they’re going  to wait for the right time to come to be able to make it or you waiting for the moment to have  the money to do it the resources to do it I tell you don’t that idea that you have can change the  world can change lives that you don’t even meet if you started today where you are from where you  are and what you have even you have started mhm and you build it like the farmer with the hope  that the process you let the process happen by

00:47:05 just doing what you can do every day it took me 10  years when I was building the school in the farm my team did a call meeting to me and come and tell  me listen man this is a village in Africa nobody going to come here to study farming so give us the  money we put it more in the land for agriculture but we don’t need to build a school I told them  you build it no matter how far it is people will come and find it whatever you sell in the world  there is a customer for it and I know one day people will take their countries I don’t know what  country might going to be coming but today I told

00:47:38 them they will be here and trust me brother 49  countries in the world that some of them I haven’t visited they come in my farm to learn about  farming it’s shock me it’s shock anybody around me so anybody listening my brother I’m telling  them there is nothing we cannot do if we willing to just plant the seed and water it and don’t  forget without the bed once sometime there going to be some friends going tell you you em you can’t  be doing that you don’t have money you say you gotta weed them out sometimes the biggest problem  is you too the other man telling you ah you don’t

00:48:11 got the money yet you gotta wait to get the money  just start where you are and you will see that someday it might change lives that you don’t even  imagine it can be that’s very interesting let’s talk about um um you talked about a lot about the  importance of Youth Empowerment oh no that’s we we got in that you often speak of uh we often  uh there’s often stereotypes that politics is unaccessible for immigrants and minorities how  do you break through those barriers and what advice do you have for the young people trying  to do that to that’s right that’s a very good

00:48:46 question I’m glad you asked that you know because  a lot of people don’t talk about that but it’s very difficult for immigrants to break barriers in  American politics for example because a lot of us we make limits we it’s not because of the American  politics limit them but a lot of us we limit ourself before we even start we think that because  we new to this country this is not our role to do politics because we look at Politics as the the  the main leadership of the country so we we not we don’t belong we don’t supposed to do that even  even soon as you arrive in this country even if

00:49:24 you’re not you not documented America doesn’t make  you feel feel like you don’t belong here in Europe you can feel it right away you can be born there  they’ll make you Bel you don’t belong here even if in Europe yes really why these young people  are having lot you see what’s going on in London this whole week they burning the whole town okay  so the problem is that many of us for example me when I first arrived when I went to Harlem is  the city in Harlem from the 116 to 125 Street LX Avenue area MLK all of that is senales  people it’s called the small Sagal right so

00:49:57 we live among each other which is okay we watch  TV in Sagal we involve in sagales politics we involve what’s going on at home we forget to get  involved in what is also our home and when I went to my first time when I first get my paycheck I  said I’m going to go eat some sagales food and I took the not two trend from the bronze to the to  Harlem and I came and I see how we leave I say I do not want to leave Sagal to be in Sagal I am in  the US I want to be in the core of where decision is going to be made because I know politics are  too powerful politicians are too powerful to be

00:50:36 let alone by themselves because they decide  the taxes we pay they decideed the schools we go they decide our Hospital our roads we got to  get involved and every other community actually is doing it you see Latin American Community is  being very strong now they have their own caucus in Congress the Asian Community is being very  strong they have their own caucus in Congress the African-American Community for long long time  they were the center of fighting to take our place over here but there is other communities which  is us we belong to that Community but Africans

00:51:04 are not yet that involved in American politics to  me the best way for us to do it was just to get involved from the local politics first that’s what  I did what went to the young Democrats and nobody told me you can’t be here so when I came with  the young DS after one year I saw an opening I said I’m going to be candidate for the president  there’s two groups that was fighting people in Parma and people in the outside I was just there  waiting for OPP he said right up the middle and okay so let’s just one group for Pala mark them  say Okay Chan since you involved with the national

00:51:37 young DS you want to be the president and then  we’ll just help you so you show us how to do it I yeah yeah yeah they got me in there and then they  made the big mistakes of their lives and because now they wanted to control me I said Noah and  I went to the east side and I brought all of my folks get I said naming people right bro they got  mad at me next election come I say okay see what we going to do they immobilize everybody on the  West Side M and they say we’re going to do the El you remember the problem we had because they  say we’re going to do it over there at the where

00:52:10 the headquarter used to be right right to do the  elections right that’s how they always and I know when we go down there we’re gonna lose right  exactly politics you gotta be strategic right right I said okay Mike how we going to do this  we’re going to say okay there’s a the the the center you Center over there in in St Clair we’re  going to hold the event they a going to show up they a going to show up and we’re going to W up  wake up everybody in the east side to make sure everybody come to vote exactly and we sent the  mail out said the event the reelection campaign

00:52:39 because they really want to take us back from me  that’s correct we’re going to do it in the east side they say we’re going I said my argument they  called Jimmy deor who was to be there Jimmy deor called me to a meeting what’s going on I said well  Mr deor is this is what’s going on this F they always have the events in the west side right but  this time so you guys only use black people when like talk about no I said well that’s the problem  because now we having in the east side you guys are upset yeah you’re right could you never I said  that’s what the problem is that’s it is I say yeah

00:53:06 we had it nobody showed up I theid again that’s  how we do politics so I became the president so before I left I resigned and gave Paul S the thing  so anyway that’s that’s really hard to do you just got to get involved I mean you know even in this  we have the problem because when we talk about Africa we don’t have enough Africa to speak for us  but I’m happy to see that African-Americans we’ve done a wonderful job here even in Congress in in  having our words say to what’s going on and the black caucus was an example great example for all  of us and we we’re making great stries let’s talk

00:53:42 about your work with Aon and savba um through  your co-founding of the Aon lighting Africa you helped to bring renewable energy and to Millions  across the continent what sparked the idea of this initiative and how was it trans to Africa same  thing if you plant seeds you just don’t know what you’re going to get right a was watching  me which I didn’t know um in the re-election of the president and after we reelected the president  2012 we connected and then 2013 they can’t connect to me because I was having already these young  people com to Washington every September during

00:54:19 the black caucus okay I to the White House we  do a big hearing about getting involved in local politics I mean policy Etc and then I take them  to the black caucus and I take them to the state department they do the same thing for the US  Chamber of Commerce in the UN in New York so I do it again next this year this is the 14th year  so khah reach out to me say listen man I see the work that you’re doing I want to see how I can  be of help I say okay so you can Be Our Guest surprise this year for the Global Leadership  program for give one project that I started in

00:54:50 Cleveland remember so now the give one project  have the event in DC I invited Aon to come be the surprise guest the young people was happy the  state department was happy we did a big reception at the French Embassy with my good friend Fran  who’s not the ambassador of France in Germany and and Khan was very impressed and he said man  you’re doing all this thing without money and I’ve done nonprofit but it fail because people take my  money all the time I say it’s like you’re asking me to go and sing in a concert I can’t do it your  gift is singing But grass organizing is my gift

00:55:25 but I know if if we join our hands we can change  a lot of things in Africa because I really want to do things in Africa and we start brainstorming  what we going to do I remember those days that I was studying and wanted to continue to study my  lessons and it got dark and my grandpa couldn’t get me energy and I was upset about that I was  like why is some of the neighbors have electricity we don’t have it and it’s until today 600 million  Africans live in the dark brother they never have electricity they will never have it if we don’t do  anything 600 million there a lot of people twice

00:55:58 the United States that’s a lot of people twice  the United States Liv in the dark until today and I say it’s time to invest that means if you don’t  have electricity bro you don’t have good running water you don’t have like we doing right now  internet you don’t have telephone charge you don’t got none of that so this the hospitals are nothing  in there until today so I say come let’s invest in energy renewable energy this is how Aon lighting  Africa came about I went to look for another partner some B in in in Africa because we don’t  know nothing about energy Khan was a superstar

00:56:31 at the time he had 50 something million followers  on Facebook I say I’m going to put your name on it as Acorn lighting Africa KH didn’t agree in the  beginning because he was telling me no because of at that time we just he was having some issues  with that issue that we had in the island with that thing so he’s like no I think we should  create an I said no because that will repair your name but that will bring a lot of attention  to the projects in the world and that’s what end up happening mhm samb had a Chinese Partners who  could help with the line of credit with $1 billion

00:57:03 Jes and we used that to go to China negotiate with  them dur negotiation my thing was to the Chinese I need people to train my young they want to bring  the workers to do the work for them because with China and Africa is an interesting going on  there with geopolitics the Chinese send the entrepreneurs give them money with the exm  bank Chinese ex Bank to invest in projects so they can have soft power in Africa to compete  with the United States and Europe because it’s raw materials that they need I will build a  hospital for you you give me a license to get

00:57:37 gold and diamonds or you give me your iron ore  or you give me your diamonds that’s what Europe been doing for years now China is there taking  over so they bring their workers the money will be going back to China hard negotiations for  almost a month in China I said no it’s not if we don’t hire our own young people right I don’t  want the1 billion that’s the problem I just need quality control manager and few people to train my  young people right I have young people don’t work but putting solar lights is not difficult right  we can get it from you we assemble there and we

00:58:12 get the young people to work finally they accept  it that’s how we created Eon Africa that really changed a lot of lives that changed my life that  decided for that’s how I decided to move back to Africa afterwards I saw the reality of poverty  in my continent and I kept going back and forth millions of people we go to Bro some Villages  that never seen electricity in the world never they don’t even hear they don’t never seen it and  we bring lights over there the night that we turn the lights on you would see people crying like  they never seen it before this is what changed my

00:58:43 life so when you say lights what are you sol light  we’re doing three three we have three systems the first system was a home system where we can plug  the whole house even with a V one vator and a fan you know like five bedrooms we put the the panels  up top and we bring the wires up connected to the panels and the whole house will have electricity  wow and it’s all solar because we have 365 day we don’t have winter everything is Sun so normally  y got my everything is solar everything Sol we don’t we don’t pay electricity bu in my farm  everything is solar so that’s the first system

00:59:20 the second one was the street lights we’ll come  to a town we put all street lights there really yes and the the government space for it mhm and  then we have like the minig GD systems the minig grd systems is like you come and hook up the whole  village all the offices the mask the church all that they pay by the government you have the minig  grid that that hope the whole wires up to the to the B one and it’s also solar everything is solar  so there’s no bill and all built by the Chinese wow so this is how how we built them and was we  did it in 18 countries around the continent very

00:59:55 successful project project one day we travel a  lot that time and I come back to the US I was still living in Washington I come home just for  a few days to change clothes and go back our main office was in New York but we were going back  and forth I say one my man am I more useful in the United States now or in Africa because I saw  an Avenue of impact that I can be doing we’re in a small town in Kai right outside of Mali between  Mali and Sagal and we were electrified and this older guy was so crying so much and I was asking  him what’s going why it made you so emotional he

01:00:34 said he thought he would never able to see his  children be able to carry a paper to study at night under a light he never thought his life able  to 78 years old and then I was like it’s time to go back home isn’t it isn’t it isn’t it safe to  say that there’s people who didn’t know that so they didn’t even know that light existed like that  is it safe to say that people never even do that they don’t even know that there’s lights right  now 600 600 million people in rural Africa today 600 million don’t even know you can’t be lit up at  night they even know they can leave under like wow

01:01:05 we in 2024 wow that’s what’s going on right now in  the continent that gives you hell of opportunities though that’s that’s why everybody’s in Africa  except for Africans because Africans start to run away from Africa everybody’s running to make money  there because everything needs to be built roads highways schools hospitals electricity need to be  put up water needs to be put restaurants needs to be put Farms need whatever you think about if you  want to do business in Africa that’s way to do it

01:01:33 that is deep yeah all right do you think African  countries are leading the charge in renewable energy Innovation and how do you think the rest  of the world can learn from what they’re doing I think they are not only in in in in renewable  energy but even in in in in uh in um smart uh uh banking you know Mobile Banking as well there’s  a lot of things that we lip frog around the world but there’s today a lot of things that we  didn’t have to lip frog for example solar a lot of Americans a lot of people in Europe they have  to be plugged into the Electric System right um

01:02:12 in Africa many places today didn’t have to they  skip that they go straight up to solar the same thing with the mobile right telephone um a lot  of people in Africa majority of Africans were on mobile today never had a landline telephones M  we skip that the same thing in the banking system we today here to transfer money you go through  banking still in the US you can have PayPal zel and all that stuff but in banking in Africa most  people don’t even have bank they never own a bank but they have banks in their phone every money  transferred with your phone mobiles applications

01:02:49 everything really waves war in Sagal which not  again but waves orang money is very Advanced we are behind the United States compared to  Africa when it come to mobile money everybody have their own banking through their fund they  never been to the bank before they don’t have a bank account but the banking is mobile telephone  you have a telephone everything in there you pay your bills through it you do all that stuff and  and to me that’s that’s something that’s very uh Advanced that we didn’t have to Li frog we we use  technology to go faster this is why I mean many

01:03:20 technology companies and construction companies  and investment companies are in Africa to to you ize the opportunities that are in there and and  to close on that on the Eon thing it’s something I wanted to mention to close that point because  lot of people don’t understand what happened now is that the reason why the project couldn’t  continue as much is because Africa is still dealing with democracy and the rural law in many  countries example you can go in a country like Benin or Sagal or binaso for example count that  we had I’ll tell you countries that we had big

01:03:52 contracts like binaso like uh Benin like Mali  those examples there’s many more that they owe us millions of dollars still don’t pay us really  just because you can come in a country you have in Guinea $25 million contract to bring lights let’s  say you bring 100,000 lights it cost $25 million and then you have an advance for the government  to bring and you get paid afterwards then you come pay you do all the work you put in your money and  the government owe you let’s say 18 or 15 million then you’re waiting for payment the president  lose power the next person that comes in anybody

01:04:30 who worked with that president before you ain’t  getting paid okay you talking about our politics is tough that one it’s not even compared that  one here is politics that one I don’t know what to called it’s just like you take over everybody  else that was saying hello to the former president you also ain’t get nothing from here wow so you  lose money you go to another country it’s the same thing and sometimes some countries like Mali and  bu what happened to us we put in all that money and all that work electri in all those countries  we get all this money coming in pretty good and at

01:04:59 one point they always all this money then we wake  up one day you just wake up one day having your coffee in the morning you turn the TV oh there’s  a K in Mali and in baso now it’s military taking over who you going to go ask for the money you  come call to me like oh you got some money you might be going to ja really so so you lose all  that money so that’s that’s another problem that we were dealing with in many of those countries  and so you would think that at some point they will want might though but no they’ll say you  know they they do for the people who want the best

01:05:30 for the countries we still have politicians who  sometimes um the quality of life of people don’t matter to them what matter to them how much money  they can get into put their pockets in many times it’s not all African countries of course there’s  a lot of you know changes that are happening in the Contin but there is still some countries where  you know you got politics that are way richer than they’re way richer than businessmen most African  countries the rich people are not business people

01:05:54 they are politicians and you know why they’re rich  you know that’s correct that’s correct with the progress you made and there’s still much more  to do what is your biggest challenges you see in achieving U sustainable development and among  Youth and how are you going to tackle that I think the biggest the biggest issue for me especially  in in in my country in Africa is is is training um is the biggest problem because we got a lot  of young people who want to work but sometimes they’re not trained they don’t have the skills  and the issue is they don’t they don’t they don’t

01:06:27 they don’t want to be trained in skills that’s  creating jobs example the work in Africa today is in areas that’s not in universities anymore  we have a disconnect between the educational system with the the job market the educational  system is inherited through colonization so we studying history American history European  history philosophy we studying literature right today the market is in the areas that are put my  investments are which in Education and Training in science technology in farming in construction  like you can you know in know Building Homes and

01:07:05 plumbery in carpentry those things young people in  many countries they don’t want to do they want to be in offices they want to be in you know a lawyer  they want to be a have a suit in a tie to be hired yeah and and this is my biggest challenge is how  we can continue to inspire them to go into farming to go into construction we got to build roads we  got to build schools we got to build highways we got to build those jobs as con construction work  skills job skills you will never go without a job

01:07:30 but today’s generation the problem is that most  of them majority there was a study recently in the New York Times I read this amazing article  this american guy who went to Asia and studied interviewed many young people under 18 years old  in South Korea and in in China and in Japan came to Africa and then went to the United States  and Canada 99% of young people in Europe in uh Asia when they ask them what you want to become  98% so they want to be engineer they want to be in science and technology things that’s like  new today 92% of them in Africa they’re saying

01:08:10 oh we want to be influencers and what’s that  influencers like people who oh influencers Instagram population yeah I got you influencer  got you the United States the same thing 78% of the young people want to be celebrity that’s  correct MH in Europe and Asia in Canada the same and the study is saying now what’s going to happen  in 10 years from now when our generation our kids become now us the CEOs China will take over the  world because they will control the technology of the world who control the technology Us control  the world today because we still control the

01:08:41 technology with our young if our young people are  going on science and technology and learning the skills that’s going to be controll the job market  that’s correct we want to be influencers and they want to be Engineers tomorrow they’ll be learning  us giving us the Tik Tok and stuff to to you now we all upset about Tik Tok because because we’re  not creating as much that we were creating like Silicon Valley was doing in the beginning that’s  correct so this is my biggest challenge for your question to how we can make sure young people in  this generation understand that skills will still

01:09:08 guarantee you jobs and when you got jobs you got  dignity jobs is more than just i s my son in the car before coming always remember people can talk  about luck but I want you to be able to always know that it’s through hard work you get what  you want you know that’s correct and it seemed like a generation lost that and I don’t know if it  was because we wanted to make it easier for them because I mean if you think about it the struggle  you went through to get there you would never want to wish that on any of your kids you don’t want  them to have anything close to that what you had

01:09:39 to go through so you make it a lot easier for him  but you know to yourself that you just sat here and said you can never be who you are today if  you never without it and and and that’s the hard part about these things that get me looking ahead  what are the next big steps for you and whether with renewable energy Youth and Leadership and  any other initiatives on the horizon yeah I mean I’m excited to talk about this one because I  I decided I’m going to go into cinema cinema yeah movies yes okay and my first movie is being  released actually in the Cleveland film F greater

01:10:14 film festival really oh so when that happens you  got to come up 19 oh okay I would make sure iranic I told well that’s coming up okay next month it’s  crazy too because just something with me Cleveland I told my team they are inal and France M Google  for me all of the film festivals in the world and put my movie there we just filmed two movies and  I I WR these movies I put them up we filmed them it was they’re great movies and I said put them up  short movies and I want to go to a film festival

01:10:45 in September this is last January then we got  a respond from a Cleveland Film Festival great Cleveland Film Festival um this you can apply  is going to be in September we appli M I know no I had no idea when they was applying I I just  told them apply they apply then we got a letter that we accept it I said okay this is interesting  in Cleveland I’m going to show my first movie and then we have a call now with the organizers two  weeks ago that they all of us who were selected this film 50 film that are selected this year  from September 19 to the 26 then we have a call

01:11:26 it’s 12:00 a.m. in Sagal I think it was like 700  p.m. here 800 p.m. I’m up with my team to be in the call who’s on the call is uh Anon tinker  and Anton tin and and and Donna Donna is the director Donna who used to be yeah Don used to  be the key and the greater the nonprofit used have for the young professionals yeah I said  this is crazy man this is my my my my sister somebody I know him for so long she was soy  like Sean I can’t believe like you guys bring me to Cleveland to show my first movie to the  world this is we are intertwined this is amazing

01:12:05 thing so yeah I’m I decided to go into Cinema  because of understanding the power in cinema understanding still learning a lot about the  United States with Hollywood how they control the geopolitics of the world through Cinema  and how we can also as black people use Cinema to tell our own stories you know I started  writing I’m on my ninth book because I was tired of seeing them telling our stories in their  own length and I say I don’t want tomorrow my son Elijah somebody to explain to him my story I want  to tell my own story for my kids to also have a

01:12:45 model the joural okay he did this then we can do  more than that that’s correct so I said I wrote my first book and then I couldn’t stop I wrote  even Children books now they’re all in Amazon so then I say it’s not enough to write books  because these kids don’t write don’t read anymore we got to do what they’ve done to control the  world to tell our own stor so I say I’m going to go into Cinema there’s a lot of African stories we  need to share to the world our culture our way of living our struggles and let other people see us  from our own way of telling our stories that’s why

01:13:17 I start writing movies and I’m going to not only  write movies but I’m going to act it’s something I want to do you know you truly like me man we  set out to just do stuff and just do what you know what I’m saying and and and um our kids and  others kind of look at us sometimes when we say we do like man you doing way too much and you’re  not gonna do it we do it I had and it’s crazy I had a uh a discussion with my son a couple of days  ago he’d be mad if I tell his story but I’m G say it anyway um we were talking and I was showing  him I was in that who who a Cleveland magazine

01:13:51 and he was reading that thing and he said you  know I’m gonna give you credit right he said you doing this podcast thing and everything man  I you know I didn’t think you were going to do it wow and I said really I said so you doubted me  right he was like no I didn’t doubt you I said well if you a think I was gonna do it that’s  called doubting right he said no I just didn’t think you was going to do it to the length you did  it right and I said well why would you think that he said I don’t know I said you know that’s the  difference between parents and kids right because

01:14:22 as a parent I never doubt anything that you say  you going to do from the time you was a kid when you say you wanted to play football even when you  was hurt I never doubted that you was never going to go to college and play never doubted that you  was never gonna go to the league never doubted any of that [ __ ] I always say Hey you gonna do what  you want to do right now as you get older and you start laying on the couch more and you start not  doing stuff then we start doubting the fact that

01:14:47 you gonna do anything but in the beginning  everybody’s giving a straight up even slate right and we don’t doubt so I I wasn’t upset that  you doubted me but I’m just like you just kind of think about it in that matter that you know he  said I never thought about it like that I said no how how you you can I’m a firm believer just  like you are that you could do whatever you set your mind out to do if you say you wanted to be  a farmer you was a farmer you say I want to write nine books you wrote nine books I want to come  to the United States I came to the United States

01:15:16 I want to get involved in politics on the upper  level of politics you done that exactly how many languages you speak Sean I speak five languages  five languages how many countries you done been to ah man more than 100 brother I’ve traveled  a lot man you traveled a lot I have so many passports it’s like what’s the when you say the  most beautiful place you done see it’s very hard to say you know people ask me that question but I  think it depends on what you look for every place is special you know and and I didn’t like today  I was walking with my girl and my kids in around

01:15:48 Cleveland going on NE food and I’m just seeing a  the beauty of the city that I haven’t seen when I was living here that’s interesting and I could  and she can say she’s saying I can buy a house here I said really say yeah it’s just friendly um  family friendly it’s clean it’s nice you got the Waterfront you got I say yeah when I was living  here I wouldn’t see it that way when I go to Morocco if a country I like something special I  like Morocco because of the food the culture the the kindness people are very nice you know it’s  a beautiful cultural country Sagal is normal it’s

01:16:19 my home you know friends the cuisine the food par  is beautiful but I don’t I don’t like the attitude of the friend I just like the the food and the  kindness you don’t like the attitude yeah they have too much attitude complain about everything  you know but but here I like the I I love this country because of its POS its possibilities of  what you can do this country is whatever you can do you can do that’s what the craziness of America  you that I love that you can dream and you can if you’re willing to work hard you can you can make  it a reality Asia I like because it’s new you

01:16:54 know it’s the what America did they’re trying so  hard to do it in a newer way everything is newer the hotels the roads the everything so they even  passing us now in Gadgets in in technology and all those things but this is these in senagal are the  countries that more I love the most because there it’s like the father and the mother you know and  you love them both and and what I would say of what you the important thing you just said about  what your your son conversation you had with your son hit me because people ask me that a lot you’re  doing a lot man you’re creating organizations

01:17:25 doing this that non-stop it’s never sto and My  Philosophy to that is that you have an opportunity to live one life ain’t goingon to be no second  or third one and you have opportunity in that one life you can live many many lives that in one  that life why you want to leave J one time you can be a carpenter tomorrow you be a mechanician after  tomorrow Me My Philosophy is I want to leave every life that I want to live in my one life I always  wanted to be an actor I’m going to act I see bro I went to a producer but I produced two movies  in one year I wanted to write books I’m I’m an

01:18:02 author I have nine books now and I’m not stopping  I want to be a public speaker I’m a global public speaker and it’s not stopping every time you got  to push the limits to know that in the end of the life you know I read an interesting book this  guy who would travel around the US and Canada interviewed 400 older folks 90 years old and up 80  years old and up M what did they regreted the most and what came out about that interview he wrote a  book about it everybody of them said one guy woke up every morning looking at the sun in his window  MH and they ask him why are you looking at those

01:18:36 son every day he said I don’t know what’s the last  day I’ll look at this son and growing up as a kid I never seen that so the conclusion of the book  is the thing you will regret the most in the end of your life is the things that you could do and  you didn’t do wow because of fear of what being criticized by somebody or you think you can’t  do it see the thing is bro you doing the right thing you wanted to do a podcast well now it’s  a done deal you thinking about something else do it let’s create lives and you don’t know in the  end how many people do you would Inspire Sean as

01:19:06 usual brother I knew you was gonna do awesome on  the show man we really appreciate you coming on man I got one last question I want you to answer  that one yeah into this camera because this one this one right here oh in the camera right here  and because this one I want you to answer the question and then you can end it on anything you  want to end it on talking to our guest here but the question is I want to give you and you end  it in your own way is what Legacy do you hope to leave behind and the message you would like  to give to the next generation of global change

01:19:37 makers and you can end it with that right there  that’s a great question I the message I would love for people to to remember of me of um is to always  believe that um there is nothing that you can do that um there is not uh The Limit to Your Dreams  or your aspirations you know there is um anything that’s planted in your head as an idea if you  look at everything that’s been created around the world um from this mic I’m talking to you from the  camera that you looking at me to to the airplane I

01:20:17 took to come here to the boats to whatever it is  the the lines the telephones the houses that you leave it was an idea that somebody thought about  but somebody didn’t just think about it they had the courage to go into practice into Jeff I call  in all of this action to push the limits to make that dream a reality which later on make many  people believe that they are exist or they are uh genius and they’re not genius they just have  the courage that whatever God has put it in them as an idea they can make it a reality this though  means that sometimes you might fail trying it many

01:21:01 of them failed many times some of them died tried  to build the plans some of them couldn’t make it just make the lights come up but in millions of  trying without stopping continuing to believe you can make your dreams also a reality and that  dream might be that dream that can just change the lives of millions of people you might not be  able to meet and you don’t have to even finish the line to see them but just get it done because  the world depend on that small idea that you have that Millions have died because of criticism or  afraid of being criticized or doubting themselves

01:21:43 they went to the cemetery with those ideas that  could be changing the world so what I will say to anybody watching is that whatever you’re thinking  about is your project can be the thing that will change the world and it will you can your dreams  are valid and you can make it a reality and I am a living testimony that you can come from nothing  to something and there is not nothing because that nothingness as you said in our conversation is  the foundation of why I was able to do what I’m able to do because the challenges you’re going  through the test that you’re going through the

01:22:17 difficulties that you’re going through the knows  that you’re going through is will be and will be the foundation that you need to build like  we build building this where we live right now there’s a foundation behind we don’t see we  only see the top the beauty but there’s something stronger inside that keeps it those are the  challenges so that too is a part of the process and you need to accept that those challenges are  not going to take you out but they’re going to build you to go up so you can build not only you  and your family but generation who are not even

01:22:45 born yet because I am leaving a through the life  and the dreams and the aspirations of everybody who came before me to the Civil Rights Movement  a black man like me going to the White House and the state department and crossing the world in  the United States is because Dr King and all of them around him had the guts to make their dreams  that I have a dream a reality that for me can you and I to be able to elect in black president  right is that you two can do it and that’s what I want to tell everybody you can do it hey  Shan name my man hey I have a quick question got

01:23:25 from the DJ you going to forget me again huh  oh well you know you got to jump in brother no that that was very good very inspiring thank  you now what do you think since you’re you know you come from the political uh side of things with  working with Obama how much belief do you believe that people have that back then when Obama was  trying to become president to what do you think the projections or the Bel that C Harris can beid  like what the difference it seemed like you Ken and other people were like the very few people  that were on board do you think there’s what’s

01:24:11 the difference between Obama and camela Harris  and the prospect of them becoming president that’s an interesting story that’s an interesting  question um I think it’s a it’s a different there a big difference on my own um opinion because of  we couldn’t during Obama time we couldn’t even think about of a black person I’m not talking  about a man and a woman we talking about just like a person that’s of color with a funny name  Barack Hussein Obama which few years prior to that where the issue with Iraq with sdam Hussein but  an issue with terrorism we had two Wars we were

01:24:51 fighting with um with Afghanistan and Iraq with  all of those together and then you know his name but he’s young he just came about even our own  people doubted it was possible that’s correct we talked about that Ken and and that’s the fact  that it was the first time brought something in us that we never lived before you know that doesn’t  mean I’m not underestimating the opportunity to have a first black woman as president is going to  be historic but it it didn’t do something to me like it did before you know I couldn’t sit in one  place watch I had to get in and get dirty and you

01:25:30 know what I mean um and we should all do it to  support the sister to get in there but but but to answer to your question Barack was was was was  was very historic it was it was the starting point you know it’s like it’s like okay the first day  you have a child for your first time it’s not you love all the kids and all of them when they come  in you know but when you having the child you know you got the routin now well and I’m going to tell  you how it is on routine it’s like a been there done that yes almost and it’s not to Discount her  and any but the camp the candidates were different

01:26:10 Barack was a guy that you didn’t think you was  gonna win it but you sure didn’t mean getting out there fighting with him because he inspired  you enough to make you get out there and want to fight and Win It KLA Harris is coming across as  if we got to vote for because she’s the sister and she’s the best candidate in this race so the  this is different so it’s just hidden different it’s no discount that she’s not a good candidate  it’s none it just hit different you know like you said the speeches Barack did in the rain when  his grandmother died all everybody cried his very

01:26:44 first speech when you very first I mean he was it  was a story he was a Storyteller he was good and and that that made it and it gave him more he had  more time to Campaign which gave you more time to know him to make it good so comma is like jumping  out we got to get behind an election in almost 60 days we got to get it done and it’s sort of  that kind of thing it’s almost it feels like you gotta do it right versus hey we really want  to go out here and do this yeah was volunteering everywhere exactly and and and you know the women  they the women they gonna handle their business

01:27:19 they organized they out there getting down for it  and they they doing it but it it makes everybody else sort of feel like okay we better make sure  you go vote for KLA you know and it’s that kind of thing unfortunately unfortunately that’s true  all right man well I want to thank you for coming on the program man you did a great job we’re  going to put all the links in the descriptions of how you can get involved with my man and all  his organizations all the stuff he’s doing all his books and everything so that you can reach out  to him and look at what he’s doing he’s doing some

01:27:48 really big speak with the N she be here in the  27 Oh 27 I’m the king of speaker this year so the film I they have this big banquet going on  really yeah 27 September September 27th he’ll be on September 27 so we be out he be back in  Cleveland so let’s make sure we check out and his film we definitely when the film come  out we’ll definitely be putting that out so you guys can check that out that’s right  all right brother I appreciate you thanks again always brother right peace thank  you it was a pleasure we’ll see you next

01:28:17 week this is strategic mow [Music] oh [Music]