Following the successful All African Movements Assembly (AAMA) in August 2024 in Accra, energised with insightful discussions, Africans Rising true to its contribution to movement building and support, is currently engaging its members in a bold exploration of what an ideal future for Africa could look like. This is being done through The Future-Dreaming Workshop Series, an initiative by Africans Rising in collaboration with Pierre Christophe Gam, an architect, a future dreaming researcher and the founder of TOGUNA World.
At the core of this workshop series is the future-dreaming ritual, created by polymath artist Pierre-Christophe Gam.
Speaking during the introductory session of the workshops on Monday 28th October 2024, Pierre Christophe, said the goal of the training is to build the Africa we want. We can not only be reactive but start taking action because if we are only reactive that will mean you have someone on your neck but you can’t take action.
Embarking on the Future Dreaming Ritual, on the TOGUNA WORLD, Pierre Christophe presented a shrine depicting the larger picture of the Africa we want where Africans live together. This he said is designed to help us envision disciple visions of the future. The ritual draws wisdom from “IFA” , an ancient spiritual Yoruba tradition from West Africa, but a science and a philosophy of life. IFA provides a unique path to understanding the creation of our physical world.
According to IFA, everything stems from an original primordial energy and the path to true satisfaction and fulfilment in life lies in 5 essential pillars:
- Ce-Meji – the Body
- Ka-Ogbe- the Mind
- Gbe-Meji- the Spirit
- Sa-Meji – the Heart
- Yeku-Meji – the Soul
Each of these pillars is responsible for the transformation of energy into matter providing 5 fundamental aspects of human life on earth as co-creators of our materials world. Everything that exists in the world is a co-creation between humans and nature. Everything we see around us was once an idea that became a reality. So, to create the future, we must first imagine it.
Pierre Christophe went on to explain the “ILE-IFE”, a short philosophical tale that explores the origins of human civilization. Following the tale, he invited participants to reflect on five questions, each aligned with one of the pillars of IFA. The questions he said are to serve as a guide in imagining Africa’s future:
- How will we Eat?
- How will Play?
- How will we Dream?
- How will we Love?
- How will we Pray?
The virtual workshop series is being held via Zoom in both English and French. Through the discussions, inspiration will be drawn on the collective wisdom and experiences of our diverse community to shape a vision for Africa that reflects our shared values and aspirations. The insights gathered will be compiled into a comprehensive report, which will serve as a guiding document for future actions.
The workshops will go on in 6 sessions, including the Introductory session and will run from October 28th to November 16th, 2024 on each of the five questions: How will we Eat, Play, Dream, Love, Pray?
| Topic | Language | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eat | English | Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT |
| French | Friday, November 1, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT | |
| Play | English | Monday, November 4, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT |
| French | Tuesday, November 5, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT | |
| Dream | English | Thursday, November 7, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT |
| French | Friday, November 8, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT | |
| Love | English | Monday, November 11, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT |
| French | Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT | |
| Pray | English | Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT |
| French | Friday, November 15, 2024 | 10:00 AM WAT |
