“It will be HARD sometimes” | Leading Ladies Africa speaks to Sesu Tilley-Gyado , CEO Africa Heritage Books Ltd

by Fransesca  Uriri
For Sesu Tilley-Gyado, Artiste, Singer and Entrepreneur, art and culture are important. She speaks about creating value out of both, preserving and documenting our history and encouraging women to have big dreams and support one another. She is the Leading Lady for the week; be inspired!

For those who don’t really know you, tell us a little more about yourself and the things you’re involved in?
Sesu Tilley-Gyado 3

I was born in 1982. I am a British / Nigerian   multi-disciplinary Artist and Entrepreneur. My work is focused on rebranding the African continent through the arts and businesses. I am also Founder/ CEO of three Africa-focused companies.

Africa Heritage Group Ltd creates books, documentaries that showcase African cultural heritage. Venture Afrika Ltd is an investment services company. Heritage House Ltd is my retail and hospitality franchise. We were recently awarded a Cambridge Union Award for Rebranding Africa (2014)

I am the author of the historical fiction novel ‘ Love In A Cold Country’ (2014).’  I am the Winner of the National Art Competition for contemporary visual art in Nigeria (2013).

I do charity work for in capacity building for African communities and speak at several conferences, institutions, schools and universities around the globe on the topic of African heritage and development. I have taken part in the Ford Foundation scheme YECA as a mentor.

I am a World Economic Forum nominee (2015) and Global Ambassador for Danish-Kenyan couture fashion line Wangu Jeans. I hold Bachelors and Masters from Cambridge University and I write a column on the Huffington Post.

You won the Nigerian Breweries-sponsored National Art Competition last year, tell us a little about that?

It was a privilege to be chosen as the Winner of the National Art Competition. I believe the arts and enterprise will rehabilitate and develop the African continent.

You’re the CEO of Africa Heritage Group, what is the organizations’ core objective?

We aim to tell stories of Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage through books, films, events and music products. This year we have created Sounds of Nigeria – a book and cd compilation of 100 years of Nigerian music. We also have A Slice of Lagos – our documentary on 19th Century Lagos. 

Sesu Tilley-Gyado 4In one of your interviews, you sayThere is a tragic beauty in Nigeria; everything is either being built or falling down.”

What do you mean by this exactly?

I mean that while it is incredible that new institutions and development initiatives are seen in Nigeria, it is equally sad that our indigenous traditions, our histories our heritage are disappearing. My company Africa Heritage Group solves this problem by presenting heritage in modern viable ways.

Both your undergraduate and post-graduate degrees are in the Arts, why are you drawn towards expressing yourself that way?

I was created an artist and an entrepreneur – I was born with sensitivity, focus, the need to express / communicate, and the need to solve problems.

As an artiste, people would imagine you to be intense, weird and perhaps, introverted; is this true?

I’m certainly intense and introverted. I don’t try to fit into other people’s norms so I suppose some may view individuality as ‘weird’. But I’m also able to be extroverted at times, light hearted and I hold traditional values.

Sesu Tilley-Gyado 6

What do you do for fun? How do you unwind and let your hair down?

I would like to de- stress and relax more but the truth is I am very busy building my dreams and creating a living. Stress is the by-product of vision and ambition. I relax most when I’m with kids, cooking, or playing my guitar.

 Name 5 women you admire and why?

Queen Rania of Jordan, my mother, Mo Abudu, Senator Daisy Danjuma, Chimamanda Adichie. They are all strong good- hearted women leaders.

Do you think the idea of women supporting each other is realistic and practicable?

Yes. Just this year I was a moderator of the international conference Women Inspiration Enterprise , and I saw it is possible once we educate girls to love and accept themselves . We need to stop the tall poppy syndrome of cutting down excellence with jealousy and encourage women to build each other up as opposed to viewing each other as competition.

Who are your mentors?

My mother, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi of Ragolis Water,  Ladi Balogun, CEO of FCMB,  Senator Daisy Danjuma, Labi Ogunbiyi and Mr Michael Ogunbiyi.

If you could change anything about the world, what would that be?

I would instill Love in every heart.

You will publish a novel in October “Love In A Cold country” what influenced it and how did you come about the name?

 The novel is set during the 1897 Punitive Expedition of Benin City and spans the Amalgamation of Nigeria. It is a story of tragic love, loss of hope and country and redemption.  I was inspired by events in my own life and I wanted to tell a story set in a pivotal time of African history.

Sesu Tilley-Gyado 2Name 3 of your favourite books

Nausea – Jean Paul Sartre, 100 Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez, El Libro de Buen Amor – 14th Century Spanish treatise on the nature of Love

Have you always known what you wanted to be and do, or have you just sort of gone with the flow?

I had no idea what I wanted to do, which is a great thing because God has a way of giving us roles we couldn’t have imagined.

Is your faith in God pivotal to your growth as an individual?

Absolutely central.

Where is your favourite travel destination and why?

I love to travel to Jos in Nigeria – being by the lake there is heavenly. Abroad , I love the French countryside; so peaceful.

You seem passionate about Nigeria, what fuels this passion, and what do you hope for the country to become?

I am passionate about Nigeria because I am Nigerian – it is our loving duty to be passionate about our country. I hope that we become more educated en masse and develop more tangible collective esteem that would translate into greater social equality, transparency in government and infrastructural development.

Sesu Tilley-Gyado 1What is your advice to young women out there, trying to find their place in the world?

It will be hard sometimes, don’t give up. Don’t stop going even if you are crying, don’t ever forget how valuable and worthy you are no matter what may be done or said to you. The most important opinion of yourself is yours – and you deserve it to be good. Smile every day and take your time in all you do. Dream big – do big things. Never gossip , brag, or doubt yourself or others – be graceful

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The Leading Ladies Africa Series is a weekly interview series that focuses on women of African descent, showcases their experiences across all socio-economic sectors, highlights their personal and professional achievements and offers useful advice on how to make life more satisfying for women.

It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa; an initiative that seeks to effectively mentor and inspire women, with particular emphasis on the African continent.

Do you know any woman of African descent doing phenomenal things? Send an email to [email protected] and we just might feature her.

 

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