Launching soon: What is The Shifting Sands all about?
...and how can you get involved in this ambitious new project?
If this has escaped your attention, allow me to recap.
In terms of population, economies, and culture, Africa is the world’s fastest growing continent.
And speaking of growth, Substack is one of the world’s fastest growing content and community platforms.
So, with these two things being so, this is where The Shifting Sands has chosen to plant its flag – our home for original opinion, inspirational ideas, and clear actions from Africa’s leading luminaries.
The Shifting Sands will serve as a unique space for thinkers and doers from across the continent and beyond to impart their one grand idea or insight that will shape minds and mould futures.
Why this? Why now?
The issue is alluded to in the name - shifting sands. It recognises that we are living in a time of constant and rapid change and movement. New times require new ideas and new conversations from under-tapped quarters, not least because these changes are already having an impact on how we live, work, learn, and play.
That’s why The Shifting Sands will primarily focus on one big idea per contributor that is related to culture, technology, education, or entertainment. And it’ll get really interesting where these areas intersect.
The challenge is to ignite the minds and consciousness of young people across Africa, her diasporas, and beyond. And to influence policymakers. So, we will inspire, innovate, and elevate to shape environments for the benefit of our continent.
At the same time, there is also a relative lack of African voices on Substack (there are things the Substack can do to remedy this, which we will raise with them). In the meantime, we are here to help fill that void with intentionality, authenticity, and with quality.
The opportunity is to build, over time, the deepest and most influential library of contemporary African ideas – and then help bring them to life. Each piece will be authentically crafted by a leading light from the continent, and the collection will be curated right here for you and with you. This is your space to also share ideas, to challenge, to connect, and to find solutions.
Longer-term, the aspiration is for spaces like this to exist in physical form all across the continent.
So what happens next?
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be uploading a few old pieces from the archives to give a little flavour as to what’s to come. But there will be some notable differences that we look forward to sharing with you when we (re)launch in earnest!
We will also be establishing partnerships to amplify our impact and bring additional mutual benefits to respective communities.
And we will be preparing to launch with insightful and exclusive new content that you can only find here.
Three simple ways to get involved
Subscribe – this is the simplest and easiest action. And, if you’re interested in the additional benefits of becoming a paid subscriber, please consider supporting.
Share – If you come across something you enjoy reading, share it on Substack, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, email, or whatever your preferred ping-it-to-people platform is. Wisdom shared is wisdom squared. And, in the spirit of sharing, when you buy an annual subscription, you will automatically be eligible to gift a free sub to someone of your choice – and we’d strongly encourage you to gift it to a young person living in Africa.
Suggest – This platform belongs to everyone. So who would you like to write the next piece? Tell us – we might just make that wish come true…!
Thank you for reading and becoming part of this community’s journey.
With warmth,