Mapaballo Borotho
- Kaya 959’s POV launched its first Book Club, featuring Thebe Ikalafeng and his new book Rooted and Rising.
- The book promotes African-centered leadership and personal branding rooted in culture, identity, and ancestral wisdom.
- Ikalafeng highlighted the significance of names and the power of collective progress within African communities.
Kaya 959’s Point of View (POV) earlier this week launched the station’s first-ever Book Club, featuring South African author Thebe Ikalafeng as its inaugural guest.
Ikalafeng offered an insightful overview of his latest book, Rooted and Rising, which presents an African-centered approach to personal branding and leadership by blending cultural identity with global success.
The book serves as both a practical guide and a manifesto for people of African descent, drawing on values such as Ubuntu to demonstrate how ancestral wisdom can serve as a competitive advantage in the modern world.
Ikalafeng also explores the profound power of naming, explaining how a person’s name can influence their outlook, identity, and the way they carry themselves.
“In African cultures, when we refer to someone by their name and surname, for instance, Phemelo Motene, I am taking an entire village with me, and I must understand how that village connects with mine. That is what names mean,” he explained.
He further emphasised that many Africans grow up either living up to the meaning of their names or defining them through their life’s journey.
“We can look at this both culturally and commercially. Culturally, you realise that how we move forward as people is how we move together. That’s why we say, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together because collectively, we are an unmovable force.”
Ikalafeng reminded the audience that an individual’s worth rises when their community rises.
Listen to the podcast for the full conversation.
READ NEXT: Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has stepped down from her position as a MP
The post Kaya 959 launches first-ever Book Club with Thebe Ikalafeng’s Rooted and Rising appeared first on KAYA 959.
