September's Africa Debate comes from Cape Town, a hub of design and fashion, where we focus on the appropriation of national or traditional designs, crafts and symbols by mostly western high-end brands and artists. We discuss when and how cultural borrowing turns into cultural appropriation.Accusations of appropriation range from the Damian Hurst sculptures at the Venice Biennale - which he says are stylistically similar to celebrated works from Nigeria's Kingdom of Ife but critics say are carbon copies. To Lesotho blanket makers whose designs now adorn a very expensive Louis Vuitton shirt. Is it wrong? Isn't art and design all about drawing inspiration from other cultures? Or should certain African cultural symbols and products be off-limits to non-Africans - given the history of cultural looting by outsiders that has deprived African communities from controlling and benefiting from their own cultural heritage? The BBC's Mayeni Jones and Pooneh Ghoddoosi discuss these questions with an audience of artists and designers.Photo: THABO MAKHETHA (TMCOLLECTIVE)

September's Africa Debate comes from Cape Town, a hub of design and fashion, where we focus on the appropriation of national or traditional designs, crafts and symbols by mostly western high-end brands and artists. We discuss when and how cultural borrowing turns into cultural appropriation. Accusations of appropriation range from the Damian Hurst sculptures at the Venice Biennale - which he says are stylistically similar to celebrated works from Nigeria's Kingdom of Ife but critics say are carbon copies. To Lesotho blanket makers whose designs now adorn a very expensive Louis Vuitton shirt. Is it wrong? Isn't art and design all about drawing inspiration from other cultures? Or should certain African cultural symbols and products be off-limits to non-Africans - given the history of cultural looting by outsiders that has deprived African communities from controlling and benefiting from their own cultural heritage? The BBC's Mayeni Jones and Pooneh Ghoddoosi discuss these questions with an audience of artists and designers. Photo: THABO MAKHETHA (TMCOLLECTIVE)

Can You Trademark Culture?

Uganda is now home to the largest number of refugees in Africa, according to the United Nations refugee agency. More than one million South Sudanese have sought refuge in the country to escape conflict and famine. Analysts say Uganda has progressive policies that allow refugees freedom of movement,access to land, free healthcare and education. But how effective are these laws?Nancy Kacungira chairs this month's debate with a live audience in Kampala, Uganda.Photo: Two South Sudanese children who fled across the border to Ngomoromo, Uganda. Credit: AFP

Uganda is now home to the largest number of refugees in Africa, according to the United Nations refugee agency. More than one million South Sudanese have sought refuge in the country to escape conflict and famine. Analysts say Uganda has progressive policies that allow refugees freedom of movement,access to land, free healthcare and education. But how effective are these laws? Nancy Kacungira chairs this month's debate with a live audience in Kampala, Uganda. Photo: Two South Sudanese children who fled across the border to Ngomoromo, Uganda. Credit: AFP

Is Uganda the Best Place to be a Refugee?

Often the quickest route from one African country to another is via Europe. More than 80% of airlines operating in the continent are foreign. Can Africa develop an efficient and affordable home-grown air transport sector?The BBC's Nancy Kacungira debates the big questions with an audience in Ghana.

Often the quickest route from one African country to another is via Europe. More than 80% of airlines operating in the continent are foreign. Can Africa develop an efficient and affordable home-grown air transport sector? The BBC's Nancy Kacungira debates the big questions with an audience in Ghana.

What Will Fix Africa’s Air Transport?

After more than 20 years under the authoritarian rule of former President Yahya Jammeh, Gambians have great expectations of the new administration.They want a well-performing economy, jobs, good health care and education, and an accountable government that will uphold the constitution.Many people are also hoping the new government can help stem the large number of young  Gambians  who  every year perilously try to cross the Mediterranean sea in the hope of making a  better life in Europe. During his election campaign, the new President, Adama Barrow, promised to free political prisoners, remove repressive laws, return the country back to the International Criminal Court and restore relations with international community.Under former leader Yahya Jammeh, Gambia a country of fewer than two million people become largely isolated and its economy stagnated as donors withheld aid and grants to protest against human rights violations. The human rights watchdog, Amnesty International says dozens of people including human rights activists and journalists were imprisoned or died in mysterious circumstance for criticising Mr Jammeh. Others were forced to flee the country for their safety. Now many families are seeking justice and closure. With many democratic institutions broken down or non-existent, the new government has a big job on its hands.  How best can Gambia rebuild itself? What should the new government prioritise?Presenters Umaru Fofona and Rebecca Kesby(Photo: Gambia's new president Adama Barrow waves to supporters, after returning from Senegal.         Credit: Carl De Souza / AFP / Getty Images)

After more than 20 years under the authoritarian rule of former President Yahya Jammeh, Gambians have great expectations of the new administration. They want a well-performing economy, jobs, good health care and education, and an accountable government that will uphold the constitution. Many people are also hoping the new government can help stem the large number of young Gambians who every year perilously try to cross the Mediterranean sea in the hope of making a better life in Europe. During his election campaign, the new President, Adama Barrow, promised to free political prisoners, remove repressive laws, return the country back to the International Criminal Court and restore relations with international community. Under former leader Yahya Jammeh, Gambia a country of fewer than two million people become largely isolated and its economy stagnated as donors withheld aid and grants to protest against human rights violations. The human rights watchdog, Amnesty International says dozens of people including human rights activists and journalists were imprisoned or died in mysterious circumstance for criticising Mr Jammeh. Others were forced to flee the country for their safety. Now many families are seeking justice and closure. With many democratic institutions broken down or non-existent, the new government has a big job on its hands. How best can Gambia rebuild itself? What should the new government prioritise? Presenters Umaru Fofona and Rebecca Kesby (Photo: Gambia's new president Adama Barrow waves to supporters, after returning from Senegal. Credit: Carl De Souza / AFP / Getty Images)

What Will it Take to Rebuild The Gambia?

Plastic rice. Death hoaxes. ‘Marry twice or go to jail’. How can journalists preserve audience trust in an era of social media and – some say – fake news? Do social media platforms have a responsibility to curb the spread of fake news? And can government censorship can ever be the answer? The BBC’s Akwasi Sarpong and Didi Akinyelure debate the big questions with an audience in Malawi.(Image: A stack of newspapers branded with a red ‘fake’ stamp. Credit: Thinkstock; BBC.)

Plastic rice. Death hoaxes. ‘Marry twice or go to jail’. How can journalists preserve audience trust in an era of social media and – some say – fake news? Do social media platforms have a responsibility to curb the spread of fake news? And can government censorship can ever be the answer? The BBC’s Akwasi Sarpong and Didi Akinyelure debate the big questions with an audience in Malawi. (Image: A stack of newspapers branded with a red ‘fake’ stamp. Credit: Thinkstock; BBC.)

Is Journalism in Africa Threatened by Fake News?

What are the options for childless couples? And, is choosing not to have children taboo? In many African communities fertility is highly prized and women without children are frowned upon. Infertility affects one in six couples of childbearing age worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. In Africa, the number of women unable to conceive after a first pregnancy can be as high as one in three.

What is Life Like for Women Without Children in Africa?

Over 55% of Africa’s GDP comes from the informal sector, that’s about 80% of the labour force. Many of those are street vendors selling everything from samosas to mobile phone chargers. But are they a menace or an asset? Should the informal sector be regulated and crucially taxed? Or should governments encourage people creating employment for themselves?This month's Africa Debate goes to Uganda to look into street vendors and the informal economy in our cities.Picture: Street vendor in Sudan,Credit: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/GettyImages

Over 55% of Africa’s GDP comes from the informal sector, that’s about 80% of the labour force. Many of those are street vendors selling everything from samosas to mobile phone chargers. But are they a menace or an asset? Should the informal sector be regulated and crucially taxed? Or should governments encourage people creating employment for themselves? This month's Africa Debate goes to Uganda to look into street vendors and the informal economy in our cities. Picture: Street vendor in Sudan,Credit: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/GettyImages

Should Street Vendors be Regulated?

Recorded in Dar es Salaam,Tanzania where President John Magufuli has declared war on corruption. Many think corruption is an African problem, but is it worse in other parts of the world? BBC's presenters Zuhura Yunus, Owen Bennet-Jones and an audience discuss whether Africa deserves its reputation for being corrupt and if a dictator is necessary to eliminate corruption. Or is democracy the best way to expose wrongdoing and to get it dealt with?

Is corruption Africa's biggest killer?

Recorded during the Social Media Week event in Lagos, the programme picks up an issue that is current to the concerns of many Africans who have used social media for political mobilisation and to monitor public officials.More recently, Nigerians have been reacting angrily to a draft bill proposed in the country’s Senate which aims to punish anyone who “propagates false information”. The bill’s opponents say it will censor free speech on social media where public corruption is exposed.

Recorded during the Social Media Week event in Lagos, the programme picks up an issue that is current to the concerns of many Africans who have used social media for political mobilisation and to monitor public officials. More recently, Nigerians have been reacting angrily to a draft bill proposed in the country’s Senate which aims to punish anyone who “propagates false information”. The bill’s opponents say it will censor free speech on social media where public corruption is exposed.

Should social media be regulated?

Ten years ago, the UK-government-led Commission for Africa was launched at the British Museum. It coincided with a popular global movement to Make Poverty History in Africa, a revival of Live Aid concerts, and a string of promises from G8 leaders to increase aid to Africa. The Commission encouraged partnership between Africa and the developed world, rather than a relationship of dependency. Is this happening? A decade on, how relevant or necessary is development aid? Is Africa now in a position to be an agent of its own progress?(Photo: A labourer walks along a metro-line under construction in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Credit: Reuters)

Ten years ago, the UK-government-led Commission for Africa was launched at the British Museum. It coincided with a popular global movement to Make Poverty History in Africa, a revival of Live Aid concerts, and a string of promises from G8 leaders to increase aid to Africa. The Commission encouraged partnership between Africa and the developed world, rather than a relationship of dependency. Is this happening? A decade on, how relevant or necessary is development aid? Is Africa now in a position to be an agent of its own progress? (Photo: A labourer walks along a metro-line under construction in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Credit: Reuters)

Has Africa outgrown development aid?

Current issues that matter to Africa go under discussion and are brought to the attention of a global audience.

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BBC Africa Debate

The best podcast episodes on Startups. For anyone working in a startup, or anyone interested in the incredible stories behind how people built companies like Instagram, and Facebook. Offering both practical advice and insights, as well as the stories for how many of the biggest startups got to where they are today. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Mel Liu

On this episode of the Knowledge Project Podcast, I chat with Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of the leading online payment processing company, Stripe. If you’ve purchased anything online recently, there’s a good chance that Stripe facilitated the transaction. What is now an organization with over a thousand employees and handling tens of billions of dollars of online purchases every year, began as a small side experiment while Patrick and his brother John were going to college.   During our conversation, Patrick shares the details of their unlikely journey and some of the hard-earned wisdom he picked up along the way. I hope you have something handy to write with because the nuggets per minute in this episode are off the charts. Patrick was so open and generous with his responses that I’m really excited for you to hear what he has to say. Here are just a few of the things we cover:  The biggest (and most valuable) mistakes Patrick made in the early days of Stripe and how they helped him get better The characteristics that Patrick looks for in a new hire to fit and contribute to the Stripe company culture What compelled he and his brother to move forward with the early concept of Stripe, even though on paper it was doomed to fail from the start The gaps Patrick saw in the market that dozens of other processing companies were missing — and how he capitalized on them The lessons Patrick learned from scaling Stripe from two employees (he and his brother) to nearly 1,000 today How he evaluates the upsides and potential dangers of speculative positions within the company How his Irish upbringing influenced his ability to argue and disagree without taking offense (and how we can all be a little more “Irish”) The power of finding the right peer group in your social and professional circles and how impactful and influential it can be in determining where you end up. The 4 ways Patrick has modified his decision making process over the last 5 years and how it’s helped him develop as a person and as a business leader (this part alone is worth the listen) Patrick’s unique approach to books and how he chooses what he’s going to spend his time reading  ...life in Silicon Valley, Baumol’s cost disease, and so, so much more. Patrick truly is one of the warmest, humblest and down to earth people I’ve had the pleasure to speak with and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation together. I hope you will too! GO PREMIUM: Support the podcast, get ad-free episodes, transcripts, and so much more: https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-premium/

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

On this episode of the Knowledge Project Podcast, I chat with Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of the leading online payment processing company, <a href="https://stripe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stripe.</a> If you’ve purchased anything online recently, there’s a good chance that Stripe facilitated the transaction. What is now an organization with over a thousand employees and handling tens of billions of dollars of online purchases every year, began as a small side experiment while Patrick and his brother John were going to college.   During our conversation, Patrick shares the details of their unlikely journey and some of the hard-earned wisdom he picked up along the way. I hope you have something handy to write with because the nuggets per minute in this episode are off the charts. Patrick was so open and generous with his responses that I’m really excited for you to hear what he has to say. Here are just a few of the things we cover: <ul> <li>The biggest (and most valuable) mistakes Patrick made in the early days of Stripe and how they helped him get better</li> <li>The characteristics that Patrick looks for in a new hire to fit and contribute to the Stripe company culture</li> <li>What compelled he and his brother to move forward with the early concept of Stripe, even though on paper it was doomed to fail from the start</li> <li>The gaps Patrick saw in the market that dozens of other processing companies were missing — and how he capitalized on them</li> <li>The lessons Patrick learned from scaling Stripe from two employees (he and his brother) to nearly 1,000 today</li> <li>How he evaluates the upsides and potential dangers of speculative positions within the company</li> <li>How his Irish upbringing influenced his ability to argue and disagree without taking offense (and how we can all be a little more “Irish”)</li> <li>The power of finding the right peer group in your social and professional circles and how impactful and influential it can be in determining where you end up.</li> <li>The 4 ways Patrick has modified his decision making process over the last 5 years and how it’s helped him develop as a person and as a business leader (this part alone is worth the listen)</li> <li>Patrick’s unique approach to books and how he chooses what he’s going to spend his time reading</li> </ul> ...life in Silicon Valley, Baumol’s cost disease, and so, so much more. Patrick truly is one of the warmest, humblest and down to earth people I’ve had the pleasure to speak with and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation together. I hope you will too! GO PREMIUM: Support the podcast, get ad-free episodes, transcripts, and so much more: https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-premium/

#32 Patrick Collison: Earning Your Stripes

If you want your company to truly scale, you first have to do things that don't scale. Handcraft the core experience. Get your hands dirty. Serve your customers one-by-one. And don't stop until you know exactly what they want. That's what Brian Chesky did. As CEO of Airbnb, Brian’s early work was more akin to a traveling salesman. He takes us back to his lean years – when he went door-to-door, meeting Airbnb hosts in person – and shares the imaginative route to crafting what he calls an "11-star experience.”Read Paul Graham: "In order to scale, you have to do things that don't scale."Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/brian-chesky-handcrafted/Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dlirtX

Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman

If you want your company to truly scale, you first have to do things that don't scale. Handcraft the core experience. Get your hands dirty. Serve your customers one-by-one. And don't stop until you know exactly what they want. That's what Brian Chesky did. As CEO of Airbnb, Brian’s early work was more akin to a traveling salesman. He takes us back to his lean years – when he went door-to-door, meeting Airbnb hosts in person – and shares the imaginative route to crafting what he calls an "11-star experience.”Read Paul Graham: "In order to scale, you have to do <a href="http://paulgraham.com/ds.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">things that don't scale</a>."Read a transcript of this interview at: <a href="https://mastersofscale.com/brian-chesky-handcrafted/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://mastersofscale.com/brian-chesky-handcrafted/</a>Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter at <a href="http://eepurl.com/dlirtX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://eepurl.com/dlirtX</a>

1. Airbnb's Brian Chesky in Handcrafted

OwlTail

Best Startups Podcasts

The best philosophy podcast episodes. Asking questions about how to live a better life, what it means to be and do good, to the idea of God. This topic includes episodes that bring about important questions that everyone should be asking themselves. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Michael Sandel explores the philosophical justifications made for national borders. Using a pioneering state-of-the-art studio at the Harvard Business School, Professor Sandel is joined by 60 participants from over 30 countries in a truly global digital space. Is there any moral distinction between a political refugee and an economic migrant? If people have the right to exit a country, why not a right to enter? Do nations have the right to protect the affluence of their citizens? And is there such a thing as a 'national identity'? These are just some of the questions addressed by Professor Sandel in this first edition of The Global Philosopher.Audience producer: Louise ColettaProducer: David EdmondsEditor: Richard Knight(Image taken by Rose Lincoln)

The Public Philosopher

Michael Sandel explores the philosophical justifications made for national borders. Using a pioneering state-of-the-art studio at the Harvard Business School, Professor Sandel is joined by 60 participants from over 30 countries in a truly global digital space. Is there any moral distinction between a political refugee and an economic migrant? If people have the right to exit a country, why not a right to enter? Do nations have the right to protect the affluence of their citizens? And is there such a thing as a 'national identity'? These are just some of the questions addressed by Professor Sandel in this first edition of The Global Philosopher. Audience producer: Louise Coletta Producer: David Edmonds Editor: Richard Knight (Image taken by Rose Lincoln)

The Global Philosopher: Should Borders Matter?

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about his new book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” They discuss the importance of meditation for his intellectual life, the primacy of stories, the need to revise our fundamental assumptions about human civilization, the threats to liberal democracy, a world without work, universal basic income, the virtues of nationalism, the implications of AI and automation, and other topics. SUBSCRIBE to listen to the rest of this episode and gain access to all full-length episodes of the podcast at samharris.org/subscribe.

Making Sense with Sam Harris

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about his new book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” They discuss the importance of meditation for his intellectual life, the primacy of stories, the need to revise our fundamental assumptions about human civilization, the threats to liberal democracy, a world without work, universal basic income, the virtues of nationalism, the implications of AI and automation, and other topics. SUBSCRIBE to listen to the rest of this episode and gain access to all full-length episodes of the podcast at <a href="http://samharris.org/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">samharris.org/subscribe</a>.

BBC Africa Debate

Weekly hand curated podcast episodes for learning