00:00:00
Speaker 1: You're building global business partnerships that matter on the Clement Manyatella Show. Live from the Resurgence Durban Conference on 702.
00:00:09
Speaker 2: It's seven minutes before 12 o'clock. So we've been live from the Resurgence Durban Conference brought to you by the Etegwede Municipality here on 702. And my next guest now is someone who also plays quite a pivotal role in this conference we're attending, Eric Adams, the former... Mayor of New York City, who's joining us now at our makeshift studio.
00:00:34
Speaker 1: Mr.
00:00:34
Speaker 2: Adams, thank you so much for making time. Good morning.
00:00:36
Speaker 1: Thank you. Great to be here with you.
00:00:38
Speaker 2: So your presentation I saw uses the powerful image of many rivers. So one Nile, the different sources and paths converging into one force. How does the metaphor apply to the Resurgence Conference and the goals of uniting the African diaspora with these economic opportunities with the global partners?
00:00:57
Speaker 1: Well, oftentimes when we hear the term resurgence, it means we're not surging, when in fact we are. When you look across the African diaspora in America, in Europe, here on the continent of Africa, you see we're doing great things. We have a narrative problem that we don't acknowledge when one African does something great that is connected to Africa. You know, I'm American, yes, but let's not be unclear.
00:01:25
Speaker 2: I'm African.
00:01:26
Speaker 1: That is who I am. And if I'm the mayor of the largest city in America, Africans here in Durban should say, wait a minute, an African is running the largest city in America. Hakeem Jeffries is African. He's now the leader of the minority party in the Democratic Party. He's African. In 2023, four of the largest cities in America, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and New York were run by Africans. And so we have a problem that we're not connecting that we are surging. Now, like the Nile, the Nile is great because of the many rivers that feed the Nile. We must be great because we must all feed one mission of being Africans.
00:02:11
Speaker 2: Yeah. So how do we then connect and how do we translate that experience of managing these major cities even in the U.S.? managing the major economies into practical city-to-city partnerships between places like New York, LA, and, of course, Durban? How do we harness that?
00:02:29
Speaker 1: And you said it right. We're so busy trying to focus on national relationships. We're worried about what our presidents are doing. But cities run countries. And that is where the problem meets the road. National policies... can talk about education, it can talk about public safety, it can talk about economic development, but it is in the cities where those policies actually materialize. I build and plan our city for more housing than any mayor in the history of the city. Brought down our public safety crime problem, brought more jobs to the city than any other cities. When you do an analysis, speaking specifically about Africa, we had Mayor Dinkins, the first African American, and I was the second African American mayor. We're probably the only two mayors that ever visited Africa. And I came here with the clear understanding that now let's build cities to cities relationship. Sister cities relationships with African cities is how you have those relationships and economic relationships. So no matter who's the mayor, no matter who's the president or the governor, those relationships still exist.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, and of course we're a continent that is rich with mineral resources. What do you think is the single biggest barrier that is preventing African countries from moving beyond just exporting these raw materials to actually refining, to manufacturing, and capturing the value of these resources locally?
00:03:58
Speaker 1: You know, and that's such a great question because when you look at what Dan Gote is doing, Aliko Dan Gote, Dangote stated that, wait a minute, we're producing mining and refining, mining oil here, sending it out to have it refined and then sold back to us?
00:04:18
Speaker 2: That just doesn't make any sense.
00:04:20
Speaker 1: He said, we're going to build out our own system, we're going to refine our own crude, we're going to sell it, we're going to control our industries. We should be doing that with chocolate, with gold, and a host of all of these natural resources. The cell phone industry, the wind turbine industry, the electric vehicles, they all need the raw material of Africa. Now we have to state we're no longer merely importers. We're going to be exporters of the technology also. And that is where the real finance and independence come from. Yeah.
00:04:53
Speaker 2: The theme for this year is decreasing barriers by increasing access. What are you hoping this research conference produces?
00:05:00
Speaker 1: Well, number one, we have to start believing in ourselves. We bought into the concept based on how they drew Africa small on the map. We have a small Africa mindset. We have to start realizing that if our cousins and our aunties, et cetera, left Africa either by force or by decision, We need to come back and state that this is our homeland. And if we have Africa strong, then the Africa diaspora is strong. And it starts with real conversation. And then telecommunication, the power of your voice over radio is important. You know, you were just having a conversation about mental health. That's impacting the African community globally. We need to make sure we have these real, honest conversations. And have these gatherings like here where we can come together and sit down and talk about now, in the year, what are our real goals? It can't just be about coming together without having real goals that we're reaching for of what do we want to do year by year as we start really coming together. I like to say the restructuring.
00:06:05
Speaker 2: Eric Adams, former mayor of New York City. Thank you so much for speaking to us. Thank you. Great to be with you. It's a minute before 12.
Speaker 1: You're building global business partnerships that matter on the Clement Manyatella Show. Live from the Resurgence Durban Conference on 702.
00:00:09
Speaker 2: It's seven minutes before 12 o'clock. So we've been live from the Resurgence Durban Conference brought to you by the Etegwede Municipality here on 702. And my next guest now is someone who also plays quite a pivotal role in this conference we're attending, Eric Adams, the former... Mayor of New York City, who's joining us now at our makeshift studio.
00:00:34
Speaker 1: Mr.
00:00:34
Speaker 2: Adams, thank you so much for making time. Good morning.
00:00:36
Speaker 1: Thank you. Great to be here with you.
00:00:38
Speaker 2: So your presentation I saw uses the powerful image of many rivers. So one Nile, the different sources and paths converging into one force. How does the metaphor apply to the Resurgence Conference and the goals of uniting the African diaspora with these economic opportunities with the global partners?
00:00:57
Speaker 1: Well, oftentimes when we hear the term resurgence, it means we're not surging, when in fact we are. When you look across the African diaspora in America, in Europe, here on the continent of Africa, you see we're doing great things. We have a narrative problem that we don't acknowledge when one African does something great that is connected to Africa. You know, I'm American, yes, but let's not be unclear.
00:01:25
Speaker 2: I'm African.
00:01:26
Speaker 1: That is who I am. And if I'm the mayor of the largest city in America, Africans here in Durban should say, wait a minute, an African is running the largest city in America. Hakeem Jeffries is African. He's now the leader of the minority party in the Democratic Party. He's African. In 2023, four of the largest cities in America, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and New York were run by Africans. And so we have a problem that we're not connecting that we are surging. Now, like the Nile, the Nile is great because of the many rivers that feed the Nile. We must be great because we must all feed one mission of being Africans.
00:02:11
Speaker 2: Yeah. So how do we then connect and how do we translate that experience of managing these major cities even in the U.S.? managing the major economies into practical city-to-city partnerships between places like New York, LA, and, of course, Durban? How do we harness that?
00:02:29
Speaker 1: And you said it right. We're so busy trying to focus on national relationships. We're worried about what our presidents are doing. But cities run countries. And that is where the problem meets the road. National policies... can talk about education, it can talk about public safety, it can talk about economic development, but it is in the cities where those policies actually materialize. I build and plan our city for more housing than any mayor in the history of the city. Brought down our public safety crime problem, brought more jobs to the city than any other cities. When you do an analysis, speaking specifically about Africa, we had Mayor Dinkins, the first African American, and I was the second African American mayor. We're probably the only two mayors that ever visited Africa. And I came here with the clear understanding that now let's build cities to cities relationship. Sister cities relationships with African cities is how you have those relationships and economic relationships. So no matter who's the mayor, no matter who's the president or the governor, those relationships still exist.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, and of course we're a continent that is rich with mineral resources. What do you think is the single biggest barrier that is preventing African countries from moving beyond just exporting these raw materials to actually refining, to manufacturing, and capturing the value of these resources locally?
00:03:58
Speaker 1: You know, and that's such a great question because when you look at what Dan Gote is doing, Aliko Dan Gote, Dangote stated that, wait a minute, we're producing mining and refining, mining oil here, sending it out to have it refined and then sold back to us?
00:04:18
Speaker 2: That just doesn't make any sense.
00:04:20
Speaker 1: He said, we're going to build out our own system, we're going to refine our own crude, we're going to sell it, we're going to control our industries. We should be doing that with chocolate, with gold, and a host of all of these natural resources. The cell phone industry, the wind turbine industry, the electric vehicles, they all need the raw material of Africa. Now we have to state we're no longer merely importers. We're going to be exporters of the technology also. And that is where the real finance and independence come from. Yeah.
00:04:53
Speaker 2: The theme for this year is decreasing barriers by increasing access. What are you hoping this research conference produces?
00:05:00
Speaker 1: Well, number one, we have to start believing in ourselves. We bought into the concept based on how they drew Africa small on the map. We have a small Africa mindset. We have to start realizing that if our cousins and our aunties, et cetera, left Africa either by force or by decision, We need to come back and state that this is our homeland. And if we have Africa strong, then the Africa diaspora is strong. And it starts with real conversation. And then telecommunication, the power of your voice over radio is important. You know, you were just having a conversation about mental health. That's impacting the African community globally. We need to make sure we have these real, honest conversations. And have these gatherings like here where we can come together and sit down and talk about now, in the year, what are our real goals? It can't just be about coming together without having real goals that we're reaching for of what do we want to do year by year as we start really coming together. I like to say the restructuring.
00:06:05
Speaker 2: Eric Adams, former mayor of New York City. Thank you so much for speaking to us. Thank you. Great to be with you. It's a minute before 12.
