It's World Cup time and for all my tweeps you know I've been tweeting like a madman for the love of the world's most popular sport.  The video above exemplifies the intersection of both the love of sport & the love of life and raises another issue I've been thinking a lot about lately.  For the past few months I've had the honor to join an amazing group of social media envoys who have committed to leveraging their networks to help end the scourge of malaria in Africa and across the globe.  Thus far the group has managed to raise worldwide attention and helped to inspire significant support towards it's mission, including the April announcement from the World Bank that it would commit $200 million to purchase 25 million of the remaining 50 million bed nets being sought by UN Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers.

I had a chance to interview Mr. Chambers for my show on Oprah Radio back in May and we discussed the malaria campaign, as well as the roots of his broader commitment to philanthropy.  I'm always struck by how the circumstances of peoples lives can have such a profound impact on what we place value on.  Many of you who know me, know that I've had significant personal experience with malaria.  It's inspiring to see so many people taking a stand to address this issue.  By eradicating the socially & economically debilitating effects of malaria, we help people in developing nations to better help themselves.  As an African I want to see people on the continent empowered to solve our own problems, to leverage the massive human & material resources of our homelands, and to break the cycles of poverty and misperception that continue to challenge us.

The video above is another example of how each of us can have a positive impact on our world, if only by deciding that something matters enough to speak out about.  In the midst of this global celebration of sport, here's to all the people doing their part to make a difference for millions of others irrespective of the flag they fly.  The hosting of the World Cup in S. Africa is just the tip of a profound and powerful continental iceberg.  Africa's best days are yet ahead of us, and I'm proud to be a part of ushering them in. I have a feeling the world will be stunned at just how much we will be bringing to the table in the coming years.

Click here to help support the cause. Vive l'Afrique!

So it's official! My new radio show launches Sat Jan 23rd at noon ET, from the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL!! The whole band will be in effect giving me some musical backup as we set the stage for a new kind of dialogue on the world we want to live in.  You can peep it live on Oprah Radio, XM 156/Sirius 195 or online at www.oprahradio.com. Hope you guys will join us!  Peep the announcement here:

Alright so the interview aired on Monday.  I was going to post some thoughts yesterday, but real life was all up in my grill aallll day!  So now as I sit quietly pon the couch as the ISDN tech hooks up my phat new digital pipe, I'm taking a moment to reflect & give y'all a lil bit of the inside scoop on what all went down.

First off, MUCH thanks for all of those who tuned in on Monday.  I got a gang of great emails, FB msgs, phone calls & txts with mucho love & inspiration!  For those of you who didn't get to catch the full hour interview, you've still got two options to get w/ el programa:

1) Peep the 8minute Excerpt from Oprah.com

2) Tune in this weekend to hear the FULL interview again:

Oprah Radio (Sirius Channel 195 - XM Channel 156):
Saturday Nov. 28
6am ET (3am PT)
2pm ET (11am PT)
7pm ET (4pm PT)
 
Sunday Nov. 29
6am ET (3am PT)

2pm ET (11am PT) 

If you haven't already heard it, in the interview we talk about everything from ancestry, to faith, social entrepreneurship & of course artistry, music & Soulfège.  We also talk about The SHIFT movie and the growing global awareness of our need & power to make change in our world.  We talk about S. Asian Rockstar Salman Ahmad and his Concert for Pakistan, which had hundreds of heads bobbin' at the UN General Assembly.  We talk about how on earth I've gotten to do such insanely cool things as sit on a panel with the former President of Ireland & the Queen of Jordan (turns out Oprah & I have some common roots), and we both concur that I've got cute ears (thanks Mum! You too Pops).

We talked about serious things: the role of spirituality in our lives, and those of members of my generation.  About the place of religion in our world today and the idea that God is bigger than any given doctrinal "box."  We talked about the poetry of Hip Hop and she played "Fight On" and "Do Right".  In a nutshell, I got a chance to kick it with a kindred spirit, and it turns out she's also the most powerful woman in the world. 

If I'd really taken the time to think about the magnitude of having an hour to vibe with Oprah Winfrey, or the serendipity of a little African boy from Accra by way of Brooklyn & The Middle East, having such an audience  at this particular stage in my life, I would have probably been too nervous to be my best. 

And to be honest, I did have a few nights prior to that day when I'd wake up in a cold sweat after a dream along the lines of this:

I'm in a giant palace, where medieval guards usher me briskly down a long hallway adorned with ornate fixtures and flush with light from a chorus of chandeliers.  I nervously chomp on a handful of peanut M&Ms in an effort to calm my harried senses.  I arrive at a grand doorway and as it opens a voice booms from the ether: "Behold...Oprah."  She floats through the doorway ringed in light, surrounded by a phalanx of courtiers and smiling extends her hand to me.  I smile back & eagerly thrust my own hand forward to grasp hers, too late realizing that my sweat filled palms are covered in a muddy residue of melted chocolate, peanuts & synthetic coloring. 

Oprah recoils in shock as she beholds her now sullied palm; four obervers faint in protest, and the booming voice booms again: "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!"  I spin helpless, searching for the nearest escalator.  As the whole room descends on me in anger I leap onto the stunned shoulders of a courtier and bound atop a sea of angry heads in the direction of what I hope to be the exit.  President Obama stands in a corner shaking his head in quiet disdain.

Fortunately this did not actually happen (I know, you were worried for me huh?).  If you want to know what DID happen, listen to the interview this weekend! :)  And tell your friends & fam to join the gang.  I will be eating Thanks-filled leftovers & dreaming of faraway lands.

Beijinhos,

D.N.A

P.S. If you haven't already signed-up for the free Sirius/XM Trial you can do so here:

https://home.sirius.com/sirpromosetupview.do?utm_campaign=SIR30DAYTRIAL&utm_source=HNXM&utm_medium=web

Happy Giving of Thanksing!