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REDEFINING T.I.A: Volume 2

“Let’s play….I Spy”. How many Black pilots can you spot at any given time in Johannesburg, New York, London…all the way up to Toronto?

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T.I.A REDEFINING T.I.A: Volume 2

The League of Extraordinary Young African Leaders:

Pilot, Entrepreneur…21st Century Young Leader

Black Aviators: Then

Black Aviators: Then

 

“Let’s play….I Spy”.  How many Black pilots can you spot at any given time in Johannesburg, New York, London…all the way up to Toronto?  How many Captains and First Officers can you spot at the SAAPA, ALPA-SA or even IFALPA? This is a game of numbers…so let’s play numbers.  Name 20 prominent and active (not the qualified but desk-bound) Black pilots from anywhere in the diaspora.  Alright.  Let’s regroup.

 The first African American Pilot was August Martin a true representation of our interconnected diaspora, the Californian who later died in Nigeria flew as the first black pilot in 1940 on the 8th of January.  Qualified and more than capable as he was, he was initially desk-bound because no one would hire a black pilot.  Over the past decade or so, we have focused our attention on every other industry save for Aviation and Sciences in South Africa…so, young African pilots, even those in training speaks to the kind of drive and maybe dedication and ability to project goals further than the simple “I wish…I want”  but rather towards “I will …and…I become” ending off with  “I am”.  Which brings me to the first in a series of emerging LEYAL  Movement:  

The Aviator:

Koketso Sesoko: Enroute to Captain

Flight Academy: Flight Training Services and Cirrus

The Aviator: Koketso Sesoko

The Aviator: Koketso Sesoko

The defining characteristic of the emerging LEYAL Movement is that we are not confined to simply pursuing a certain career, clock in, clock out and go home after that.   We’re about moving beyond “just okay, just 50%”..we’re not about the “just” but more about the “do it”.   Here’s an example of a young South African pilot, one of the 16% of PDI pilots in our country, where there are over 800 pilots working for our national airline; less than 1% are women, but in the greater scheme of things, there are only 97 Black Pilots registered with the national carrier.   One day, all these percentages won’t matter, that color bar will be meaningless, and achievement for achievement’s sake will be the ultimate statistic – but right now, today…these matter.  This is what is separating the pioneers from the rest of the herd, but it is also signalling to the herd, the weary and somewhat wayward youth (sitting around waiting for someone to give them their big break)…that the seemingly impossible…can become achievable with tenacity, unwavering belief and a incomparable sense of self.

A deep sense of self-awareness and the passion derived from the latter is the vital element to 21st century success.  I am a “Wordsmith, I don’t fear these letters we form into words, I look for them, weave them about and create meaning and it’s a part of my tapestry.  So much so that I can actually pinpoint the few times I have not been able to express into words, a thought…or a feeling.   Incomparable sense of self – in this case, he is an aviator, regardless of  semantics or level, and the mechanics behind terminology.  He lives for the sky in that way.  In one of the toughest yet quite possibly one of the most beautiful professions in the world after medicine (Doctors, nurses, paramedics…if celestial beings could embody man, they could possibly reside in the latter – the good ones, not those under-performing ones though.) Sesoko is a South African with a clear sense of direction but an equally if not clearer sense of self.

Anti-clockwise: Howard Hughes, American Airways Pilot, An interpretation of Pan Am Pilots and the 21st Century South African Pilot

Anti-clockwise: Howard Hughes, American Airways Pilots, An interpretation of Pan Am Pilots and the 21st Century South African Pilot

The road to the skies is both a professional and personal journey, in fact, it is theorized, if not romanticized that pilots are the men who converse with angels and come close to touching true paradise…or heaven – take your pick.  Koketso Sesoko has already achieved what Icarus couldn’t hold onto.  And that is the key here.  My generation often hopes for the easy way out…and then are surprised when their wings suddenly melt after flying way too fast and too close to the sun, and are equally surprised when their education, their dreams and goals, their right by virtue of being human, their endless possibilities (like their very own Daedalus) retreats fast into an impenetrable wall of failure.  Sesoko has managed to overcome the temptation to give up – giving up is much to easy, but to actively choose to put a shoulder to the ground and push back on status quo, on “you can’t…” or…”you won’t “ is the mark of an emerging leader.

Naturally, as with some of the greatest pilots of old, think Hughes and his initial love for the sky which resulted in designing the big boat with wings fondly referred to as the  “Spruce Goose” – Sesoko shares an  intricate language with the sky…reminiscent of (but set to mirror and possibly surpass the achievements of) Ernest Kekana, Founder of K5 Aviation, and one of South Africa’s first Black Pilots.  With the current state of South Africa’s Maths and Science curriculum, and the types of scores our High school seniors are producing…Sesoko and the current class of 2013 may be the only pilots of color (and we’ll include women as part of that class ) for a long time to come.  If you are not privy to any part of the political system in SA, simply put – there are two departments that are bartering tools and simultaneously able to destroy a politician’s career: Education and Health.

 

As Technology evolves...naturally, the hands that direct it should evolve.

As Technology evolves…naturally, the hands that direct it should evolve.

Exactly a year ago, the then CEO  of government-owned South African Airways (SAA), Siza Mzimela (a qualified pilot) announced that they would be reopening the SAA Flight Academy in an attempt to seriously intervene in their poorly tracked mandate to increase the number of Previously Disadvantaged Individuals (commonly referred to as PDI) as tangible SAA assets in  the most coveted role in aviation: active pilots all the way up to captains.  Mzimela later resigned in October 2012 after Chairman, Cheryl Carolus  and several other board members decided to pack their bags and vacate the organisation in a huff and puff.  (Let’s take a moment to salute Carolus and Mzimela as two of SA’s most prominent Black women in business and say…there’s a generation watching you and we’re taking notes…what to do and in the case of the SAA Crisis…what not to do.) We’re heading for 2 full decades of socio-political freedom in South Africa and still, the distribution of the economy, education, skills, access in general is the thorn in our country’s seemingly beautiful “facial” reconstruction.  Clearly…the latter speaks to a deeper rift in our psyche which will take time to repair, and then rebuild.

Maybe it’s with this clear pattern of “emerging leaders” a direct result of a system under pressure from within, that we as a nation will gain some sort of redemption as we clobber passed our dark history into a varied vision of “utopia”. Koketso Sesoko is a Ferndale High School Alumni, an FTS Academy graduate and a current pilot within the Cirrus Flying 2.0 Training Programme.  For those of us who live our lives with our feet firmly on the ground and wander off into the skies when we have to get somewhere and driving is just not an option..say for example, Malta – Cirrus is the “Ivy League” Programme that separates mediocrity from…for lack of a better term…extraordinary.

As An Entrepreneur:

The indisputable link between Inspiration and Hip Hop Culture. Clockwise: Koketso Sesoko "The Entrepreneur" and Jay Z...ya'll know him.

The indisputable link between Inspiration and Hip Hop Culture. Clockwise: Koketso Sesoko “The Entrepreneur” and Jay Z…ya’ll know him.

 

Business acumen is not an easy skill to harness…Sesoko is one of the brains behind Indie-House Record label Deepict Entertainment.  A niche entertainment company representing a few prominent artists including a rising star in the form of House DJ, Jose Chavez    It’s no surprise then that once more, the African American “School” of Hip Hop Culture is a distinct form of inspiration, Sesoko is heavily influenced by these artists (Jay Z, Kanye West, J Cole etc) whose net worth combined could probably buy out SAA’s billion rand debt at least 7 times over…if not more.  Music is an integral source of therapy, push and inspiration, but it is a fragment of the kind of success required right now…the “Never give up, never back down from a challenging goal and never apologize for your achievements” rhetoric of his musical icons is the secondary ingredient in creating success, first is his unwavering and abundant drive and determination.

The prediction is this…in a few short years, South Africa if not the world will have another edition to its Aviation Alumni:  El Capitán Sesoko.

So, let’s play “I Spy” … again.

Read up on pilots from the African Diaspora:

  1. The NAI
  2. K5 Aviation
  3. Black Wings

 

Next Up:    Redefining T.I.A : Volume 3

The Capetonian Inventor changing Medicine

Scientist Inventor and winner of SABFSIA Awards

Scientist Inventor and winner of SABFSIA Awards

 


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4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Goodman Mdladlose

    March 27, 2013 at 6:49 pm

    I live in Diepkloof with my 3 children. My daughters are unamployed. My children must live good lives. I was a teenaga in 1980 – we had no chance to go finish skool. Today, this yuth has everything, but they waste. This boy, uKoketso – he is a a good roll model for these men. this American women, uAimee – she has make a very good story. We must suhpot our peeple – thank you to my manager who print for me to read at work.

    Mdladlose Mdladlose, Diepkloof

  2. Eugenia H

    March 27, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    My son is in matric. he wants to be apilot and i want go help him get his dreams. what does he need to do? Is it possible to register him at the same school that this young man went to? where can we get forms?

    regards

    • Aimee Remani

      March 27, 2013 at 8:10 pm

      Hi Eugenia,

      Thank you for taking the time to comment. You’re an awesome support system. I’ll do a little recon, but I think maybe I should get an expert to answer your questions. I can’t even begin to understand the complexities…but I know that he should have 20/20 vision? I’ve attached a link to the SAA Youth Programmes – maybe that can help? Good Luck. Glad the article has come in handy. My only suggestion is for your son to use time inbetween his studies to research everything he can about his chosen career path? If he doesn’t have access to the internet at home, maybe he can devote time (an hour) after school to go to the library, the internet cafe and research, find potential schools and so forth.

      Kind Regards
      Aimee

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Black Excellence

Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards

Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

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17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: (L-R) Danielle Brooks, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Kathryn Busby attend the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

Get a look inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.

Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards

The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.

Honorees

This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.

Check out some photo highlights inside the 17th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards

For more, please visit http://www.essence.com/bwih2024


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Culture

U.S. Virgin Islands Announces the Performance Line-up for St. Thomas Carnival Village Featuring Shaggy, Sizzla, Patrice Roberts, and Machel Montano

The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.

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St. Thomas Carnival Village

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and Division of Festivals has announced the performance line-up for the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village.

72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village

The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.

“The anticipation around this year’s St. Thomas Carnival is at an all-time high, and the Village night performers reflect the continued influence and growth of our territory’s three carnivals,” exclaims USVI Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.

Center Stage

Adam O, Rudy Live, Temisha, Karnage, Blind Earz, VIO International, and Spectrum Band are among the performers who will take center stage to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Every year, our goal is to pay homage to the vast Virgin Islands and Caribbean culture that is at the cornerstone of these annual celebrations for natives and visitors alike,” added USVI Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull.

Haitian kompa band VAYB and Dominican salsa orchestra Chiquito Team Band will provide a cross-cultural immersion of sound, highlighting the diverse musical interests of Virgin Islands residents.

First-time performers

Rounding out the village are a few first-time performers in the territory, including TeeJay, Jada Kingdom, and Kollision Band, and returning favorites Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah, and Grandmasters.

Kids Night Out Village Night

This year, the Division of Festivals will host its first Kids Night Out Village Night, with activities including the Toddlers Derby, Best Dressed Doll, and performances by TMK and OTB.

More information on 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village

For up-to-date information about the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival, visit https://www.instagram.com/usvifestivals/.


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Culture

Online romances get a dose of reality in OWN’S all-new love & relationship series ‘The Never Ever Mets’ 

Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person.

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The Never Ever Mets Series TV Show

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced an all-new relationship series that takes online dating into the real world, The Never Ever Mets.

About The Never Ever Mets Series

Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person! Now, they’re meeting face-to-face for the very first time and sharing a house together for three weeks to see if their internet love can survive off the screen and in real life.

Synopsis

As all seven couples convene under the same roof, dating in person rather than through their computers or phones quickly proves to be the biggest challenge yet.

While many couples have been years in the making, some quickly find the in-person relationship is not what they anticipated.

To test the strength of their love connections, the group participates in a series of fun and flirty relationship activities, couples therapy and for some, a trip to the “boom boom room.” But visits from discerning loved ones, meddling opinions and tension from others in the house challenge their bonds even further. At the end of their stay, some will go home together…and some will be signing off for good.

Premiere

The series premieres on Friday, April 19 at 8pm ET/PT, on the OWN Network.

Check out the trailer below:


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