Masuka Mutenda

Activist, Christian, Concerned citizen, Consultant, Social entrepreneur, Writer/Editor

A communication specialist by training; a development worker by practice; a natural hair guru by accident; a book lover by design; a social runner on occasion; and a second-time marathoner in 2024.

*Africa -- I am an African living in Africa, and there is nowhere else I would rather be. *Communication. Development. Storytelling. Words. Pictures -- This is my first love and my passion. *Books. Reading. Literature -- I love reading so much, I founded The Lusaka Book Club. *Running. Gym -- Getting back in shape and currently training for my second marathon (scheduled for January 2024 in Dubai). *Culture. History. Indigenous Knowledge -- These things fascinate me. *Faith. God. Belief Systems -- The beginning, middle, and end of life.

There is no one else: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask instead, what you can do for your country. If more people lived by this philosophy, we would have more development and growth, less corruption and poverty. In a developing country such as Zambia, we the people need to step up to make our leaders accountable to the citizens. At the same time, we need to take responsibility for developing our own country and our own lives and not depend on others to do it for us.

Behaviour Change Communication, C4D, Communication, Health Communication, Storytelling, Youth

I first became interested in TED when several people emailed me a talk by Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - The Danger of a Single Story. Most people know my love of books and that I have a passion for discussing issues of concern. A chance encounter with a friend led to learning more about TED and watching several of his favourite TED talks. From that moment, I was hooked and within a few weeks, the idea of organising a TEDx event in Zambia was born. I have been the lead organiser for six TEDxLusaka events and each one has been hard, but immensely rewarding, and with successive years, better than the one before it. One day, I would like to attend a TED conference in person (YAY!!! it finally happened with TEDGlobal 2017) and to see TEDx events all over this country.

Baking. I love savoury dishes, especially pies, quiches etc.