Nickelodeon Face of Africa Lerai Rakoditsoe on African Youth Inspiring the World

quotIt may seem like quite a lot but those are the three pillars of what makes me Ler39aiquot she shared after moderator Danielle Kayembe from The Female Quotient introduced her Kayembe said she felt a particular sense of pride in Lerai39s accomplishments because she also hails from the Congo in AfricaIn April 2021 Rakoditsoe was cast as host of Nickelodeon Africa39s new music show NickMusic making her the first African face in the company39s history She is also coproducer and host of Sportscene39s web series Culture Conversation powered by Reebok currently in its second seasonquotI am so passionate about African youth and its culture and I seek to be a strong voice on the continent a strong female voice on the continentamp8221 she explainedWhen asked how it feels to have that honor of quotmaking historyquot at 19 years old Rakoditsoe replied quotIn a world where amazing people make history leaders like Nelson Mandela it was crazy for history to be made by someone who is a young person in a country where our unemployment rate is at almost 35 but our youth unemployment rate is at 58 To be able to have the opportunity during a pandemic to have this job and really inspire young people across the continent has been amazing and I look forward to the rest of this journeyquotquotIt39s important for young people to not just feel important but that they can bring change and that they can make historyquot Kayembe sharedRakoditsoe then recalled how her background in the performing arts led to her audition for Nickelodeon quotI started doing drama when I was nine years old and did that for several years going on to do national competitions I was chosen to represent South Africa at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los AngelesquotI was very fortunate to have a single mother who would every single Saturday drive me to my classes and drive me to a different province for all the competitions that I was doingquot she continued quotHaving that foundation and support has really helped me into entering this new chapter of my life and professional careeramp8221quotI used to watch Nick and I didn39t see people that looked like mequot Rakoditsoe said quotI feel like my role now is not only being an inspiration but actually creating aspiration for younger generations What I hope to do is to have a mentorship role and create a movement for young people in South Africa and in Africa as a whole to enter into the workspace and be includedquotShe is already working toward that as she is involved in a number of organizations including an executive role in the Johannesburg chapter of Girl Up an international leadership development initiative from the United NationsWhen Kayembe asked if she had a message for young people who are starting their own journey Rakoditsoe replied quotAlways have entrepreneurship on your mind No matter what you do have that on your mind Create your own job and you39ll go on to create jobs for others The way I see it I39m an entrepreneurship and Nickelodeon is my first clientquot she added with a laughAlongside her mother Rakoditsoe is the coowner of African Talent Unearthed ATU a creative arts company that seeks to put authentic African talent on the global stage while heeding her own advice of equipping them with an entrepreneurial skill setquotWe are creating the community and this network of young people who are creating their own jobsquot she further explained quotI can39t wait when my company grows to employ other people and be able to uplift our countries our economies and each other Keep entrepreneurship in mind especially during this timequotquotI39m sure I speak for everyone here we cannot wait to see what you do nextquot Kayembe said in closingClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Nickelodeon Face of Africa Lerai Rakoditsoe on African Youth Inspiring the World

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