Global Changemakers

Over the next few days we’ll be introducing five Global Changemakers to you – they will be representing the Global Changemakers network and engaged youth at the WEF Africa 2010 in Tanzania.

Who are you?
I am a Peacemaker: Kenyan by birth, an African Child by soil and blood, a World Citizen by passion and a Global Changemaker by indomitable determination to transform lives. I am a son of mama Africa. Through community activism, I find the meaning of life in being my people and my people being me.

What was your first reaction when you found out you’d been chosen to go to Tanzania?
Mmmmm, I was quite excited and somehow nervous. Excited because of getting an opportunity to meet and interact with accomplished Business and Global leaders who share a wider spectrum and view of the World’s challenges and opportunities. And a little bit nervous because these individuals are achievers who have done a lot in life, both to themselves and others, such that it is somewhat “intimidating” to share a platform of their caliber with their tinge Global Mindset and view of the World, (Chuckle).  
 
What are your hopes and fears for WEF Africa?
Ah, well, my fears are my very hopes, so that I have no fears… I am optimistic of an interactive, educative and rewarding experience. Despite of being young and may be haven’t accomplished much, I hope to learn from the various leaders and mentors present at the forum and buy into one another’s simple/great ideas, join hands, network and advance these ideas to better our continent and the World.

In which area would you want to see more youth engagement?
From Harare to Johannesburg, from Migori to Murang’a, something stands out very distinctively for me; that Africa’s Youth lead as the epicenter of innovation and catalysts for change in Education and Social fabric of our society. Their parade of fashions, their camaraderie and friendliness and their exuberance and dance together signal that if they passionately engage in African Education that goes beyond classroom doors/textbooks and in Peace-Building through economical empowerment initiatives, then African and Global transformation is here with us.

How can you make this happen?
Victor Hugo said, “One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas”; Medgar Evers Said, “You can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea” and Linus Pauling said, “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” To me defining these agenda and turning their turbines into transformational concepts stand on creating avenues where Young men and women from diverse backgrounds share and actualize ideas. As such, I wish to work more with the GCM and  hook up with other passionate global citizens such as WEF participants in my current works as a director in Theater, Women and Girl-Child empowerment, Popular Culture, Global Peace-Building and Environmental empowerment Initiatives in Kenya to enhance the building and implementation of ideas amongst this population.

What will the world look like in 2050?
Many ideas are sprouting, people- especially in the developing countries are becoming democratcally mature and knowing their rights, youth are passionately rising to definitely tap their potentials and technology is highly advancing. These give hope and better stomach for a More Peaceful and more Prosperous 2050. However, with innovations, with tranformations and technological globe, the generation in the 2050 must be cautious with high Nature Degradation, Terrorism as individuals threatened by change seek self-security and Peaceful Co-existence becoming more critical- that is the element of Self-contentment of the Global‘s individuals.

If you become the new UN General Secretary, what would be the first thing you’d do?
The United Nations Organization was fundamentally founded on a sole commitment of maintaining International Peace and Security amongst member states. I feel that the Security Council has not achieved much in developing friendly relations among nations and promoting socio-economic progress, better living standards and human rights by allowing both direct and indirect manipulation by some Power-advantaged states such as the USA. As a UN General Secretary, championing the reformation or even dissolution of the Security Council and restoring the independence of the UN from manipulation at the expense of other states would be my first priority.

What quality do you like most about yourself?
Trust. I easily and genuinely trust people, draw my people’s trust and advocate trust amongst them. I believe that African Leadership wallows in jeopardy because of lack of trust; most of our leaders do not build trust with their people and people have lost trust completely in our leaders. Trust is a deep element of Morality, and inasmuch as morality is usually seen as “boring”, we must learn to trust one another if we must move and forge change together as a people.

If you could invite three historical figures for dinner, who would they be, and why?
They would be Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden and Robert Mugabe. My definition of leadership is any person who can influence a people, whether “negatively or positively” towards a common goal/term. The Globe defines a leader as an urgent of positive change. So by definition, “good leaders or bad leaders are made by the people?”  I would deeply want to hear from them and understand what drove them, to understand their motives behind their historical leaderships, and their passions (may be for the people they cared about) that gave/ give different soils to their leadership, usually branded by many as “bad leadership”. I believe there is more to their fissures than they appear.

If you bump into Bono or Queen Rania in the elevator, what do you say?
Hello, I trust you are Bono/ Queen Rania, pleasure to meet you! Have you ever met a young African who has killed a lion of tribalism and a Cobra of illiteracy with his bare hands? I am the Global Changemaker Oketch Gicheru, kindly here is my business card…I would not mind having yours (A smile).