Zimbabwe native Arikana Chihombori-Quao wears many labels beyond her always-stylish designer suits. She’s a physician, founder of medical clinics, and an entrepreneur who includes among her properties, the historic US-based Africa House, and South Africa’s Durban Manor Hotel.
But the one label she embraces with the most pride is that of Ambassador to the US on behalf of the African Union (AU).
“In this new position, my mandate is to promote the longstanding and historical, cultural and economic relations between Africa and the US,” she states. “More importantly, to mobilize the African diaspora, which we define as ‘people of African descent living outside of Africa’.”
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It’s the perfect job for a woman whose passion and pride for Africa and the diaspora is deep-rooted.
“I have seen diasporans come to the Americas with absolutely nothing, but through hard work, they are now professionals in a position to look back and take Africa to the next level. They are highly adaptable and totally indestructible.”
She counts herself among them.
Like many first-generation immigrants, Chihombori-Quao traveled to America to pursue an education.
A graduate of Fisk University and Meharry Medical College, she holds a Bachelors degree in General Chemistry, a Master’s Degree in Organic Chemistry, and a Doctor of Medicine Degree.
“I intended to go back home after school,” she says. “But then I got married, had children, and my family back home dwindled. Suddenly I realized I’d spent more than half of my life in America. The reasons for going back home were no longer there.”
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After completing her medical residency in 1992, Chihombori-Quao settled in Murfreesboro, Tennessee – located in the southern region of the US – to open a medical practice. Soon after, she, along with her husband, Ghanaian physician, Saban Nii Quao, opened a chain of family medical clinics in the state.
Her entrepreneurial DNA led her to purchase the historic Durban Manor Hotel – once a whites-only all-male hotel and club – now a place for cultural heritage tourism and intellectual engagement. In a greater ironic twist, she purchased a 15,000-square-foot plantation, sprawled across 30 acres of land on the hills of Gallatin, Tennessee, christening it Africa House.
“We encourage Africans to look at it as a place where they can not only hold lavish events but have something they can call ‘their home’.”
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Alongside her career and business investments are her humanitarian efforts to promote women’s rights around the globe, and improve healthcare systems in Africa.
During her tenure as Chair of the African Union-African Diaspora Health Initiative (AU-ADHI), she led a delegation of medical professionals made up of other diasporans and ‘Friends of Africa’ living in Tennessee. They used their own money and resources to travel back to Africa on missions in Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and elsewhere, to improve healthcare in the most deserved regions. The delegation donated supplies and trained healthcare workers in the various district and regional hospitals.
Still committed to engaging and promoting the efforts of the diaspora, Chihombori-Quao now does so through her new official role as the AU’s permanent ambassador.
“It begins with reaching out to the diaspora,” she explains. “It takes a village to raise a child. There are many who say ‘Africa doesn’t matter’. We need to come together as one to raise the physical boundaries in Africa. But to do that, we need first to decolonize the black mind. We need to take time to sincerely inventory who we are and how we were colonized; otherwise the battle is going to be lost.”

Highly Adaptable And Totally Indestructible

Kenya is rallying behind Ambassador Dr Amina Mohamed to be the next Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, and Africa has warmly received her nomination. Elections were set to be held on January 31.
With a stellar diplomatic career of over three decades, Mohamed, a Kenyan, is known as an excellent strategist with proven negotiation and managerial skills, having demonstrated solid leadership in every domestic and international post she has held.
She is the serving Chair of the 10th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference which is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO.
Mohamed rose through the ranks in Kenya’s diplomatic service from legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kenya’s Missions to Geneva and New York, to the highest level of Ambassador/Permanent Representative, Kenya Mission, to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva from 2000 to 2006.
She served as Director, Europe and the Commonwealth and Director Diaspora from 2006 to 2007 and was Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs in 2008.
In July 2011, she joined the UN as Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) based in Nairobi.
In April 2013, she was appointed by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta as Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Kenya.
Weeks before the AU Commission elections, Mohamed spoke to CNBC Africa. Excerpts from the interview:
Q: You’ve had many firsts as a woman in leadership in Africa; just walk us through your journey?
&nbsp;
A: The first time I did something that I guess laid the road-map for whatever else came after was when I was elected to chair the International Organization for Migration Conference which is a council for migration. At that time, Kenya was actually the only African country that was a member of the International Organization for Migration. And when I was approached, I told them that the only reason I would agree to be put up as a candidate for the chairmanship would be if they would open up the organization for Africa, and would be able to attract more countries into the organization.
So we reached an understanding and I chaired it and during my chairmanship, that one year, I brought in a few African countries, and the rest is actually history, because now I think the largest group of countries that are members of the IOM are African countries, and from then on, I think in especially the kind of job that we do as ambassadors, you are called upon to show your commitment to the continent by agreeing to chair different bodies.
And so I was fortunate, I was privileged that the African group in the cities that I served in saw it fit to elect me over and over again, and so it’s something that I enjoyed doing, I was committed to doing and I think the record is not a bad one.
Q: You are now running to be chairperson of the AU Commission, tell us about the drive behind this decision?
&nbsp;
A: Kenya has put up my candidateship for the position of Chairman of the African Union Commission. Why am I running? I think we have a lot of value that we can bring to the table; we are also at a good time in the history of this continent. The first thing that comes to mind is the framework that we have. We have a framework that was agreed on by all African countries that needs a faithful implementer to put in place.
It’s a framework called Agenda 2063, for inclusive growth and sustainable development and it has a number of amazing aspirations for the continent. I think it’s actually time for East Africa because of the track record we have also set as a community, as an East African Community in what we have done.
We created a model for others to emulate and so there’s just a feeling that it was time for us to run for this position and I would be a good candidate for that because again I can bring people together, I have never come across a challenge that cannot be resolved, I look at challenges actually as opportunities. And I believe that we all know what we need as a continent to move us forward. One should look at the leaps we have made.
We are a young continent, we have done amazing things, we – many of us – have come up with new constitutions, constitutions that are based on our own realities, not on realities that come from elsewhere, also we look at our own specificities, our own individualities as countries.
For us as a continent, it’s actually excellent that we have such a young population.
It’s a young population that’s creative and innovative that are drivers of the economy and they are also the future and the present and therefore whatever they do, they know what they would like to put in place, for themselves and for their own children and for posterity I guess.
So we actually are in a situation where we can lead and not follow, because the problem is ours, the challenge is ours and it’s a wonderful opportunity to use, to propel the continent to the greatest possible heights.
&nbsp;
Q: Briefly take us through what an AU Commission led by you will focus on, looking at the challenges Africa is facing…
&nbsp;
A: I think industrialization, without any doubt. It is the only one that has the ability to reduce poverty, create the jobs that we need and to move the continent [forward]. And I think following that, trade, because trade brings us together, which is a unifier if you like.
We need to make sure that our infrastructure, whether it’s land, sea or air, is seamless. It doesn’t take a day, it’s a process but we need to get on with it. We need to remove the obstacles that are low-lying fruit… they can be removed easily.
One of those is allowing the easier movement of people, business people, of capital, services and goods. There is no reason why Kenya should import; and I am using as an example, if we did not have the dairy sector and we needed butter, milk or cheese, there is no reason why we should import that from 10,000 miles away; if we can just go across the border, into the next country and import from our neighbors.
The only reason why that has been difficult is because of the infrastructure deficit that we are faced with and we need to address that and address it quickly.
In this country we have tried to do it, in the region we have tried to do it with the SGR, with the road infrastructure that we have put in place, with the modernization with the port that has been done over the last few years, with the modernization of our airport, so those are the things we need to do across the continent so that our young people can move from one country to another, bring ideas, bring creativity, bring innovation, but also find jobs.
So apart from industrialization, and obviously there you have to address the infrastructure deficit, trade and the need to trade amongst ourselves; the intra-Africa trade is at 13%, and there is no reason for that. It should actually be at least at 30%; we should, eventually have 60% of trade within the continent.
This is where the population is, this is where the fastest growing middle-class is, and obviously with that, you have a consumer market, so this is where most of the trading should actually take place.
&nbsp;
Q: The outgoing AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has been very vocal about peace and security. Share with us your vision…
&nbsp;
A: She’s also been very passionate about agriculture, because agriculture has the ability to transform communities and societies very quickly and there’s a need therefore again as a reason of the youth to make agriculture trendy and productive for the youth.
But you know you cannot undertake development unless you actually have a peaceful, stable and predictable environment. You must have peace and security, without it you can’t have growth.
And so it’s been actually a rallying call of Madam Zuma, to silence the guns and we’ve agreed that we would try to do that at least by 2020, if we can’t do it sooner. I believe that if we all came together and are always committed as she is, we should be able to do that before the 2020 deadline.
Africa does not manufacture ammunition except for a few countries. Africa is resolving most of its conflicts and there are very few countries today, of the 54, that are still engulfed in conflict, in fact there are probably less than five that are engulfed in active conflict, and therefore we are at a place where we should be talking about a peaceful Africa, a secure Africa, a growing Africa, a resilient Africa.
So it’s one of the priorities. We actually addressed most of the issues that were connected to decolonization, that peace and security became a big issue and we started addressing it.
I think if we are focused we can actually deal with it, it’s been successful in the majority of countries and of course there will be hiccups, back and forth, but I think a majority of the countries have gone beyond the stage where conflict is a daily affair, so we need to continue working on it and I think we should be able to get it done.
&nbsp;
Q: What’s your vision on
driving governance?
&nbsp;
A: We have a very comprehensive and all-inclusive agenda. And that is also an issue that is in our Agenda 2063; we are more transparent, we are more open. Again, we are a young continent, the youth is very demanding, we are involving more and more people in leadership – apart from the youth, the women that are coming in jobs now.
So I think today Africa is at a better place, in terms of the rule of law, in terms of governance than it has ever been, and I think the only way forward is to keep improving that.
And as I said before, we [Kenya] enacted our constitution in 2010. Immediately after its enactment – I was in Justice, Permanent Secretary there – we got a dozen requests from countries that wanted to come and look at our constitution and see whether there was anything they could borrow from there that would fit their own circumstances. Because at the end of the day, the instrument is only as good as its implementation.
And you will only implement something that you are really comfortable with, and so the whole purpose of coming to study and look at what we are doing is, ‘will this fit into my own circumstance, is it something I can do now, is it something that can be delayed a bit’.
As you know, our own constitution had transitional clauses, what we needed to do now, what we could a little later; some of the provisions could only actually be fully implemented in five years, six years, and 10 years. So we had actually time periods in the constitution for implementation of different provisions.
So I think it’s the same everywhere, but the governance situation on the continent is better than it’s ever been and I know it’s going to continue improving.
&nbsp;
Q: Your bid has been warmly
accepted across a good number of countries, over 25 African countries. What are your expectations as we head towards January 2017?
&nbsp;
A: We are campaigning, I was told by one of our leaders that campaigns are personal, you must ask for a vote and that if you don’t ask for a vote, even your own brother can vote against you, so we are going across the continent asking everybody for their support and trying of course to obviously convince them that we have a good candidate. They have been very receptive, very warmly received, wonderful arrangements put in place for us… we are encouraged by the reception and the support that seems to be coming across as well.
&nbsp;
– Gitonga is a news producer at CNBC Africa and interviewed Mohamed at the CNBC Africa studios in Nairobi in November, Kenya; for the full text of the interview, visit
www.cnbcafrica.com.

‘Our Strength Lies In Coming Together’

&nbsp;
Kenya is rallying behind Ambassador Dr Amina Mohamed to be the next Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, and Africa has warmly received her nomination. Elections are set to be held in January.
With a stellar diplomatic career of over three decades, Mohamed, a Kenyan, is known as an excellent strategist with proven negotiation and managerial skills, having demonstrated solid leadership in every domestic and international post she has held.
She is the serving Chair of the 10th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference which is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO.
Mohamed rose through the ranks in Kenya’s diplomatic service from legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kenya’s Missions to Geneva and New York, to the highest level of Ambassador/Permanent Representative, Kenya Mission, to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva from 2000 to 2006.
She served as Director, Europe and the Commonwealth and Director Diaspora from 2006 to 2007 and was Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs in 2008.
In July 2011, she joined the UN as Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) based in Nairobi.
In April 2013, she was appointed by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta as Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Kenya.
Weeks before the AU Commission elections, Mohamed spoke to CNBC Africa. Excerpts from the interview:
Q: You’ve had many firsts as a woman in leadership in Africa; just walk us through your journey?
A: The first time I did something that I guess laid the road-map for whatever else came after was when I was elected to chair the International Organization for Migration Conference which is a council for migration. At that time, Kenya was actually the only African country that was a member of the International Organization for Migration. And when I was approached, I told them that the only reason I would agree to be put up as a candidate for the chairmanship would be if they would open up the organization for Africa, and would be able to attract more countries into the organization.
So we reached an understanding and I chaired it and during my chairmanship, that one year, I brought in a few African countries, and the rest is actually history, because now I think the largest group of countries that are members of the IOM are African countries, and from then on, I think in especially the kind of job that we do as ambassadors, you are called upon to show your commitment to the continent by agreeing to chair different bodies.
And so I was fortunate, I was privileged that the African group in the cities that I served in saw it fit to elect me over and over again, and so it’s something that I enjoyed doing, I was committed to doing and I think the record is not a bad one.
<div id="attachment_32061" style="width: 692px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32061" class="wp-image-32061 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/041©Thomsonphotography-Amina-WTO.jpg" alt="" width="682" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/041©Thomsonphotography-Amina-WTO.jpg 682w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/041©Thomsonphotography-Amina-WTO-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/041©Thomsonphotography-Amina-WTO-600x901.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/041©Thomsonphotography-Amina-WTO-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" />Dr Amina Mohamed</div>
<h3>Q: You are now running to be chairperson of the AU Commission, tell us about the drive behind this decision?</h3>
A: Kenya has put up my candidateship for the position of Chairman of the African Union Commission. Why am I running? I think we have a lot of value that we can bring to the table; we are also at a good time in the history of this continent. The first thing that comes to mind is the framework that we have. We have a framework that was agreed on by all African countries that needs a faithful implementer to put in place.
It’s a framework called Agenda 2063, for inclusive growth and sustainable development and it has a number of amazing aspirations for the continent. I think it’s actually time for East Africa because of the track record we have also set as a community, as an East African Community in what we have done.
We created a model for others to emulate and so there’s just a feeling that it was time for us to run for this position and I would be a good candidate for that because again I can bring people together, I have never come across a challenge that cannot be resolved, I look at challenges actually as opportunities. And I believe that we all know what we need as a continent to move us forward. One should look at the leaps we have made.
We are a young continent, we have done amazing things, we – many of us – have come up with new constitutions, constitutions that are based on our own realities, not on realities that come from elsewhere, also we look at our own specificities, our own individualities as countries.
For us as a continent, it’s actually excellent that we have such a young population.
It’s a young population that’s creative and innovative that are drivers of the economy and they are also the future and the present and therefore whatever they do, they know what they would like to put in place, for themselves and for their own children and for posterity I guess.
So we actually are in a situation where we can lead and not follow, because the problem is ours, the challenge is ours and it’s a wonderful opportunity to use, to propel the continent to the greatest possible heights.
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: Briefly take us through what an AU Commission led by you will focus on, looking at the challenges Africa is facing…</h3>
A: I think industrialization, without any doubt. It is the only one that has the ability to reduce poverty, create the jobs that we need and to move the continent [forward]. And I think following that, trade, because trade brings us together, which is a unifier if you like.
We need to make sure that our infrastructure, whether it’s land, sea or air, is seamless. It doesn’t take a day, it’s a process but we need to get on with it. We need to remove the obstacles that are low-lying fruit… they can be removed easily.
One of those is allowing the easier movement of people, business people, of capital, services and goods. There is no reason why Kenya should import; and I am using as an example, if we did not have the dairy sector and we needed butter, milk or cheese, there is no reason why we should import that from 10,000 miles away; if we can just go across the border, into the next country and import from our neighbors.
The only reason why that has been difficult is because of the infrastructure deficit that we are faced with and we need to address that and address it quickly.
In this country we have tried to do it, in the region we have tried to do it with the SGR, with the road infrastructure that we have put in place, with the modernization with the port that has been done over the last few years, with the modernization of our airport, so those are the things we need to do across the continent so that our young people can move from one country to another, bring ideas, bring creativity, bring innovation, but also find jobs.
So apart from industrialization, and obviously there you have to address the infrastructure deficit, trade and the need to trade amongst ourselves; the intra-Africa trade is at 13%, and there is no reason for that. It should actually be at least at 30%; we should, eventually have 60% of trade within the continent.
This is where the population is, this is where the fastest growing middle-class is, and obviously with that, you have a consumer market, so this is where most of the trading should actually take place.
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: The outgoing AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has been very vocal about peace and security. Share with us your vision…</h3>
A: She’s also been very passionate about agriculture, because agriculture has the ability to transform communities and societies very quickly and there’s a need therefore again as a reason of the youth to make agriculture trendy and productive for the youth.
But you know you cannot undertake development unless you actually have a peaceful, stable and predictable environment. You must have peace and security, without it you can’t have growth.
And so it’s been actually a rallying call of Madam Zuma, to silence the guns and we’ve agreed that we would try to do that at least by 2020, if we can’t do it sooner. I believe that if we all came together and are always committed as she is, we should be able to do that before the 2020 deadline.
Africa does not manufacture ammunition except for a few countries. Africa is resolving most of its conflicts and there are very few countries today, of the 54, that are still engulfed in conflict, in fact there are probably less than five that are engulfed in active conflict, and therefore we are at a place where we should be talking about a peaceful Africa, a secure Africa, a growing Africa, a resilient Africa.
So it’s one of the priorities. We actually addressed most of the issues that were connected to decolonization, that peace and security became a big issue and we started addressing it.
I think if we are focused we can actually deal with it, it’s been successful in the majority of countries and of course there will be hiccups, back and forth, but I think a majority of the countries have gone beyond the stage where conflict is a daily affair, so we need to continue working on it and I think we should be able to get it done.
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: What’s your vision on driving governance?</h3>
A: We have a very comprehensive and all-inclusive agenda. And that is also an issue that is in our Agenda 2063; we are more transparent, we are more open. Again, we are a young continent, the youth is very demanding, we are involving more and more people in leadership – apart from the youth, the women that are coming in jobs now.
So I think today Africa is at a better place, in terms of the rule of law, in terms of governance than it has ever been, and I think the only way forward is to keep improving that.
And as I said before, we [Kenya] enacted our constitution in 2010. Immediately after its enactment – I was in Justice, Permanent Secretary there – we got a dozen requests from countries that wanted to come and look at our constitution and see whether there was anything they could borrow from there that would fit their own circumstances. Because at the end of the day, the instrument is only as good as its implementation.
And you will only implement something that you are really comfortable with, and so the whole purpose of coming to study and look at what we are doing is, ‘will this fit into my own circumstance, is it something I can do now, is it something that can be delayed a bit’.
As you know, our own constitution had transitional clauses, what we needed to do now, what we could a little later; some of the provisions could only actually be fully implemented in five years, six years, and 10 years. So we had actually time periods in the constitution for implementation of different provisions.
So I think it’s the same everywhere, but the governance situation on the continent is better than it’s ever been and I know it’s going to continue improving.
&nbsp;
<h3>Q: Your bid has been warmly</h3>
accepted across a good number of countries, over 25 African countries. What are your expectations as we head towards January 2017?
A: We are campaigning, I was told by one of our leaders that campaigns are personal, you must ask for a vote and that if you don’t ask for a vote, even your own brother can vote against you, so we are going across the continent asking everybody for their support and trying of course to obviously convince them that we have a good candidate. They have been very receptive, very warmly received, wonderful arrangements put in place for us… we are encouraged by the reception and the support that seems to be coming across as well.
&nbsp;
– Gitonga is a news producer at CNBC Africa and interviewed Mohamed at the CNBC Africa studios in Nairobi, Kenya; for the full text of the interview, visit
www.cnbcafrica.com.

US-ECONOMY-IMF-WORLDBANK

‘Our Strength Lies In Coming Together

Maria Diamantopoulou, who has the distinction of being Greece’s first female ambassador in South Africa, is dressed in a pale lime green suit. It is an apt choice, immediately conjuring up the myriad of blue, teal and turquoise colors of the Mediterranean she is from.
Like the warm hues, her persona too is calm and placid. As Greece’s top-ranking representative to South Africa, she conducts high-level negotiations with the local government, and is responsible for her many countrymen resident in the Rainbow Nation.
We meet her in September, the month her two-year term comes to a close. It’s a crucial time to ask her some key questions pertaining to her stint, and her country’s recent economic crisis. She talks about how her Africa job was fulfilling in every way.
“I love this job because not every day is the same. I never know what to expect and it is always fun to meet people and engage on life-changing issues,” says Diamantopoulou.
And of course she is no stranger to random, or pointed, questions on the Greek financial crisis.
“The Greek people suffered for a long time,” she says painfully.
“Greece lost 25 percent of its GDP in such a short space of time.”
Diamantopoulou says most of the money in the new bailout package will be used to repay existing debt rather than rebuild the shattered Greek economy.
“Other countries in Africa can learn from this crisis to avoid similar problems. Countries should learn that challenges are the same around the world. I can see the first signs of [trouble, for example] unemployment in South Africa which is a very important issue. I always tell my South African friends and counterparts to try and learn from what we suffered,” she says.
Diamantopoulou encourages African countries to implement measures while there is still time to ensure the same crisis does not befall them.
“The public sector and bureaucracy are two of the main issues that any economy should focus on to improve and try to shrink so that there is more room for investment, growth of the private sector and small to medium businesses which are very important,” she says.
It has been a tough job at the helm.
“It is not easy being in such a position be it as a man or a woman because you have to prove who you are and what you can do,” she says.
Her main concern is the development of tourism, which contributes more than 15% of Greece’s annual Gross Domestic Product. She says tourism continues to grow despite the issues.
“Tourism is a big part of Greece’s economy just as it’s in South Africa and other countries on the continent. In Greece, there were 22 million visitors last year and this year, there has already been 26 million.”
And have South Africa’s own new tourism regulations affected the number of visitors coming from Greece? She says it hasn’t.
“Greeks are adventurous people. They like to travel the world,” she smiles.
Now heading back home, to Athens, Diamantopoulou says she will miss South Africa.
“I love this country and its potential. South Africans are beautiful people who smile all the time and I regret not having had enough time to travel while I was here. I will make sure to come back as a tourist and enjoy this beautiful nation.”
She says she relates to South Africa and always feels at home here because the people from both countries have suffered the effects of colonization.
“South Africans and the Greeks have a special relationship. We know the struggle for democracy and we defend human rights. We suffered the same way which makes me feel at home here,” she says.
For Diamantopoulou, it is good-bye for now but it seems not forever.

DSC_02861

Lessons From Greece

Our beauty editor was the only journalist from Africa to meet Sharon Stone in Berlin, Germany, where the 57-year-old actress was launching the Restylane Proof in Real Life campaign as its brand ambassador. We asked her what keeps her going:
&nbsp;
<h4>Do you fear ageing? How do you feel about ageing gracefully?</h4>
No, I would not fear ageing. I had a massive brain hemorrhage in 2001 and I nearly died. I have the experience of knowing what it is like to consider the possibility of not ageing.
In reality, it is a stupid concept to fear ageing. Ageing is a beautiful thing. Ageing is a gift, a gift that we need to embrace. We don’t have to embrace it by thinking it would just be great to shrivel up, and bend over and then fall down and die.
We can embrace ageing valiantly; we can embrace ageing gracefully. I love the saying ‘gracefully surrendering the things of youth’. I think that is a beautiful thing. Sometimes when we surrender the things of youth, we surrender them wistfully. We have moments of sadness, moments of little heartbreak for not having the things we had when we were younger. It is a fact. You see them go by, and there is a wistful sadness when they go, but you have to let them go. It is ridiculous to try and keep them. It’s beautiful then to look at who you are.
And if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom with a bottle of booze and stay in there until you get it, it is a good thing to do! Make friends with the one you are right now, and your former self. You have to do that, because that is the now that you are, and you want to stay in the now and move forward.
If you keep looking backwards, you are just going to fall down. All you have is the possibility of looking forward.
&nbsp;
<h4>What is the campaign about and why did you get involved?</h4>
Proof in Real Life is a project I am working on with the pharmaceutical company Galderma to challenge misconceptions that aesthetic treatments create extreme results.
Many people are interested in aesthetic treatments but some are put off because they only see one side of the story – the images in magazines of extreme looks and altered facial features.
People these days want more subtle enhancements so they look like a healthier version of themselves, just taking off a few years or refreshing their appearance.
I got involved because I was excited and interested by the idea of providing first-hand evidence that allows people to judge the results for themselves. I myself had fillers to rebuild my face after my stroke.
I really support the concept of encouraging greater openness and awareness of aesthetic treatments. Although it is becoming a much more accepted practice, people can find the choice daunting and are scared of making inappropriate decisions.
I hope that this project will improve awareness of aesthetic treatments and the results so that people are better able to make an informed decision.
[Ten sets of identical twins were used in the Proof in Real Life campaign. One twin of each set had treatments since February. They were introduced on stage by Sharon Stone to compare and prove how good and natural the results of aesthetic treatments in real life can be. Restylane fillers helps add volume and definition to the skin, whilst Restylane Skinboosters increase hydration.]
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<h4>What would you tell a younger woman about growing older?</h4>
‘Don’t try so hard.’ I think, when we’re young, we try way too hard. We don’t realize simply being young is enough. There’s nothing wrong with being young and not knowing &#8211; that is the beauty of being young.
Now that we are living so much longer, we over-think age, but we have to stop and reframe it. A lot of us, we buy into the concept ‘this age means that’. But we have to put a pin in that and step back and realize: a certain age just doesn’t mean what we were told it was going to mean.
You have to think: I really could live a whole lot longer than I depended on, my life could be a whole lot different. I’ve got a lot more life ahead of me than I thought I was going to! So if I want energy, and I want to have hope and dreams, I actually can. I have to reframe this now. In order to get my energy, how do I take care of my health and wellbeing, to get this all back together again for this piece of my life that I’m going to have.
Because this is the age where we didn’t think we were going to have another big chapter of our lives. And we have – we can have another career if we want. We have an opportunity to look at the world and shape the world.
When we were children, women weren’t out there fighting to see if we could shape the world. Women that were ahead of us were out there trying to fight so that we could break the glass ceiling with our heads, and our generation did break the ceiling with our heads. Guess what, we didn’t just get a broken head, we get to have another chapter.
This is what is very exciting for me: If we’re going to have another chapter, let’s look damn good while we have it. Let’s look great, let’s feel great and let’s go get it. And let’s not blow up the f*^$#g planet while we’re doing it. Let’s see how we have a peaceful future; let’s see how we have a feminine reality. How can we create a beautiful future, let’s see what we want to do with this next piece, because we have it, and I don’t think we knew we were going to.
We’re going to have to blast that engine again, and it is just such a great opportunity, because we’re up to that. It’s like they are calling our name. We’re the women who have experience, we’re the women who have the education and we are the women who have wisdom.
We all know, because we all were younger, that there is a power in looking good. It is not a secret, but it is a secret we never openly said: If you look good, you get your power. You get stuff done! However you do it, there is a power in looking good. We want to look good, because there is stuff we need to do and we need to get it done!
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What is your best treatment before a red carpet appearance?
Before a red carpet, I put my makeup on, and then I get into the bathtub. It makes my skin look radiant and my makeup look really good after it has been a bit steamed up.
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<h4>If you have fillers or an aesthetic procedure, what would you ask the doctor beforehand?</h4>
I would ask: How much downtime? Will it bruise? Will it hurt, because I am a real baby?
Aesthetic procedures have improved and evolved enormously over the years: For example, think back to our parents’ generation, when women got these horrible facelifts and they would look like they’ve been sucked through a wind tunnel and their hairline would recede – we can all see the evolution. We’ve been through the phase where everyone wanted gigantic lips, and now everyone wants gigantic butts, right? All these different phases…
The thing, for me, that you want to stay true to, which never goes out of style, is classic beauty. And that is a subtle thing. It’s staying true to your own self.
I tell my children (they are boys) that boys are like trees and girls are like flowers. You have to remember every flower is not a white rose. There are a thousand flowers in the garden and it is important to remember what flower you are, and try to turn yourself into a different flower.
We need to keep ourselves fresh and make ourselves into the best flower that we are. I think that is the key here with these aesthetic treatments. It allows us to stay fresh, but who we are. The best evolution of aesthetic treatments is that it allows us to not change ourselves into someone else. It allows us to stay who we are, and make a subtle change to feel fresh and happy. I noticed with the treated twins in the campaign that they just felt happy; they didn’t feel different. That is a good thing.
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<h4>Do you have a secret to beauty?</h4>
It’s a mystery to me. My parents were gorgeous, they were so good-looking, it was just crazy. For me to be good-looking was no mystery, my parents were just beautiful.
I think, as you get older, it’s not as much about the looks you were born with. It’s about the way that you live your life. If you are a mean person, you look like it when you get older. It is about having happy thoughts. You never look bad with lines around your eyes – I think everybody with lines around their eyes looks great because you know that person lived their life laughing and they had a happy life. But happiness is a discipline. Pleasure is a thing you have for a second and it goes away. Happiness is a choice that you make that sustains you. If you go two-three days and you’re unhappy, you have to stop and look at your life and think ‘what do I have in my life that is crushing me?’ And cut it loose. A person, situation, food, drink, whatever it is. You’ve got to stop it. You have to stay with the discipline of happiness, it is like burning at the gym, it’s a real thing.

Sharon-Stone-etch

‘There Is A Power In Looking Good’

Gert Grobler should have retired a while ago. He is over the age, and served with distinction as South Africa’s ambassador in Spain and then Japan, prestigious appointments. Trading Tokyo’s opulence for the tarnish of Antananarivo is not considered an attractive offer.
But when Grobler was due to retire, the powers that be asked him to stay on to resolve the problematic politics of Madagascar.
“What could I do? They asked me to help,” he says, when I ask how the glitzy residence in Tokyo compares with the poverty of ‘Tana, as Madagascar’s capital is known.
Madagascan politics are fraught. The incumbent president was there because of a coup, unrecognized by South Africa, who hosted the ‘real’ president, Marc Ravalomanana, at considerable expense to taxpayers for four years.
South Africa has major mining and tourism interests in the large island state of Madagascar, a state which has been loyal to France, has been riddled with corruption, and has been run by proxy presidents whose strings are pulled by puppet masters in the five major families.
As it turned out, the elections held this January &#8211; after banning both the incumbent president and the real president from standing &#8211; resulted in the election of President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, not exactly South Africa’s choice.
It was a relatively free and fair election, so South Africa supported the outcome and Grobler had to try to exert South Africa’s influence, against fierce French rivalry.
Many ambassadors are lazy, and as many are useless. Grobler works hard. So it came about that Rajaonarimampianina, on his visit to South Africa in May for President Jacob Zuma’s inauguration, enjoyed a slew of high-level important meetings, from the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) to a private lunch at Werksmans Attorneys, a lunch I chaired.
The new president outlined his tasks, explained his attitude to the return of former President Ravalomanana, and came across as a good guy intent on ridding his country of corruption, being his own man not answerable to the five families, and having a serious grasp of his island’s finances, treasury, business opportunities and threats.
A short, friendly man, he speaks fluent French and Malagasy and is eloquent in English, only resorting to an interpreter once or twice.
He plays tennis and follows soccer, has five children, been married twice, and was the Minister of Finance under the coup administration.
“Madagascar is the land of opportunity,” he says at the lunch. A cliché, yet I believe him.
“We are creating an environment that is good for investment. On the energy front there is huge potential for solar energy, but we need capital and a return on investment.”
Asked questions on air travel, the cost of which is a sore point for tourists, he says, “We have open skies and I invite your South African companies to come to develop tourism.”
His biggest challenge?
“To eradicate the extreme poverty in Madagascar. That’s number one. Then to bring jobs is a first aim, and to create different services in education.”
Poverty, jobs, education. Good priorities.
In the interview, he suggests investment in agriculture is tops in business opportunities, then mining, tourism and renewable energy.
“We have ports, roads, airports, so you can move freely in Madagascar, but infrastructure is still a problem.”
Pretty new in the job, is he a new broom sweeping clean?
“We are in the beginning of my mandate,” he admits disarmingly. “This transition is important. A new president brings a new framework and authority to fight corruption and it is important to set up a new kind of democracy in Madagascar.”
Presumably one that doesn’t rely on patronage from the five almost-royal families or from big business or the military?
The big question is what will he do about the exiled former president, Ravalomanana?
“His return will be better if it can happen in a peaceful and fair environment. I am not sure if it is there [yet]. This is not the time for it but I am sure it can happen.”
“Ravalomanana is a patriotic person and wants the best for the country. He has a problem with justice and we have to find a solution to that before he returns.”
After being ousted in a coup, Ravalomanana was tried in absentia for ordering his troops to fire on protestors. The court sentenced him, also in absentia, in what the whole world saw as a kangaroo court decision. But the decision is still binding, although the new president probably has some legal leeway to have it rescinded.
“If I say he must stay for a while in South Africa it is a transitional thing. He also has real tax he must pay from the past and to be fair to the citizens it is the rule of law, everyone has to pay his duty. He has a debt in that and he has to pay or at least he has to come to a negotiation to settle this debt.
“The Malagasy courts are sovereign over the criminal charges. He has accepted the decisions of the court of a formal government. If he wants to be amnestied he must apply.”
But what about France’s influence?
“France is our historical partner. France has its place. But I’m not sure it has an influence on my politics. The voice of France is always listened to. But the world is now globalized.”
One of Rajaonarimampianina’s major priorities is to curb the illegal export of rosewood.
“That was my first challenge. To fight for the authority of the state and fight the illegal traffic of rosewood, gold, indigenous animals, turtles and all the endemics.”
Rajaonarimampianina has a Master’s in Economics from the University of Quebec and a Diploma of Certified Accounting. He was on the Board of Accounting of Canada. He started his own accounting firm in ‘Tana in 1995, and was then proposed in 2009 by the private sector to serve their interests as Finance Minister in the coup government.
Being president is a step up but one that Rajaonarimampianina relishes.
“I do it with pride, joy and conviction.”
The new president is a far cry from the person he replaced. Coup leader Andry Rajoelina was popularly known as a failed disc jockey, doing the bidding of a puppet master of one of the five families.
Rajaonarimampianina brings technical knowledge, university degrees in finance and a more appealing personality to the job.
It will be difficult to drag the island up from the depths to which it has descended. He may just be the man to do it. Certainly everyone in Africa wishes him and his country the very best.
As for Gert, he’ll still be there for a while.
“You get old, but you try to help where you can,” he says.

Tag: Ambassador

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