Mallence Bart-Williams is interconnecting many roles, topics and backgrounds. She is from Sierra-Leone and was born in Germany. She studied economics and finance in Paris, Singapore and the UK and is now based in Bali where she leads a cultural space. She is a social entrepreneur who dislikes donations and charity. She is into gold and minerals, and at the same time fighting capitalism and the patriarchy. Mallence is involved and leading several initiatives, for example FOLORUNSHO, a creative collective based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It is a “Sharity” initiative which supports street children and helps them to get from homelessness into education and work. Some of them now produce art and fashion or study law.
Another project of hers is Ethical Minerals. She founded it to offer an alternative to a way of mining which is destroying nature and humans. To find it out what ethical mining actually is, Mallence started mining herself and went down the pit. However just recently she experienced a harsh setback: Betrayal. How she is getting out of it? She will tell you.
I found Mallence through her TED talk “Change your Channel” on the exploitation of resources and the richness of Africa that went viral. It was shared about a 50 Million times on different platforms. I asked her if she wants to tell us more about this topic and her work in general, and I am so happy she said yes.
She will also tell you what you can do to get your own projects and ideas going even before you have a lot of money. Her tips might irritate you, they definitely will challenge you.
She also tells you how to be part of the collective and get out of the individualistic mindset of the West.
Her version of Utopia will make you dream. And she also will share some uncomfortable truths. Curious what you think! Happy if you share it in the comments.
We talked about:
How to build initiatives when you don’t even have running water and electricity
Her Utopistan: Honoring nature and the feminine
How Europe is still exploiting the world and needs healing
How Israel and the Palestinians are serving us as humanity in the most horrific form
How she mastered the art of not caring what others think of her
How she is doing ethical mining in Sierra Leone and just recovering from a setback
The new neo-colonial trend of making profit out of yoga and spirituality
How the truth is often brutal and the voice of a white person has a different weight than the voice of a melanated person
Why she still has hope in humanity and why this is especially because of Palestine
Why she is speaking German to her puppies (in the 60 minute version at the end)
You get one hour of the conversation for free in almost any podcast app and on Substack. The 90 minute version you get only as a member of the RU community on Substack. For less than a coffee a week.
We are demanding justice and this starts with recognition
Mallence Bart-Williams
Happy you are here, thank you for staying utopian. See you in a more just future.
Elisabeth
I am a journalist and writer from Germany. Questioning both, journalism and Germany.
That’s why I published a book on Rights of Nature and founded Radio Utopistan e.V. with friends. To be able to bring more soul to the table. My political heart and mind revolve mainly around nature and Palestine, two seemingly doomed topics that taught me a lot about how to stay constructive in the face of crisis.
I also do readings, lectures and workshops. Every now and then I still publish in classical media like ARD or ZEIT online. Reach out if you want to work with me.
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