ABOUT YOU AS A FUTURES THINKER / PRACTITIONER

You identify yourself as an African futures thinker or practitioner. How would you describe to the woman or man on the street what it is that you do in this regard?

Trying to write a better ending for the story of Africa.

How many years have you worked as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

Five years, more or less.

In which countries or places have you had working experience as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia

In what languages have you undertaken futures / foresight related work or research?

Nubian, Arabic, English

What is it that motivates you to work or participate in the foresight / future studies / related field

I quite enjoy achieving what is thought to be impossible, and introducing to people what they have never seen or thought of. It’s what engineers do.

What goal/s would you most like to reach with your work as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

Developing a new, realistic, alternative economic system, to replace the traditional global monetary system.

Who or what most influenced your thinking as a futures thinker / practitioner, and how?

That’d have to be Carl Sagan. He opened my eyes to how insignificant we all are in this universe, and how fragile our existence is, and that encouraged me to think of my human family more, to embrace it more, and , more importantly, to better maintain it . We are very self-destructive species, and to ensure our survival, drastic measures in all aspects of the status quo must be taken.

What is your main disciplinary background? (i.e. your primary training / qualification)

I’m a Nonprofit executive, and have been in the nonprofit sector since I started my first youth association when I was sixteen years old.

How do other people describe you and how do you describe yourself?

Others describe me as… courageous
I describe myself as… crazy

YOUR PERSPECTIVE

What is one of your favourite quotes about the future?

"ان لم تصنع مستقبلك بنفسك , فسيصنعه لك الاخرون وفق
مخططاتهم"
Loosely translates to “If you don’t build your own future, others will build it for you, using their own blueprints”

How would you describe the state of African futures thinking right now?

Glimmers of hope for futures thinker to take active role in reshaping our continent are there... That’s all I can say.

What is, in your opinion, the main barrier to uptake of futures knowledge by African institutions and organisations?

Seemingly consistent lack of political will/interest to advance the Human of Africa.

If you were to give advice to someone who wants a career in African foresight / future studies, what would you say to him or her?

Dare to dream... and dream BIG!

What are your recommended readings for every African futures thinker / practitioner?

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

What are your recommendations for other favourite futures resources: websites, newsfeeds, mailing lists, associations, etc.?

Institute for African Development